Up Close

Spring 2007

A Blog of One’s Own

Young teachers find “tech therapy” lets them reflect and connect online.

What can you expect on your first day of school? Why are you intimidated by the teacher’s lounge? How do you deal with the three students in the back who insist on talking through your class? Sure, you’ll eventually work through such situations on your own, but in the meantime, wouldn’t it be nice to connect with peers who are dealing with the same things?

Not surprisingly, a new generation of educators is blogging its way through those first few years. Practical advice, searchable subjects, and dialogues in the form of posted comments make this flexible community ideal for new educators, who may have limited off-hours time to “talk” and who may prefer the anonymity of cyber-identities. And it’s not all venting and commiserating; the most compelling blogs give plenty of screen space to interpreting the big issues and celebrating classroom triumphs big and small.

Here’s a sampling of what we found when we combed the blogosphere for new teacher voices.

—Carrie Addington

I Got the Job! Now What ?!?

“Every time I have ever been in a classroom, someone else had already set it up and laid out all the intricacies I am now facing. I think that colleges could send students to teachers before the school year starts so they can see what takes place before the kids arrive.”

—Simply Sarah

The First Day of School

“I am really nervous about the first day of school. Every young teacher, I’m sure, worries and frets, anticipating that moment of first standing in front of the class. How will they see me? Will they respect me, or be laughing inside? What if they’re laughing outside?”

—Hanne Denney, blogger for Teacher Magazine

“Throughout the whirlwind of the day, I became more comfortable and confident in my position as ‘Teacher.’ By the end of the day, I was happy but extremely exhausted. My feet, shins, and lower back all ached from all the laps I had (compulsively) walked around student desks. Emotionally, I felt especially drained … but at least the children had given me a good first impression.”

—Laura Fridley, blogger for Virginia Education Association

It’s Not a Corner Office With a View

“Your first year is not going to be easy … you are probably spending 8 hours a day in a fluorescent-lit, institutional grey or yellow, cinderblock room that may not even have a window. There ought to be a new diagnosis for PNTD: Post New Teacher Depression.”

—Amy Loves Books

The Emotional Roller Coaster

“My experiences were probably not all that different from those of any other first-year in Teacher Corps. I laughed, I cried, I wanted to bang my head against the wall, I got hopeful, I got discouraged, I felt like a failure, I felt that I meant something important to one of my students.”

—Long Skirt, Blue Jacket

What Not to Do

   “Don’t say you’re going to call home if you know you probably won’t feel like it. In fact, don’t say you’ll do anything that you’re not 100% sure you can do that day. Don’t show movies that you’ve never watched yourself, or teach books you’ve never read.”

—Schoolhouserockstar

Insecurities

“There’s always the chance that a parent will get you on the phone and realize that you’re only twenty–something and you have no idea what the hell you’re doing or why anyone thought you could be put in charge of all these children.”

—Amy Loves Books

Decisions, Decisions

“I’m realizing that all this teaching stuff isn’t instinct. Every minor thing is loaded with potential meaning and consequences and took a surprising amount of time for teachers to decide upon. I am already thoroughly convinced that teaching is the most challenging endeavor you can find. Why climb Mt. Everest when you can teach middle school?”

—DC Newbie

To Post or Not to Post?

You might think of your blog as a virtual teacher’s lounge in which you do most of the talking, but always keep in mind that anyone can read it, link to it, or quote it. Teaching is emotional work, and it’s always worth thinking twice before you post something you might regret. A few things to keep in mind:

• Don’t type your tirade! When you’re processing the negative stuff, make it your rule of thumb to type it, print it, tinker with it, even sleep on it, and then take another look before posting it to your blog. In the end, your remarks can be just as convincing, but they’ll look much more thoughtful.
• Anonymity isn’t guaranteed on the Web, even with a clever screen name and pseudonyms for all involved.
• Teachers are highly respected in their comunities, and what they say about schools carries weight with the community. All the more reason to choose words carefully and think how they might be reused by others.
• If you’d prefer to start out in a more controlled environment, try composing a letter to the editor for your local paper. Or post some responses to online message boards and see how other readers respond to what you wrote.

The Virginia Education Association asked first-year teacher Laura Fridley to blog about her debut year at the head of the class. “It’s given me a chance to reflect on the good things, on things I could improve on, and sometimes it re-centers me,” explains Fridley. She encourages other new teachers to consider blogging. “It takes time, but it’s worth it. I have a record of my first year. And it’s opened up communication lines for me in my new school.”

If you’re ready to give it a try, check out the community blog especially for new educators. 

Resources

Spring 2007

Great Reads

 Q & A:  The Most Provocative Questions Asked of Education Professionals Today and How to Answer Them

David L. Smith and Lynn Coffin

Are you wondering why it’s important for educators to join the Association? Have you had to defend your career choice or public education in general? If so, you’re not alone. Thousands of teachers and support professionals struggle to overcome the misinformation that surrounds public education today. Written in a straight-forward, easy-to-read format, Q & A helps you answer those tough questions. Available to Student members for $9.95.

The Best of Works4Me-2

NEA Checklist Series

You loved the first edition of The Best of Works4Me, so we went back to the source—experienced classroom teachers—to bring you more “tried and true” tips on organizing your classroom, managing school relationships, using new technology and much, much more! Available to Student members for $4.50.

How to Develop a Professional Portfolio: A Manual for Teachers

Third Edition
Dorothy M. Campbell, Pamela Bondi Cignetti, Beverly J. Melnyzer, Diane H. Nettles, Richard M. Wyman Jr.

This versatile and practical book helps pre-service and in-service teachers create a teaching portfolio to use in interviews and throughout their teaching careers. This manual provides clear, manageable, step-by-step guidelines and tips for developing professional portfolios. Available to Student members for $24.95.

The Discipline Checklist: Advice from 60 Successful Teachers  

Revised Edition
NEA Checklist Series
Ken Kosier

How would you like to consult with dozens of your colleagues without leaving your desk? This checklist lets you do just that! Sixty teachers—each highly successful at maintaining discipline—share their secrets of classroom management and motivating students. This practical checklist will help you prepare for beginning the school year, coach you on modeling positive interactions, and remind you to maintain flexibility in your discipline strategies. Available to Student members for $4.50.

Countdown to the First Day of School  

Revised Edition
NEA Checklist Series
Leo M. Schell and Paul Burden

Does the thought of the first day of school give you that sinking feeling because you’re not as prepared as you could be? Help is at hand! This bestseller’s time-saving checklist format features tips that can help the beginning, transfer, or student teacher prepare for the first day of school—and the entire year. You’ll find practical advice for getting acquainted, determining procedures and rules, and organizing your classroom and materials. Available to Student members for $5.50.

Classroom Management

This kit is designed to sharpen your skills in managing student behavior both inside and outside the K-12 classroom.  You’ll get tips on how to create a good classroom floor plan, establish and reinforce rules, communicate with parents, write behavior contracts, and create effective time-out strategies. Available to Student members for $14.95.

Quick Clicks

NEA

Check out the Web site for Association news; links to NEA publications, state affiliates, and member benefits; information on special events such as NEA’s Read Across America; and sites for and about members. Don’t forget to visit the Student Program discussion board to chat with your fellow members.

New Teacher Tips

Works4Me

Whether you’re looking for strategies to keep your students on task or just get yourself organized, NEA’s Works4Me program has the answer. The online library includes more than 400 tips, submitted by fellow educators, offering practical solutions to just about any classroom issue. Be sure to join the mailing list to receive new tips by e-mail each week.

