Messages that Matter
Find the message from the President and Executive Director each time the Newsletter is published on this page.
President's Message
Robin Williams once said, “Spring is nature’s way of saying, Let’s Party!” Warming weather invites people to come out, work in the yard, and enjoy the signs of new life. Maryland’s 2025 legislative session is winding down with much of its time being spent on coming up with a balanced budget. Our legislative committee has still been following bills and working to make sure bills that align with our priorities receive positive support. Sine Die will be a celebration, no doubt!
Our locals are working hard to build membership and support their communities.
The committees and staff of MRSPA are preparing for the Annual Business Meeting on May 6, 2025, at Turf Valley. That’s really where the partying is… MRSPA will be celebrating 80 years of supporting first, teachers, then all retired school personnel, by advocating for and protecting pensions! As the years passed, the mission broadened to encompassing other legislative priorities, becoming a positive force in our communities and helping education professionals stay connected. Become a delegate, attend the meeting and help us celebrate our 80th anniversary!
“Spring work is going on with joyful enthusiasm.” (Unknown) Let’s take advantage of the enthusiasm. Help make our Associations bigger, better and stronger—get involved and let us know if you have ideas to help us do that. Many hands make light work. (Proverb) Party on!
Betty Weller,
MRSPA President
Executive Director's Message
You can take the teacher out of the classroom…
Once a Marine, always a Marine. You may have heard this saying if you know any US Marines or if like me you live anywhere near a military base. And of all the “former” Marines I know, they don’t typically like the use of the word “former”. At all. It is as if being a Marine is in their DNA. I get that. While being a teacher or other school personnel is not the same as being a Marine, I think that the feeling is similar. I think being a first-year teacher was my own personal boot camp. I know I personally felt like I was storming
a beach in my classroom sometimes. And certainly, there were days when the obstacles were great and varied, and we pushed through
and held the line against the odds. We weren’t facing bullets and bombs, but the hormones, personalities, and sometimes anger and fear of children in a crowded, smelly setting were very real. Oh, and we had to deal with all of it in a 45-minute class period, while also teaching the content and being engaging, supportive, and professional. Just as we asked our students to get back up when they were knocked down, we did the same. We always fought the good fight and were proud to do it. We are proud to have done it.
This is also why I am so proud to work at MRSPA. I get to see firsthand how dedicated and selfless our members continue to be. How they still go the extra mile to keep their local running, to advocate to protect their pension and health benefits, to volunteer in their community, and to stay connected to their colleagues and schools. I have visited all our local associations and attended hundreds of meetings and events in my tenure with MRSPA, and I remain amazed at what MRSPA and our locals accomplish.
But I also know that I shouldn’t really be amazed or surprised. It is who our members are. It’s in their DNA. They’ve stormed the classroom beaches and came out the other side. They’ve impacted the lives of thousands of
children and improved their communities, and they continue to do so because they don’t know how to do anything else. And they will keep being who they are because you can’t take the classroom out of the teacher (school personnel).
Thank you for your membership in MRSPA!
Wanda Ruffo Twigg,
MRSPA Executive Director