First Lady Jill Biden takes the stage to speak at the UFT's Spring Education Conference as the audience and UFT President Michael Mulgrew (right) and AFT President Randi Weingarten applaud. "My name is Jill Biden, I’m the first lady of the United States, and I’m a proud, card-carrying member of a teachers’ union!” she declared.

UFT Teacher Center literacy coaches and liaisons (from left) Evelyn Edwards, Kellmie Moreno and Heather Daniels address a question posed by UFT President Michael Mulgrew (second from right) during a town hall panel discussion about the new phonics-based literacy curricula.

Niki Rosenthal and her culinary arts students from Coop Tech in Manhattan prepare crepes for conference participants at the exhibit fair showcasing the skills and talent of career and technical education high school students. 

Representing Stephen Mather Building Arts and Craftsmanship HS in Manhattan at the exhibit fair are teacher Ivette Dobarganes (center) and her students. "We are here to expose our program to other teachers and the community," she said. "We do a lot, but a lot of people don't know about us."

UFT President Michael Mulgrew and AFT President Randi Weingarten stand with the veterans in attendance.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, here with UFT President Michael Mulgrew, told the attendees, “To every single member of the UFT, the teachers, the school workers, everyone who’s dedicated their lives to public education: We love you. We thank you. You are the greatest.”

UFT members take part in a workshop for engaging English language learners. Here, participants explore how using visuals can bolster vocabulary, conversation and writing skills.

In a workshop designed to train math educators in Illustrative Mathematics, UFT Teacher Center coach Gregory Hinckson facilitates as members Margaret Williams (left), from PS 36 in Brooklyn, and Anastasia Pinou, from PS 189 in Manhattan, participate in a sorting exercise designed to engage students in math discourse.

UFT Paraprofessionals Chapter Chairperson Priscilla Castro (second from right) embraces Chapter Chair Emerita Shelvy Young-Abrams (center) surrounded by (left to right) Diana Judge, a paraprofessional from 256Q @ St. John’s; Mashantuck Bell, the paraprofessional  Brooklyn coordinator; and Sharon Anderson, the secretary of the Paraprofessionals Chapter.

Displayed on a table in front of presenters (from left) Julio Anta, an author of graphic novels, Elisa Li, of the Asian American Education Project, and Laura Silver, a library media specialist at PS 90 in Brooklyn, are the graphic novels “Si, Se Puede” and “Fighting to Belong!,” both of which were given for free to attendees of a workshop about how to use graphic novels as a resource for English language learners.

Teachers Michele Fienga, of James Madison HS in Brooklyn, and Garth Wolkoff, of Franklin D. Roosevelt HS in Brooklyn, do an exercise presented by UFT Teacher Center literacy district coaches during a workshop to deepen educators’ understanding of “The Science of Reading: Making a Difference for All Learners.”  

Grandmaster Dee warmly greets Spring Education Conference attendees.

The sounds of Grandmaster Dee inspire a conga line through the ballroom.

UFT Co-Staff Director Anthony Harmon, the day’s master of ceremonies, leads members and officers in a dance on stage.

Isiah (right), a high-schooler studying nursing, and Habeba, a high-schooler studying law, represented the UFT’s “Students of New York” series, which elevates the lives, struggles and triumphs of New York City public school children. Here, they take a break from staffing the SONY booth to pose for a celebratory photo.