Teachers Network

Teachers Network is a nationwide, nonprofit education organization that identifies and connects innovative teachers exemplifying professionalism and creativity within the public schools. The Web site includes lesson plans, online professional development courses, and information about grants and videos available to teachers. Don’t miss the “Daily Classroom Specials,” which feature project ideas, tips for working with parents, and special advice for new and substitute teachers.

Survival Guide for New Teachers

The U.S. Department of Education brings together the reflections of award-winning first-year teachers in this handy online guide for beginning educators. The guide focuses on teachers’ relationships with their colleagues, university professors, and students’ parents, all of which play crucial roles in their success on the job.

First Years

This Web site, started and maintained by two veteran educators, offers classroom activities, sample letters to parents, tips for classroom management, subject-specific lesson plans, and free classroom posters and school clip art. Visitors can join an e-mail listserv for student and beginning teachers as well.

Yes I Teach

This site, maintained by the Florida Education Association, offers lesson plans, articles on students with special needs, classroom management tips, message boards, and even a little bit of humor for teachers of all levels. Users can submit stories and ideas of their own to the site and link to other useful Web resources.

Education World

Tips for interviews, lesson plans, technology integration,professional development, and educator issues are just some of the topics covered on the Education World Web site. You’ll also find information on communicating with parents,managing your finances, and even handling holidays in the classroom. Don’t miss the icebreaker suggestions and sample worksheets and handouts.

Teachers.net

Teachers.net is all about peer support and there are plenty of offerings for new teachers. Have a burning question you need answered? Go to the Beginning Teachers chatboard. Need inspiration on how to engage kids with a particular topic? Browse the database of more than 3,500 free lesson plans, collected since the Web site’s inception 11 years ago. You can connect with other new teachers in your subject area or grade level and get in on live chats.

Community Outreach

NEA’s Read Across America

Celebrate literacy all yearlong with NEA’s Read Across America Web site. You’ll find tips and project ideas for the annual event, free posters and bookmarks to download and print, lists of popular books, and information and resources from NEA’s partners. Be sure to sign up for the monthly e-mail newsletter to receive the latest updates on literacy issues and special discounts on members-only merchandise.

Learn and Serve

Learn and Serve America provides grants to community-oriented school projects. The program helps nearly one million students, from kindergarten through college, meet community needs, while they improve their academic skills and learn the habits of good citizenship. Recipients use the grants to create new programs or replicate existing ones and to train staff, faculty, and volunteers. For more, call 202-606-5000 or visit the Web site.

National Institute for Literacy

Help expand the social and economic opportunities for individuals with few or no literacy skills by teaching them how to read and write. This federal organization supports the development of high-quality literacy services and compiles data about literacy rates among various population groups in the United States.

Special Education

NEA’s IDEA Web site

Stop by NEA’s site on special education and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act for current research, updates on IDEA legislation, and resources for educators working with students with disabilities.

Council for Exceptional Children

The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) works with students with disabilities and the gifted. The organization advocates for sound government policies and offers opportunities for professional development to special education teachers.

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) supports special education programs for children, youth, and adults. OSERS also conducts research and publishes information on issues related to special education.

National Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education

NCPS gathers, organizes, and disseminates information for recruiting, preparing, and retaining individuals interested in serving children with disabilities. The Web site includes information on financial aid available to aspiring special educators, research and statistics on students with special needs, and resources for job seekers.

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

The center provides a variety of resources on disabilities and disability-related issues for families, educators, and other professionals. The Web site includes information on programs and services for infants, children, and youth with disabilities; IDEA; the No Child Left Behind law; effective practices for children with disabilities; materials for  parents; and links to professional associations.

The National Association of Special Education Teachers

(NASET) supports those preparing for or teaching in the field of special education.  Members have access to comprehensive databases containing thousands of resources and materials; topics include exceptional students and disability information, special education and the law and practical resources for special education teachers. The Special Educator e-Journal keeps members informed and a career center offers current job openings, career advice, career fact sheets, and state licensure information.

Political Action

NEA’s Legislative Action Center

Keep up with news from Capitol Hill at NEA’s Legislative Action Center. You’ll find updates on bills designed to improve the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) as well as information about other legislation before Congress. You can track your state senator’s or representative’s voting record and even send an e-mail message to your state and federal legislators. Don’t forget to sign up for the e-mail action alerts!

Center on Education Policy

As a national, independent advocate for public education and for more effective public schools, the Center helps Americans better understand the role of public education in a democracy and the need to improve the academic quality of public schools. The Center on Education Policy conducts research and informs the public about topics such as testing, vouchers, and school improvement.

National Association for the Education of Young Children

NAEYC is an organization of early childhood educators and others dedicated to improving the quality of programs for children from birth through third grade. NAEYC works to improve professional practice and working conditions in early childhood education and to build public support for high quality early childhood programs.

American Association of University Women

Since 1881, AAUW has focused on expanding women’s rights in academia and other areas. Many projects focus on increasing girls’ interest and achievement in math, science, and technology. AAUW staunchly defends civil rights, gender equity, and women’s health and reproductive choices.

American Civil Liberties Union

The ACLU defends the civil rights guaranteed by the U.S Constitution. Some of the ACLU’s focus areas include civil rights in schools, the separation of church and state, and the rights of minorities.

Close Up Foundation

The Close Up Foundation’s programs encourage teachers, students, and young adults to participate in the American democratic process through trips to Washington, D.C., and activities with local and state governments. Close Up uses a hands-on approach to educate people about how the government functions.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

For the past 93 years the NAACP has worked for equity and democracy by opposing discriminatory and unjust policies. The primary focus of the NAACP remains the protection and enhancement of the civil rights of African Americans and other minorities. The NAACP works at the national, regional, and local level to secure civil rights through advocacy for supportive legislation.

Anti-Defamation League

The Anti-Defamation League combats anti-Semitism, bigotry, and intolerance on various fronts. The organization helps the victims of hate crimes, works to protect individual civil rights, lobbies legislators, and educates people about the dangerpresented by hate groups. The Web site includes programs and resources to help teachers challenge prejudice and discrimination.

Labornet

Labornet compiles online information about labor unions in the United States and abroad. The site highlights workers’ grievances and labor campaigns and offers news to keep workers informed about union activities. Visitors to the Web site will find links to labor news publications; labor, employment, and government statistics; and relevant legislation.

Human Rights Campaign

The Human Rights Campaign defends the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered citizens. HRC effectively lobbies Congress, provides campaign support to candidates for federal office, and works to educate the public on a wide array of topics, including workplace, family, and discrimination issues, that affect gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered Americans.

Teaching Tolerance

Founded in 1991 by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Teaching Tolerance provides educators with free educational materials that promote respect for differences and appreciation of diversity in the classroom and beyond. The Web site offers information on classroom activities, tools, grants, and a link to Teaching Tolerance magazine. Visitors to the site also can register for a monthly e-newsletter.

National Dropout Prevention Center

The NDPC provides information for researchers, educators, and policy makers about at-risk students. The NDPC also serves as a clearinghouse on issues related to dropout prevention and offers strategies designed to increase the graduation rate in America ’s schools.

