Representatives-at-Large

Responsibilities & Activities

In this role, you serve as a Council-wide leader and executive decision maker. In addition to service on the NCTE Executive Committee, you will serve as a member of the Operations subcommittee.

Time Commitment:  Actual meeting time in recent years has included 2.5 days at the NCTE Annual Convention, about three days in February, three days in Washington, D.C., in April/May, and three days in August in Urbana. Between meetings, roughly 10-20 hours of your time will be occupied with subcommittee work or agenda study. On rare occasions, you may be asked to represent NCTE at a professional meeting or to serve as a speaker at an affiliate meeting through the cosponsored speakers network.

List of Current and Past Representatives-at-Large

The Representative-at-Large is the only post that must be filled by a classroom teacher.  This prerequisite suggests the need for candidates who will be strong spokespersons for the classroom teacher, while able to consider the viewpoints of the other constituencies.  The Representative-at-Large serves a two-year term.

If being nominated for the elementary slot:

• must be teaching at the elementary level between preK and grade 5 inclusive AND be a voting member of the Elementary Section.

If being nominated for the middle level slot:

• must be teaching at the middle level between grades 5 and 9 inclusive AND be a voting member of the Middle Level Section.

If being nominated for the secondary slot:

• must be teaching at the secondary level between grades 9 and 12 inclusive AND be a voting member of the Secondary Section.

Responsibilities & Activities

• Serves two years.
• Candidates agree not to campaign during the election process.
• Must be actually in the classroom at least half-time at the time of nomination.
• Serves on the Operations subcommittee of the Executive Committee (via conference call and face-to-face meetings).
• Attends several Executive Committee meetings annually; travel expenses for in-person meetings are paid in full:
  • One day and a half meeting in February (Friday-Saturday) Note: Those participating in convention planning remain until Sunday.
  • One 3-day meeting in late April/early May (Thursday-Saturday)
  • One 4-day meeting in July (Thursday-Sunday)
  • One 1-day and two partial meetings at NCTE Annual Convention (Tuesday and Wednesday prior to Convention, Sunday during Convention)
  • Also includes any virtual meetings that would be scheduled
• Is principally responsible for representing classroom teachers in deliberations of the Executive Committee.
• Takes office at close of Annual Convention in year of election.
• Upon election, resigns from conflicting Council posts.
• Upon election, must be willing to join affiliate, if not already an affiliate member.
• Representative-at-Large candidates are expected to seek release time from their school systems. NCTE can provide partial support as needed.

Note to potential candidates:  The initial deadline for receipt of written confirmation agreeing to be a candidate and return of biographical statement and photo is January 10 of each year. If confirmation is received by this date candidate names will be included in the announcement to the NCTE membership in the March Council Chronicle and on the NCTE Web site. If confirmation has not been received by this date, the position will be publicly listed as “to be announced.”

January 31 is the final deadline for submission of the final slate for the ballot. All candidates must have submitted written confirmation by this date.

Candidates agree not to campaign during the election process: NCTE Policy on Campaigning.