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Join NEA, NEA Retired, AEA, AEA Retired - all with low yearly dues of less than
$9 per month!
JOIN and help speak up for education
JOIN and help us to protect your retirement security
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Just click on the button above & download the form.
Fun
Meet other education retired members to socialize, learn, and make an impact on Arizona education.
Inexpensive
Only $105 per year and maintain all of your benefits you had as an active educator.
WHAT WE DO
And so much more!
Socialize and Learn
AEA Retired has 9 chapters throughout the state. Members meet to socialize, discuss issues and learn from engaging guest speakers. We look forward to seeing you there.
All chapter members throughout Greater Phoenix are invited to attend our Board meetings. Lunch is served, and there are plenty of ways to network and get to know other members, along with a wonderful keynote speaker.
Friends Make You Smart
Boosting social interaction is a key to your mental health, study says by Michelle Diament,
Social engagement can benefit memory and cognitive function.
Many scientists now believe that social interaction is key to maintaining good mental health and warding off diseases like dementia. Many recent studies document the positive effects of social interaction. Although researchers are not certain what happens in the brain to produce the positive effects seen among the more socially engaged, it appears clear that close relationships and large social networks have a beneficial impact on memory and cognitive function as people age.
In a study of 2,249 California women published in the July American Journal of Public Health, researchers reported that older women who maintained large social networks reduced their risk of dementia and delayed or prevented cognitive impairment.
By interviewing the women over the course of four years, researchers accumulated data about the size and closeness of their social networks. Researchers asked the women questions such as “How many people can you rely on for help?” and “How many people can you talk to about private matters?” They also tallied the frequency of visits, phone calls and mail from family or friends the women received.
The results showed that women with the larger social networks were 26 percent less likely to develop dementia than those with smaller social networks. And women who had daily contact with friends and family cut their risk of dementia by almost half.There are people who are outliers, who have two very close relationships and are fine cognitively. But people who have three or more relationships tend to do better.”
Why does social interaction make a difference?
“It’s important to act engaged in your environment, be it through learning, be it through social interaction, be it through exercise,” says Denise Park, a psychologist and director of the Productive Aging Laboratory at the Center for Brain Health at the University of Texas, Dallas. “I think what we’ll find out is that what’s bad is sitting home alone in a quiet room watching television.”
Park hypothesizes that social interaction, like mental exercises and learning, may limit the amount of time that the aging brain can remain unfocused, in a daydream-like state. Her theory is that older people have more difficulty switching between daydreaming and focused attention to important details. So the more time the aging brain spends mentally stimulated and socially engaged, the less switching is necessary, and the easier it is to perform the daily tasks necessary for independent living.
Advocate for Education
AEA Retired offers many ways to continue your advocacy for public education. We do this in order to better serve the studetns of Arizona, our colleagues who are in the classroom, and the larger community.
We do this because we love teaching and learning. We do this because we believe all students, regardless of ZIP code, deserve a high-quality education. We do this because we love the students, care about the future of the profession, and want to improve our schools. We do this in spite of magazine covers that show a gavel positioned over an apple and feature rhetoric that attempts to de-professionalize our work by labeling us “rotten” or ineffective.
But sometimes teachers are so focused on their daily responsibilities and the students in front of them that we need to help them advocate for their students. The social and mass media chatter is all too quick to point out flaws in our system but often falls short on highlighting teacher-created solutions and successes.
This is why it has never been more important for retired educators to share our stories and serve as advocates for the profession. Today’s retired educators are called to serve as ambassadors for public education.
Mindset Matters
Seeing ourselves as teacher-leaders and advocates for public education is key. If we don’t see ourselves in this role, we leave the door open for others outside the profession to tell the stories and determine the successes (and shortcomings) of our schools.
Teacher advocates see the bigger picture and purpose of public education. We ask lots of questions. We problem solve and push back against the status quo. We take initiative. We wonder out loud and imagine possibilities. We say “Yes” often when asked to do this work at the state legislature, or on phone banks or at the doors knocking for candidate races or issue campaigns despite our busy schedules. We see advocacy as part of what it means to be a retired educator.
Get Connected
Ready to take the plunge, but not sure where to start? Advocacy can be as informal as a one-on-one conversation with a parent or as formal as preparing public comments and testifying before a local school board, state board of education, or the state legislature. To prepare for advocacy work, it is valuable for retired educators to get connected to other educator advocates.
Hear All About It
Talk to your friends, family, and community members about pro-public education ballot initiatives during elections. Everyone seeks input from professionals in their respective fields; why not make yourself the go-to person for education issues in your social and professional circles?
Practicing teachers: If issues of social justice and equity led you to the profession, you are an advocate for public education. Reflect on why it is you do what you do—then share that with others. Together we can shift the dialogue about the purpose and current state of public education and seek systems level solutions for our students.
Stay Connected, Get Involved
AEA Retired sends out calls to action, teaches advocacy and gives information at our local chapter meetings and offers opportunities for leadership. Please make sure that you are signed up to receive our online E-Newsletters.
Protect Our Retirement Security
Our mission is to effectively protect defined benefit pension plans for public employees and to ensure that these plans continue to provide the foundation of a secure retirement.
AEA Retired belongs to several national coalitions with local organizations. Included are The Alliance for Retired Americans and The Public Pension Coalition.
Across the country, coalitions of firefighters, teachers, nurses, librarians and other public employees have come together to protect their retirement security.
These coalitions work to educate legislators, public officails, opinion leaders and the public on the facts aboutthe benefits and health of public employee pension systems.
Please see our page called "Issues and Resources" to learn more about the work we do here in Arizona. Please help us by making certain that you are a member of AEA-Retired and that you sign up for our mailing list. No other use is made of your contact information than to keep you informed, and offer opportunities to join us in this effort.
Lead and Mentor
AEA Retired members through intergenerational programs with Student and Active members provide valuable leadership and constructive solutions to the challenges that face all educators and education support professionals. We're serving as teacher mentors and sharing our knowledge to smooth the transition for new and student teachers.
Growing Great Teachers
Mentoring a new teacher may be your greatest legacy.
The Heart of a Mentor.
Guiding a new educator takes devotion, generosity, and faith in public education. Does that sound like you?
If it does, then we can use your help.
We are re-starting our Intergenerational Mentoring program in Arizona. In this program, we pair active retirees with AEA Student Program members. We also pair with first-year student members.
These students and new educators praise our program because they find great support from veteran teachers, now retired AEA members.
New teachers don't have to face their classes alone thanks to the Intergenerational Program that pairs a new teacher with classroom veterans. This involves no evaluation or paperwork - just a listening and sympathetic ear. Please stay connected so that you can join us in our efforts to grow great teachers.