Grants

NEA Foundation

The NEA Foundation awards grants to educators who propose innovative and promising ways to help all students experience academic success and reach their full potential, especially those who have been historically underserved by society’s institutions. NEA Student Program members can partner with eligible teachers, education support professionals, and higher education faculty who submit grant applications. Examples of grant-funded work include study groups, action research, lesson study, and innovative project-based learning that helps close the achievement gap. Grant amounts range from $1,000 to $3,000.

The Foundation Center

The Foundation Center collects and organizes the names of hundreds of people and organizations that provide funding for socially significant projects. Visitors to the Web site can search an online database for corporate and foundation funding or request a free CD-ROM full of sources. The Center also provides information and research about grant seeking and philanthropic efforts.

Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE)

More than 30 federal agencies joined together in 1997 to create the FREE Web site. The site includes information on hundreds of federally supported teaching and learning resources in a variety of subject areas, from the arts to vocational education, and adds new resources monthly.

The National Science Foundation

With an annual budget of about $5.5 billion, the NSF represents the primary funding source for approximately 20 percent of all federally supported basic research conducted by America ’s colleges and universities. In many fields such as mathematics, computer science, and the social sciences, the NSF is the major source of federal backing. The NSF also offers special funding programs specifically for undergraduate and graduate students.

Education News

NEA Today

Stay up to date on education issues and Association news with NEA Today. The magazine is published eight times a year and is available online.

Education Week

This weekly publication includes local, state, and national education news and covers issues from preschool through grade 12. Education Week also publishes periodic special reports on topics ranging from technology to textbooks. The Web site also includes links to education stories from daily newspapers.

Teachingjobs.com

This Web site maintains information on thousands of available positions in schools in the United States and overseas. Job seekers can receive newsletters and updates by e-mail about the most recent job openings.

ERIC

The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) is a national information system designed to provide ready access to an extensive body of education-related literature. The searchable database contains more than one million documents about education issues.

Job Market

Teachers-Teachers.com

This free service allows applicants to post their résumés and cover letters online, search for jobs by location, receive news about available teaching positions, view school Web sites, and send application materials electronically.

GreatTeacher.net

This Web site offers a free service that allows applicants to search for teaching openings by geographical location. Each ad includes a job description and contact information. Applicants also can post their résumés online at the site.

EduTech

This site offers search engines that sort jobs by location, category, and job title. You’ll also find information on job fairs, the latest job postings, and frequently asked questions about issues prospective teachers face.

American Association for Employment in Education

AAEE provides information to college career centers, school districts, and teacher candidates about the education job market. On its Web site, preservice teachers will find helpful job hunt publications, links to online job databases, and information on teacher certification. Check out the annual supply and demand report for information about the need for teachers in your field.

Bureau of Labor Statistics

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, a branch of the U.S. Department of Labor, collects and distributes data about the current job market. In the Bureau’s Occupational Outlook Handbook you’ll find detailed job descriptions, information on working conditions, training and education required, wage estimates, and future job prospects for a variety of occupations. You can search the handbook online for statistical information about education employment.

Recruiting New Teachers, Inc.

RNT works to bolster the teaching profession, expand the pool of qualified teachers, and promote strategies for effective teacher recruitment, development, and retention. At the Web site, prospective teachers can access a national job bank (searchable by state), links to financial aid programs, and information about state requirements for licensure and certification.

President's Message

Spring 2007

Answering the Call to Action

The National Education Association is proud to welcome you to the NEA Student Program and to a future career in teaching! You have the power to transform the teaching profession with your new ideas and fresh approaches. You have the power to inspire the next generation. And you have the power to infuse our Association with your energy and enthusiasm.

Teaching is a marathon, not a sprint. To help build your endurance, you will need NEA, and NEA will need you. We are 3.2 million strong—that’s about one in every 100 Americans! Now is the time for us to flex our full potential as individuals and as a united Association. Membership is everybody’s business and there are no student exemptions.

As tomorrow’s teachers, you must become political activists, community liaisons, and a collective voice for the improvement of public education. Each of you play a vital role in our efforts to improve teacher quality, close the student achievement gaps, and create great public schools for every child. We need you to help us achieve real reform at the local, state, and national levels by lobbying, by voting, and by holding elected leaders accountable. Professional pay, smaller class sizes, and mentoring programs for all new teachers are within reach when we stand together for children and public education.

We need you to help us diversify the teaching profession so it better reflects the racial and ethnic diversity of today’s students. And we need you to reach out to diverse communities because your obligations as educators extend beyond the school walls to understanding the needs of the children you will teach.

As you prepare to enter teaching, your colleagues will look to you for the skills and knowledge you bring to the classroom and to the profession. At the same time, you should look to us—Team NEA—for the ongoing support you will need to make a difference in our nation’s public schools.

You are the new experts on what works and what doesn’t work when it comes to America ’s classrooms.  You must stay involved in the process and make sure your voices are heard.

Your involvement in the NEA Student Program will help sustain us for the long race ahead. I look forward to your contributions as we grow professionally and build the collective strength of NEA and public education.

Welcome aboard!

Reg Weaver
NEA President

On the Hill

Spring 2007

Funding our Futures

With college costs soaring and need-based aid sagging, some education students wonder if there’s relief in sight.

There is less incentive than ever to pursue a career in education, due in part to the precipitous decline of college affordability and lack of funding for financial aid programs, according to a recent report on American higher education.

Measuring Up 2006 , the fourth biennial “report card” on post-secondary education from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, notes that low affordability creates a huge financial disincentive for students to work in the field of education. Even though student financial assistance has increased since 1991, it has not kept up with rising tuition and other costs of attending college, forcing students to rely on more loans.

“After completing my bachelor’s degree [in elementary education] in four years, I found myself over $30,000 in loan re-payment debt,” Anthony Daniels, chairperson of the NEA Student Program, testified before the U.S. Department of Education last November. “At that point, I wondered how I could possibly survive on a first-year teacher salary of $28,000 in the state of Alabama.”

Daniels said he is seeking a master’s in special education so he can earn more. However, he cited studies showing that the typical student borrower amasses almost $20,000 in debt before leaving school, making fewer of them able to pursue teaching, social work, or other public interest careers.

The neediest students are feeling the greatest financial pinch. According to Measuring Up, even though the cost of a four-year post-secondary education as a percentage of income increased for all families between 1992 and 2005, the increase for families in the lowest income bracket was substantially higher than for families with more income.

The report suggests the disproportionate financial burden on low-income students is due to inadequate support for need-based aid programs. Although funding for the federal Pell Grant program, the nation’s biggest financial aid source for low-income college students, increased by 84 percent between 1991 and 2005, the amount of four-year college tuition the average Pell Grant covered during that period dropped from 76 percent to 48 percent. Most other state and federal student financial aid programs aren’t need-based and some even exclude the most financially needy from eligibility. And institutional money tends to get directed to middle- and high-income families, because colleges and universities use financial aid programs to attract students with higher SAT scores in order to achieve higher rankings.

In his testimony, Daniels criticized the federal government for cutting almost $12 billion from federal student aid programs last year and by proposing in the President’s FY 2007 budget to cut $1.2 billion more from higher education programs.

Democratic Congressional leaders claim an increase in need-based financial aid is a top priority, and in its 2007 spending plan the House proposed raising the maximum Pell Grant amount for the first time in five years. The proposal will have a hard time getting passed, however, because of the pressure of other funding priorities.

