Meet Spanish Teacher Robert Mitchell

PFT: What compelled you to become a teacher and/or to work in education? 

Robert: I actually have two answers to this question–the first answer happened in young adulthood, and the second happened when I was an impressionable teen.

When I was a kid, I never thought I would be a teacher and now I can hardly imagine doing anything else. I wanted to be a successful businessman, and for a while after college I was unhappily working for a bank.  Back then, one of my best friends, Tammy, had begun working in education. We were writing letters to stay in touch and she knew I was unhappy at work. She kept telling me she thought I should try teaching and I hadn’t really considered it until she made me think about it. I got more serious about it when I started thinking how I might make a difference.  

Because growing up, I had a really rough 8th grade year; I just stopped trying, started getting into trouble  and did the bare minimum to get by. I realized then how much power I had over my life: I knew I could decide to work really hard in school or let go and just continue to flounder like I did most of that year. It was my choice..

When I got to high school, I decided to do my best. Since then, my education has opened so many doors and afforded me so many opportunities…In the end, my decision to change careers was clearly the right choice for me: I want to give to my students some measure of what my education has given to me.

I especially hope that when I come across a kid who is on the fence like I once was, I’ll have the words to help him or her make the right choice like I know I did. Like my friend Tammy helped me see.

PFT: What do you like best about your career choice and job? 

Robert: One of the things I love best about my job is witnessing the “aha” moment when the lightbulb comes on!

I can’t get enough of that smile that washes over a kid’s face when they learn something. I also love how much I learn from my students. Whether we’re sharing common perspectives or learning to appreciate our differences there’s never a dull moment as we develop relationships, learn and grow together. 

PFT: Where/what school(s) did you pursue higher education? 

Robert: I graduated from Swarthmore College with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and I graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Master of Arts in Teaching Foreign Language as an African-American fellow.

I am a former Fulbright teacher in Peru (2005-2006) and I currently the leader of the PPS Equity Leadership Institute team, a group working to recruit and retain teachers of color in Pittsburgh Public Schools. 

PFT: In your opinion, what are the greatest challenges faced by educators today? Students?  School districts? Any challenges specific to your subject matter expertise?

Robert: I’ve got to start with the COVID-19 pandemic–because it laid bare the many hurdles faced by educators today.

Whatever the challenges were before … from trauma to poverty to learning gaps to race …. COVID has magnified and exacerbated them. With so much being thrown at us as educators, we have to work hard to keep moving forward, and to keep leveraging limited resources for maximum gains.

PFT: When did you join the union?  Do you participate in any committees or hold any leadership positions? Ever taken any coursework or continuing education?

Robert: I joined the union when I started with the district in 1995 and became the building rep for my school right from the start. I worked  on the  Middle School Grassroots Committee, Labor Day Committee, Burdensome Paperwork Committee, PEP, …

Currently I am co-chair of the African-American Teacher Mentorship Program and a member of the PFT Political Action Committee. I was elected to the PFT Executive Board as a member at large in 2005. While on the executive board, I have been a member at large, middle schools representative, trustee, and this past year I was elected Vice President of Middle Schools. 

PFT: In your own words, why is having union representation important?  What’s the best thing about being in a union, whether you are an active or more passive participant?

Robert: The best thing about being in a union is all the things we can accomplish together.

We have a strong contract so we have a voice. We have the right to bargain collectively, to fight for what’s right for our students, a living wage, better working conditions, healthcare and pension benefits, and for protection against unfair labor practices,.

We have so many ways to get involved from political action committees, to grassroots committees, ER & D , Teacher Leaders, social events like Final Friday, movies, outings, …I’ve said so much and I’m only scratching the surface. There’s a place for everyone in the union, and a committee, program or activity for every member to be an actively engaged participant. 

PFT: Do you have a mentor that introduced you to the PFT/Union? Please share who—and what that person meant to you and to your member development.

Robert: The late Sherm Shrager and Pat Colangelo were most instrumental in laying the groundwork for changing my union focus from duty to service.

Because of them, I started moving beyond just being a building rep who focused only on my school … to becoming a true unionist, joining committees and focusing on work that supported all our members. I worked with Sherm on the Middle School Grassroots Committee.

Then, Mary Van Horn helped me get involved with the Burdensome Paperwork Committee and my involvement grew from there. Harold, Nina, and Billy have always been there for me to answer my questions, provide support, and open doors of opportunity–some of which I never dreamed I’d walk through. I’m so grateful to all of them and all the staff members that make our union home one of the best anywhere.

We are all so lucky to have them.  

PFT: We’ve seen you on TV interviewed as a door knocker, watched you give testimony to Harrisburg and in Public Hearings, you helm the AATMP (and book club!), you’re an E-board member, PAC member, phone banker, a TEACH and Convention participant, you’ve been a speaker at Jill Biden’s visit.

What is it about taking leadership initiative that means so much to you? What advice do you have for others who are considering becoming more active PFT members?

Robert: As James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, would say, “Get on up, get into it, get involved!”

As JFK might have said, “Ask not what your union can do for you, ask what you can do for your union!”

While I feel honored and humbled any time  I have the opportunity to represent my union brothers and sisters–my union family; my colleagues and friends, I think of it more as participation than leadership.

I see first hand all the hard work that staff members and volunteers do everyday in the office, in the schools, in the Pittsburgh community and beyond. It makes me very proud to be a member of the PFT and happy to do my part. My advice to anybody considering getting more involved is to come on down and join in. What you have to offer individually? Nop one else can! When you join hands with your union brothers and sisters, together,  we can do great things.

There is a place just for you and you’re  always welcome in your union home.

FINAL NOTES and Lightning Round:

People are surprised to learn...

… …that I love to cook and travel. I like to access new places through local food traditions and my favorite celebrity chef is Jacques Pepin whom I once met at an event downtown. 

---

Robert’s favorite …
Movie:  Knives Out (this year)
Book: The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Author: Zora Neale Hurston
Singer: Aretha Franklin
Song: Rock Steady -( for one)
Color: Navy blue
Food: Munchupa/Cachupa (Cape Verdean stew)
Time of year: Summer/Autumn (tie)

---

Quote to live by:
I have a lot of these, but one that’s been on my mind lately is from Maya Angelou: 

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel.”  —- Maya Angelou