[scholar]

The end of the NEA would be the best possible thing for public education.

[Jemian]

You are so right. The pressure on teachers to join the union is almost unbearable. It begins in college as if you're joining a club or professional organization.

I was invited to join and when I stated my reasons for declining, one professor denied the political stand the NEA had taken. Another confirmed it, but said that it was only a minor part of it.

The other students didn't understand. The NEA was grossly misrepresented.

But it continues. When a teacher accepts a position, it is automatically (or it used to be; this may have changed by now) assumed the teacher would be in the NEA. You had to be very proactive to stay out.