—Debbi Mack

Free Thinking Under Fire

Protecting the freedom of students and professors on campus is a good thing, right? But the so-called “Academic Bill of Rights” (ABoR), which claims to combat alleged bias and discrimination against conservative students, actually aims to restrict what professors present and students discuss in class. That’s why Pennsylvania State Education Association Student Program (PSEA-SP) Member Jessica Sabol (pictured, left) testified before a committee of the Pennsylvania legislature against ABoR,

In her testimony, Sabol said the school she attended, Bloomsburg University, had “an atmosphere where different opinions and political beliefs were welcomed and encouraged,” along with an adequate grievance procedure to handle any problems that arose.

Sabol said one reason she jumped at the chance to testify against the measure before she graduated was frustration over the government’s proposal to legislate on what she and several students at other Pennsylvania colleges believed to be a nonexistent problem.

Pennsylvania joins 20 other states in rejecting legislation based on ABoR, according to a statement from Free Exchange on Campus, a coalition founded by NEA Higher Education, the NEA Student Program, and other educational and civil liberties groups (online at www.freeexchangeoncampus.org).

Free Exchange contends that ABoR actually restricts students’ ability to learn and furthers a conservative political agenda. The coalition has fought state and federal legislation intended to enact ABoR in any form.

Although no state has enacted an ABoR-related statute to date, the Georgia senate and the Colorado legislature passed resolutions in 2004 that supported changing state school policies to include ABoR. Colorado colleges and universities agreed to review and publicize their existing policies. Colleges and universities in Tennessee and Ohio have also agreed to review existing policies for compliance with ABoR-related issues. A federal House bill to reauthorize the Higher Education Act included ABoR provisions, but the bill failed when Congress adjourned in December.

Sabol is pleased that “the [Pennsylvania ] committee had enough confidence in the current system to just leave [the colleges] alone” and found “there’s not a problem that they can’t control themselves.”

—Debbi Mack

Join the Campaign!

Join in NEA’s efforts to make college tuition affordable for students and their families. Here are a few ways to get started:

• Receive action alerts via NEA’s text messaging system. To participate and receive updates on college affordability, text the word student to 35328 on your cell phone.
• Join our group on Facebook.com called “College Affordability Concerns Me.” Invite your friends to be part of this important discussion.
• Take a look at the political action video, designed by Student members to bring out the political activist in every college student. Tell your friends to check it out!

Graduation-Wake Up Call

Your Health Depends On It

Don’t let graduation reverie and the excitement of that first teaching job ahead blind you to a very real concern during the hiatus between school and work: health insurance coverage. Depending on which state you live in, many insurance companies drop dependents from parents’ policies once they cease being full-time students or reach a certain age (usually 22 to 25).

But there’s no need to panic. Soon-to-be college grads have at least three ways to obtain “gap” health insurance.  First, insurance companies specializing in the student market offer extended policies, but they must be purchased before graduation. Second, short-term policies are available through major insurers, but generally cost more and are good for only six months to a year. 

The third option is for your parents to continue covering you under their existing health insurance plan through COBRA, the federal law that allows an adult child to remain on a parent’s policy for up to 36 months. It’ll likely provide the most comprehensive coverage, but also the most expensive.

The important thing is to get yourself covered until your new job does it for you!

Wheel-Wise: Buying a Used Car

Okay—you’re in college and you know how to do your homework. Once you’ve figured out what type of used car you want to buy, follow these steps to minimize your risk:

1. Get recommendations on reputable used car dealers from family and friends. Your local consumer protection agency and Better Business Bureau are also good sources of information.
2. Make sure the car you want to buy “checks out.”  The dealer should have already verified that the car has a clear title and has not previously sustained serious damage by, for example, collision or flood.  The Federal Trade Commission requires dealers to post a Buyer’s Guide in every used car with important information such as whether the vehicle is being sold “as is” or with a warranty.
3. If you’re buying a used car from a private individual, you can obtain vehicle history information for a reasonable charge from services like CARFAX (www.carfax.com). All you need to know is the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).  You can also request to have the car inspected at your own cost prior to purchase, although the seller does not have to comply.

The Fine Print: Cell Phone Contracts

It’s your responsibility to read and fully understand the terms of a wireless calling plan before signing on the dotted line.   Important questions to ask to prevent surprises: 

• What is the duration of the contract and how do I cancel or renew? A contract may renew automatically unless you contact the company to terminate it at the appointed time.
• What happens if I cancel my calling plan early? A $100-$200 penalty is not uncommon for early termination.
• When do “peak” and “off peak” times occur? Consumers pay the highest rates at “peak” times.
• Does the cellular service have adequate coverage in the area I use the most?  Know what constitutes your “home calling area.”
• What are “roaming” charges and long distance rates? These are fees for calls made and received outside of your home calling area.
• What is the bottom-line cost of my first bill? Besides the monthly fee associated with a one- or two-year contract, there will be other costs such as the price of your cell phone, postage and handling charges, an activation fee, and possibly a deposit.

Invest in Your Future

Starting in March 2007 —FREE online financial planning and investing seminars to help NEA members and their families achieve a secure financial future. Learn how to:

• Prepare yourself to become financially fit
• Plan a financial strategy based on your goals and needs
• Build your financial assets using sound investment principles
• Maintain your financial portfolio to meet changing circumstances

Get started Investing in Your Future.

Brought to you by NEA Member Benefits and Better Investing (the National Association of Investors Corporation) through a grant from the NASD Investor Education Foundation.

Membership

Spring 2007

NEA

What is it and how can it help you?

What is the NEA?

The National Education Association (NEA) is the nation’s leading organization committed to advancing the cause of public education. NEA, with its headquarters in Washington, D.C.,  proudly claims 3.2 million members who work at every level of education, from preschool to university graduate programs. NEA has affiliates in every state and more than 13,000 local communities nationwide.

At the local level, NEA affiliates offer a variety of services from conducting professional development workshops on discipline and other issues to bargaining contracts for school district employees.

At the state level, NEA affiliates lobby legislators for the resources schools need, campaign for higher professional standards for the teaching profession, and file legal actions to protect academic freedom and the rights of school employees.

At the national level, NEA lobbies Congress and federal agencies on behalf of its members and public schools. The Association also supports and coordinates innovative projects, works with other education organizations, and assists its affiliates. 

How does it work?

NEA members nationwide set Association policy, most notably through an annual Representative Assembly—called the “RA”—held every July. NEA members at the state and local level elect some 9,000 RA delegates, who, in turn, elect NEA’s top officers, debate issues, and set NEA policy. Between RAs, NEA’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee serve as the top decision-making bodies. Staff at the local, state, and national levels carry out the policies implemented by the governing bodies.

How can NEA help you?

By joining the NEA Student Program, you join a network of 60,000 students dedicated to improving teacher education and supporting prospective teachers. As a member of the largest preprofessional Association for future educators, you have the chance to meet practicing teachers and fellow Student members at state and national leadership conferences, workshops, and public forums. You also have the opportunity to become a local, state, or national officer or serve as a delegate to NEA’s annual Representative Assembly—roles guaranteed to enrich your teaching and advocacy skills. Student members also serve on the NEA Board of Directors and NEA Resolutions Committee, as well as numerous other committees that cover everything from human rights to legislation and membership.

The Student Program offers SOAR (Student Organizing Assistance Resources) grants to help with membership recruitment on your campus and CLASS (Community Learning Through America’s Schools) grants for community outreach projects. Students also can apply for the Jack Kinnaman Scholarship, which awards funds to one Student member each year. Members receive information and assistance with student teaching, certification, and professional development as well.

The NEA Student Program provides many opportunities for you to learn, to share, and to socialize with your peers—and with practicing educators. Your membership in the Association is an investment in your education and your future. So what are you waiting for? Join the Student Program today.

Job Hunt

Spring 2007

Money Talks

Understanding salaries can make the difference between a good job offer and a great one.

Congratulations! You completed your coursework, presented your portfolio, sailed through your interview, and received your first job offer! Now you can call yourself a real teacher, and you’re already looking forward to setting up your classroom. 

Before you accept that new job, have you considered what you are getting? Sure, money wasn’t the reason you became a teacher. But once you graduate and enter the “real world,” it will make a difference. So, how can you tell whether that shiny new job offer really passes muster?  Look at the bottom line—how much will you get paid?

A high starting salary should be a new teacher’s number one consideration, says Bob Willoughby, associate director of research for the New Jersey Education Association.  Whether a teacher stays in a district for one year or 10, that initial paycheck will impact his or her cumulative career earnings, he says, so beginning educators should seek out districts with the strongest compensation packages.

New teachers also need to monitor their overall workload and find a salary that compensates them accordingly, says Bill Raabe, director of NEA’s collective bargaining and member advocacy department. Although districts should pay teachers for assuming new responsibilities, like coaching a sports team or supervising a club, realistically new teachers won’t be able to access such perks—at least not at first, he says. 

“The reason the basic salary is so important is you don’t have as much time to do extra duties because you are spending so much time preparing to be in the classroom,” says Raabe. “If there are too many ways to earn extra money, then your basic salary may not be that great.”

Once you know what a district pays during your first year, look at the salary schedule, which outlines how much you will earn for future years of service. Ideally, teachers should advance one “step” on the schedule for each year of teaching experience they accrue until they reach the district’s maximum salary, which they should achieve in the fewest years possible, says Willoughby.  In other words, the best salary schedules have the fewest steps because they allow teachers to earn higher salaries sooner.

At the same time, the salary schedule should compensate teachers for professional development and the advanced degrees they earn during their careers, Willoughby  adds. Likewise, nontraditional students should explore whether a district credits their nonteaching work experience toward their total years of service.      

In addition to analyzing their total salary, new teachers need to look at their take-home pay, says Raabe.  Once you subtract taxes and other deductions, how much money will you receive each week? That figure may decrease if the school district also deducts health and other insurance premiums or pension contributions, Raabe says, which ultimately cut into the amount left for your living expenses.  (To find out how far a given salary will go, check out the family budget calculator.  You can calculate monthly expenses for housing, food, child care, transportation, and even health care for your city and state.) Prospective teachers also can compare salaries between school districts by contacting their state affiliates for salary information or by reviewing school district Web sites, Raabe adds. For salary comparisons by state, check out the State Stats.

Ultimately, you simply should get paid what you are worth.

“You have to believe you deserve it. That’s one of the things I have found with

our new teachers, their expectations are not where they should be,” says Willoughby. “They deserve a good quality salary and they shouldn’t be shy about it. … You do good work for good people, and you ought to be paid a professional salary for it.”

Here's more information on teacher salaries.

—Kristen Loschert

Want to join the fight for professional pay for America ’s educators? You can join NEA’s efforts to ensure a minimum $40,000 salary for all teachers and a living wage for education support professionals. Learn more.

Because We’re Worth It

Just as one about to be married does not want to ponder the shocking statistic that nearly half of all U.S. marriages end in divorce, a soon-to-be teacher does not relish hearing that nearly half of all new teachers leave the profession within five years (in fact, some 20 percent leave after just one year). But ignoring these statistics won’t get us any closer to changing them. Truth is, a big part of the turnover problem is salary-related. Teachers are paid less than those who work in other professions requiring similar education and responsibilities.

Teacher salaries have risen a scant 0.8 percent since 1996, says the Economic Policy Institute. That’s a whole lot less than the 12 percent increase other college-educated workers have enjoyed over the same period.

NEA Today profiled six teachers and education support professionals in the November 2006 issue and found that those numbers mean uncertain futures and second jobs for people like second-year teacher Allison Wegg:

An empty cupboard, A full slate of bills.

If Allison Wegg had more money, she wouldn’t eat quesadillas every night. “I’d probably buy better groceries,” she says—like strawberries. Oh, the life of a new teacher, earning $30,000 and living in one of the nation’s most expensive cities. She lives in a $500-a-month, one-room apartment in the center of Seattle. To make space for her couch, her bed sits on a loft. “I don’t think I’ll ever have a house in Seattle, unless I marry a millionaire,” she says.

For now, Wegg relies on the generosity of her parents. Her mother, who is a bookkeeper, has tallied the cost of their loans at more than $10,000. “I want to show them that I can make it,” Wegg says. “But every month, I end up overdrawing my checking account or taking a cash advance on my credit card.”

This will be Wegg’s second year as a full-time special education teacher in Kent, Washington. And, even though her job means she drives an unreliable car, can’t afford graduate school, and eats too many nachos, she loves it.“I see myself teaching forever,” she says.

—From “Why Money Matters” by Mary Ellen Flannery. NEA Today, Nov. 2006.

Here Comes the Neighborhood!

In an effort to jumpstart revitalization areas, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) launched a program that offers HUD-owned single family homes at a 50-percent discount to eligible teachers, law enforcement officers, and firefighters/EMTs. The Good Neighbor Next Door Program is open to teachers employed full-time by a state-accredited school that provides direct services to students in the area where the home you are purchasing is located. Qualify for any FHA-insured mortgage program and your downpayment is only $100.

Interview

Spring 2007

A Life in Teaching

Over the course of Beth Dutton’s 40 years of teaching, she has learned that students love a challenge.

By harnessing that desire to rise to the occasion, the Vermont high school civics, government, and history teacher has helped her students create the first Youth Court in all of New England, the first permanent recycling center in her area, and the first community youth group. “The kids know that a challenge is being thrown at them, and they pick it up and run with it,” she says. “They’ll do anything you challenge them to do if you love them enough.”

She has taught in Germany and New York, and has been teaching for 20 years at Vermont ’s Windsor High School (her daughter teaches middle school math and science nearby). In addition, the 84-year-old has authored nine books and worked tirelessly to end all forms of discrimination—especially through her Holocaust History course—which resulted in first the Vermont-NEA and then the national Association awarding her Human and Civil Rights Awards. Here, Dutton discusses the hurdles that face future teachers.

—RINA RAPUANO

What kinds of issues do you see as a challenge to tomorrow’s teachers?

Right now, the hardest thing I find is that so many of the students come to us with such heavy loads of baggage—broken homes, parents working. I don’t mean their parents don’t love them, they’re just so busy and involved with jobs and careers that they just don’t have the time to sit down and help with homework, talk about school, help them with personal problems, ethical issues. The kids just seem to be struggling on their own, and it’s very difficult to get through to them sometimes.

The problem for teachers in the future is going to be getting kids to open up and accept that the teacher is there for them. They just seem to have lost faith in adults. Now, given the world we’ve led them into, I don’t blame them. Gaining their trust is one of the hardest things new teachers will face. I face it with every new class.

And I think teaching them to accept people and have faith in the fact that people are good is a challenge today. Kids today are so cynical. They have every right to be, but breaking down that cynicism is one of the great challenges.

How do you get through to them?

I make my classroom open all the time to anyone who wants to come in and talk. Sometimes they’ll come in and cry or come in and laugh or celebrate a new friendship or a new dress. It’s a safe place to come in and open up and let loose, and I think that’s something I picked up from my daughter. Then they feel they can trust me, and after that it’s a lot easier to teach them. They know you don’t have an agenda then; you’re there for them.

How can teachers make a difference?

It sounds sort of soppy, but the teachers that really love their students are going to perhaps give them back a little bit of faith in the adult population and the world that they’re going to have to take over and lead one day. It’s not going to be a fun world that they take over. But you’ve got to be honest about it. They can pick out a phony every time. If you don’t like what they’re doing or saying, say so.

What do you love about teaching?

The thing that I love most of all, besides the children themselves, I love the challenge that they bring to me every single day. No matter how many times I look out at a classroom of 20 or 25 faces, I think, “Oh Lord, how am I going to get through to all of those people?” I believe very strongly in teaching them that people should be ethical and governments should be ethical, and these days, that’s not easy to do.

And you have to believe in the subjects you’re teaching, too. I love government and I love politics, and I love teaching people to be good citizens.

Cover Story

Spring 2007

By Kristen Loschert

Being a Student NEA member provides countless rewards—professional development, the opportunity to attend national conferences, and access to the talents and knowledge of 3.2 million other educators. But let’s be honest. Being actively involved in a campus chapter takes serious dedication! Balancing your coursework and field experiences with being a mover and shaker in your chapter isn’t easy, especially when it seems like everyone else is “too busy” to lend a hand.

Working to create a healthy chapter—whether your current membership is 8 or 800—means getting people to attend meetings and community service events, raising enough money to fund your activities, and recruiting new members to keep your chapter growing.   

Fortunately, your fellow Student members can help you navigate these dilemmas by sharing their secrets for keeping your chapter on track.

Can We Talk?

“The key to having a thriving chapter is to have good communication,” says Cynthia Gutierrez, president of the Student chapter at California State University, Fullerton (pictured, at left).

No one can run the show alone. So successful chapter presidents like Gutierrez and the University of Florida ’s Erica Walker meet regularly with their fellow officers to stay up-to-date on chapter business and to collaborate on upcoming events.

“We communicate a lot,” says Walker, a master’s student at UF. “We use e-mail. We eat dinner together. I think that is key to any organization’s success. If we weren’t so close, I don’t know if everything would get done.”

In addition to talking regularly, the UF officers maintain notebooks full of chapter information, including membership forms, key campus and community contacts, and specific details related to their individual offices. This keeps the group organized, Walker  adds, and provides a tangible record officers can pass along to their successors.  

At Kennesaw State University in Georgia, chapter officers reconnect each year at an all-day planning retreat in August before the new school year officially begins, says Michael Sawyer, chapter president. During the retreat, the officer team plans the chapter’s yearly events and meets with representatives from the group’s community partners. The retreat also provides a time when new officers can ask questions and old officers can share important information about their positions. Frequent communication between the officers and the group’s faculty adviser also keeps the chapter strong, Sawyer adds.

But officers need to communicate regularly with their general membership as well, says Gutierrez. Members “need to be informed of what is going on [in the chapter] and hopefully then they will take the initiative and get involved more,” she says. “Have a one-on-one conversation with them. Get to know them and most likely they will participate.”

Sawyer at KSU admits keeping members informed can be challenging. With nearly 900 members in his chapter, talking with everyone individually isn’t possible. So Sawyer relies on a group e-mail list and chapter Web site provided by KSU.

At the University of Florida, the Student chapter supplements its Web site with a group listserv created through Yahoo, which allows multiple officers to access and manage the group’s free e-mail account, Walker says.

“We get a lot of e-mails from people who find us through our Web site,” she says.

But if you want even more online resources, then Student members suggest using Facebook, an online community for college students.

Through the Facebook site, students can create discussion rooms for their chapters, e-mail members, send reminders about meetings and events, post pictures and information, and even connect with other university students registered with the service. (The NEA Student Program also maintains a community group on Facebook. To join, visit www.facebook.com.)

“The Internet is a great tool,” says Laura Lott, a Facebook user and chapter president at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. “It’s been great for getting everybody to hear about us. I feel like I have been able to talk to people through the Internet site that I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise.”

Get the Word Out

But while e-mail and the Internet can help you connect with current and potential members, student leaders agree you can’t underestimate the power of word of mouth.

“You kind of have to be aggressive to get your name out there,” says Lott, an aspiring language arts teacher. “I can’t even count how many organizations are on campus and we’re not just recruiting for our organization. We’re recruiting for our field. We need more educators. ”

In addition to sending e-mails, advertising in the campus newspaper, and posting flyers around campus, Lott says she talks to everyone about joining the Student Alabama Education Association. “We just talk it up as much as possible,” she says.

Campus organization fairs provide another great opportunity to introduce your chapter to your campus and connect with potential members. Walker ’s chapter at the University of Florida, for instance, recruited 70 new members at her school’s fair last year. Meanwhile, Lott uses her campus fair to target underclassmen.

“Most of the people who come to that are freshmen,” Lott says. “A lot of freshmen said they didn’t even know we existed, so it got the word out. Now when they get into their education classes, they will know we are here.”

Involving underclassmen members is crucial to sustaining your chapter, says Walker. The chapter at the University of Florida not only recruits underclassmen, but also lets them serve as officers. Many underclassmen remain officers as juniors and seniors too, so the chapter rarely has an entirely new board, she adds.

“We’re really into getting those people involved and keeping them involved because . . . they will be the ones to take my position next year,” Walker says.

Sophomore Kali Davis, treasurer at UF, agrees. “Because I’m one of the younger ones and I am involved, I could be here for a full two years and keep things going, rather than have a new person come in.

“I think that is how a lot of chapters lose their momentum, when you don’t have someone to keep things going.”

In fact, underclassmen members can become a chapter’s greatest asset because they usually have more time to devote to events and activities than upperclassmen, says Shannon Hollembeak, chapter president at Old Dominion University in Virginia. So each summer, the ODU chapter meets with incoming students during the university’s freshmen orientation.

   “We really encourage underclassmen to join and participate in SVEA [the Student Virginia Education Association],” Hollembeak says. “Often times, they are the most tenacious and dedicated because they don’t have the responsibilities of student teaching and practicum.”

Friends in High Places

Building a strong relationship between your chapter and your department or college of education will help you connect with prospective members and increase your chapter’s visibility on campus. It certainly worked at ODU, says Hollembeak. Students admitted to ODU’s Darden College of Education receive an acceptance letter that includes information about SVEA, says Hollembeak. Likewise, the university lets Hollembeak’s chapter talk with education majors during their student teacher orientation. Meanwhile, professors distribute chapter information to their students and even invite SVEA members to speak with their classes. In return, ODU’s Student chapter keeps members updated on information the college needs to disseminate, such as changes in graduation requirements or study abroad opportunities, Hollembeak says.

At the University of Florida, Student members worked with their college of education to obtain names and contact information for newly accepted education students, who the group then invited to a chapter meet-and-greet event, says Walker. The college of education also distributes a weekly e-mail update to all students and lets the Student chapter include important announcements, she adds.

Connecting with other student groups on campus and with community organizations also raises your chapter profile and can even provide extra resources and manpower for events, says Sawyer at KSU.

“It’s a networking thing,” he says. “You know more people around campus who can help you in the long run.”

At KSU, the Student chapter has partnered with campus chapters of Phi Delta Kappa and the National Association of Multicultural Education, for instance, to co-sponsor fundraisers and professional development events. The group also collaborates with the local NEA teachers’ affiliate, the Cobb County Association of Educators, to present workshops for preservice teachers. Additionally, the Student chapter organizes the annual Diversity Exchange Project with Clark  Atlanta University, a historically Black college in Georgia. Through the project, education students from both universities attend classes and observe campus life at the other institution, and then meet to discuss their experiences and the state of teacher education. 

“Kennesaw is a very collaborative environment and places a high value on collaborative expertise, particularly in the college of education,” says Michael Ross, assistant professor of middle grades education and adviser to KSU’s Student chapter. “The more collaborative we are, the better it is for us and the better our funding is and the better we are looked upon by the university as a whole.”

At Aurora University-George Williams College in Wisconsin, which serves primarily nontraditional graduate students, the Student NEA chapter currently is the only student organization on campus, says Jenny Lathrop, chapter president. So the chapter has allowed students from other course programs, such as the college’s recreation administration program, to join.

“Students who are interested in working with kids in other ways have expressed interest in joining,” says Lathrop. “Maybe someday they will have their own organization, but for now we’re the only one, so it’s something they can be involved in.”

Student chapters also should partner with local businesses, which can provide even more resources for your chapter, including supplies for your community outreach events, support for fundraisers, and free food for meetings.

“A lot of organizations will find themselves short on money, and there are always ways to raise funds,” says Walker. “Don’t be afraid to go out and beg. That has helped us with a lot of fundraisers.”

Walker  ’s chapter connected with local restaurants for food donations and even received free supplies from Lowe’s for workshops. Members also volunteer as baggers at the local grocery store, which allows them to accept tips and donations from customers.

Give ‘Em What They Want

Now that you’ve recruited some members, connected with some partners, and put your chapter on the campus map, how do you stay there? Simple—find out what your members need and give it to them.

“If you want to improve meeting attendance, don’t have meetings, have events,” says Chas Main, state Student organizer for Kentucky.

From 2003 to 2006, Kentucky increased its Student membership by more than 60 percent, more than any other state during that time. How did it happen? To start, all Kentucky colleges require prospective teachers to document some form of professional development to receive their certification, Main says. So the Kentucky Education Association (KEA) worked with its Student leaders to develop a series of workshops on topics such as building parent-teacher partnerships, surviving student teaching, and setting up a classroom, which local chapters could then offer on their own campuses. Each student who completed a workshop received a certificate she could add to her portfolio, but students had to join KEA to attend the sessions, so the events also acted as a recruitment tool, Main adds.

“Look around your campus and ask yourself, ‘What do all of my fellow students need that they aren’t getting anywhere else, and how can we offer that?’” says Main. “If you give people something they really need, something they really want, you’ve proven yourself to them and they will reward you with their membership and loyalty.”

The Student chapter at CSU Fullerton recently organized its own one-day professional development conference and nearly 250 people attended, says Gutierrez. The chapter opened the event to the entire campus, but offered a discounted registration fee to members, she says. The chapter also sponsors two scholarships, available to members exclusively.

“A member will only participate in the chapter’s events if he or she benefits from them and feels welcome to be there,” says Gutierrez.

Businesses such as Crayola also sponsor workshops for aspiring teachers, says Walker, who invited Crayola representatives to the UF campus last year for an event. The company supplied free lesson plans, samples of Crayola products, and even demonstrated how teachers could incorporate the tools into their classes, she says. The chapter did have to purchase a set of related workbooks, which were costly, Walker adds, but high attendance at the event offset the expense.

“We’re definitely looking forward to doing that one again,” she says. 

Student chapters can contact their local teachers’ Association, state Association, and even NEA headquarters to find members and staff to speak to their chapters as well. Students can also contact neighboring school districts and invite the school superintendent, principals, or other administrators to meet with their members.

“We really try to make each meeting worth their time, because when you are a college student you’re either working or doing schoolwork,” says Lott in Alabama.

No matter how appealing an event may seem to chapter leaders, they still need to consider the time constraints and personal needs of their members when scheduling an activity.

For instance, at the University of Alabama meetings alternate between Monday and Thursday nights to accommodate class schedules. ODU’s chapter, meanwhile, schedules its meetings and events during the college’s activity hour, a time when classes don’t meet. And the Student chapter at AU-GWC in Wisconsin provides childcare during meetings so members with young children still can participate.

Finally, make sure you reward your members for their participation to encourage them to remain active.

At AU-GWC, students receive certificates for their portfolios for the workshops they attend. At ODU, members receive a stamp in their “SVEA Passport” every time they support or attend a chapter event. Students who accumulate the most stamps can attend the state Student conference, says Hollembeak. Members also can redeem   stamps for T-shirts and other merchandise. 

 And when all else fails, remember that a free meal always attracts a crowd.

“I would say the number one way to make people come to anything is to give (them) food and some kind of tangible item they can take home,” says Walker.

Just Starting Out

Looking to get a new Student chapter up and running on your campus? Here are our top tips for getting started.

• Find other students who share your interest. Talk to classmates and friends and work as a group to put your chapter together.  This core group of students later can become your officer team.
• Find a faculty adviser.  Talk to your professors and find one who shares your passion for teaching and for creating a professional organization on your campus.
• Get support.  Talk to the dean of your college of education, your student government  association, and other student leaders about the steps necessary to start a new campus organization.
• Contact your state Student organizer.  Find out how your chapter can become a Student affiliate of your state Association.  If possible, have your state organizer or other Association representative meet with you, your adviser, and student team to plan your chapter’s next steps and develop a constitution.
• Plan your first meeting.  Select a time, date, and topic that will attract the largest crowd, then publicize your meeting extensively.  Post flyers around campus.   Advertise in the college newspaper.  Ask professors to distribute flyers or announce your meeting in class. 
• Encourage classmates and friends to attend.  Follow up with students who attend the meeting.  Talk to them about the benefits of joining your chapter and find out how the organization can help them.  Continue to promote your chapter to other students as well.
• Plan future chapter activities.   Set membership goals and plan a membership drive. Identify possible programs and meeting dates and develop a budget.  Keep your goals realistic and have fun with your new chapter.

For more ideas and information, check out the "Handbook for Local Leaders."

Tips for Recruiting New Members

Work with your department or college of education to obtain contact information for all education majors, then invite those students to your meetings.

• Promote your chapter at your college’s freshmen and new student orientation events.
• Participate in your campus organization fair and talk with students about the benefits of joining your chapter.
• Set up a table in the student union with information about the NEA Student Program.
• Ask to speak about your chapter’s upcoming events in your classes. See if your professors will offer extra credit to students who attend.
• Reach out to students with other majors who may not have their own professional organizations.

How to Be an Active Member (the short version)

Everyone’s busy, but you can help sustain your student chapter in ways big and small.

• Speak up. Let your leaders know what you need and offer your ideas for improving how your chapter does its work. Answer surveys, respond to e-mails, and speak to the issues that matter to you.
• Show up. Your attendance at chapter meetings and events keeps them more interesting and creates opportunities for you to meet new people in your field.
• Read up. Be aware of what’s going on in the field and how local, state, and national politics are affecting public education. You’ll feel more prepared to talk to your colleagues and ask the right questions when you’re well-informed.
• Talk it up. For all our high-tech strategies, word of mouth may still be the best publicity. Bring a friend to your next meeting. Let them know about the benefits of student membership. Help spread the word about your chapter’s successes.
• Back it up. Be willing to pitch in when help is needed on projects. Are stuffing envelopes and getting T-shirts printed valuable contributions to the cause? You better believe it!

Classroom Connection

Spring 2007

Managing with Class

Student Program alumni offer tips on effective classroom management.

Maddie Fennell’s first year of teaching would have challenged even the most experienced educator.   Her class contained 28 special needs students, the school psychologist died a month after school started, and Fennell’s principal planned to retire. How could she possibly manage her classroom under such daunting circumstances?   

“It was because of my contacts in the Association that I could call and say ‘help’ and they came and helped,” says Fennell, who served as chairperson of NEA’s Student Program from 1988 to 1990. “They helped me address classroom management from a proactive rather than a reactive point of view.”

Even if they don’t face the obstacles Fennell encountered, new and student teachers often feel like they’re on their own when it comes to classroom management.  Colleges “have so many other requirements to meet, they don’t teach it. They build it into other classes,” says Fennell, a sixth-grade teacher at Franklin Elementary School in Nebraska.  And many universities have sidelined that meager bit of instruction to add more content courses, partly in response to the No Child Left Behind Act.

In the best of all worlds, teachers would walk into the classroom on their first day armed with a “bag of tricks” for managing student behavior, says Fennell.  Fortunately, Fennell and fellow Student Program alumnus Andrew Hasty have a few tips to start your collection.

Set the Right Tone

Too often, beginning teachers try to befriend their students, undermining their authority, says Hasty, music specialist and choir director at Sauk Rapids-Rice High School in Minnesota. Teachers should outline their expectations from the beginning, he says, and be clear that they are not students’ peers.

“I hated hearing that you aren’t supposed to smile until Christmas, but it really is true,” says Hasty. “That first week to two weeks really will drive the rest of the year for a teacher.  So the rules and tone need to be dictated right off the bat.”

Fennell solicits her students’ input on classroom rules, procedures, and consequences, and even enlists their help enforcing them.

“By empowering the kids, then it’s ‘our room,’ not ‘my room,’ and there is a sense of shared ownership,” she says. “There will be peer pressure when students aren’t living up to the class expectations.”

Use Other Teachers

Hasty says he collected his best classroom management strategies by watching other teachers in action, and he still borrows ideas from his mentor and other teachers at his school.   Similarly, he encourages new teachers to discuss their classroom management plans with a mentor or other trusted teacher during the summer so they have time to adjust their strategies if necessary.  

Fennell agrees that supportive colleagues often are a new teacher’s greatest resource.

“Too often we are afraid to ask for help,” she says. “Don’t be afraid to ask other teachers who have worked with a student for input about that student’s behavior or how to handle it.”         

Communicate with Parents

Just as teachers need support from their colleagues, they need support from parents.  Fennell calls her students’ parents during the summer to get acquainted and even organized a barbecue to meet them in person.  For  Hasty, who has taught as many as 94 students at once in varsity choir, calling parents individually can be challenging. So he sends home a quarterly class newsletter to keep parents informed and uses e-mail to stay in touch.

However you do it, make sure your first contact with parents is positive.

“Think of communication with parents as a checkbook,” Hasty says. “You want to build up positive things in that bank account before you make any withdrawals. You want to build up a rapport and outline your expectations to the parents before you have to report home on something negative.”

Want to know more? Check out www.nea.org/classmanagement/archive.html  for additional tips and classroom management resources.

—Kristen Loschert

Keep Your Tools Handy

Staying organized feels like an uphill battle for many educators, and it can be particularly tough for fledgling teachers. Creating lesson plans, grading assignments, and figuring out why little Johnny can’t stay seated can drive even the savviest teacher into a state of disarray. Here to restore order is the NEA Teacher ToolKit.

Organized by several “tool” categories such as “Curriculum Tools” and “Classroom Tools,” the ToolKit is a virtual expanding file going beyond simple attendance logging. 

This online resource is a valuable aid in charting student classroom behavior, providing resources to align lesson plans to state education standards, making test and quiz banks for future use, and much more.

Available to advanced Toolkit users are online courses, complete with streaming video lessons on topics such as incorporating technology into lessons and helping students with learning challenges.

Take advantage of this 12-month trial offer: NEA Student members can access the advanced NEA Teacher ToolKit for only $7.95 (the regular annual ToolKit subscription is $72.95).

—Natalie McGill

A First-Class Project

Wisconsin  Lutheran College ’s Future Teachers’ Education Association (FTEA) won the outstanding C.L.A.S.S grant award at the June 2006 Student Leadership Conference in Orlando. The chapter used the grant to create “Our Classroom Village,” a four-day unit for fourth-grade classrooms in two Milwaukee schools. The unit aimed to teach the children about diversity in the world as reflected in their classrooms. 

Association members volunteered to help students learn about diversity, first by teaching them from a book called If the World Were a Village: A Book About the World’s People. They divided students into groups, and each group created a page about group members’ language, food, and culture. “It was amazing how many different languages they all spoke,” says Abigail Fehr, FTEA’s grant coordinator at the time. “There were children there who were trilingual, and it was great to celebrate that. We also talked about the challenges that people of different ethnicities face.”

Community Learning through America ’s Schools (C.L.A.S.S.) grants help NEA student members address a specific community need in support of public education. The grants of up to $1,000 help fund projects such as book drives and fundraisers, or classroom projects like FTEA’s.

According to Mandy Plucker, one of this year’s judges, the college association’s project was unique. “They had an amazing portfolio and wonderful lesson plans that reflected so many of the qualities we were looking for, from the focus on the community to teacher quality,” she says. This group scored high marks on every judging criterion, including the extent to which goals were met, impact on the community, and future or continuing efforts.          

Fehr says the award has increased the group’s visibility on campus.   “We’ve been nationally recognized for excellence, and that not only feels good but it helps attract new members.”  

Fehr also notes that the project was important because it made students aware of how each culture is special. “They learned not only about others, but also about their own cultures,” she says. “It was also helpful in getting future educators out into the field, where they could get real classroom experience, because many of them didn’t have that. It helped us build connections with teachers and schools.”

C.L.A.S.S. Grant deadlines are August 31 and January 31. Here's more information about the grants, examples of past winners, and lots of additional tips and ideas.    

 —Mishri Someshwar

Stand for Safe and Friendly  Schools

Two years ago, NEA launched a training program to help educators address the challenges that their students and colleagues who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) face in schools.

Former NEA Student Program chairperson Mandy Plucker attended one of the workshops in March 2006. The experience inspired her to sign up to become a trainer; she now teaches the workshop to others. “Thousands of GLBT students stay away from school because of the bullying,” she says. “That’s just not acceptable.”

The goal of the program is to help educators protect students, not to force teachers to change their own beliefs, she says. “Every person has their own belief system and the program is not trying to change that,” she says. “However, educators have a responsibility to stand up for students, and protect them from harassment and bullying.”

The program consists of three workshops, running between one-and-a-half and two hours each. They use a combination of video clips and activities to help educators understand how GLBT biases occur in schools and learn strategies for preventing or dealing with them. Plucker, who has already taught the workshop several times, says that the exercise on gender stereotypes was especially helpful.

Plucker says she didn’t learn much about GLBT issues during her undergraduate studies. “I think it’s the same for most students studying education, regardless of whether they’re in rural areas or big cities. There just isn’t much talk about it in classes. When I was an undergraduate, we just did a quick breeze over it in one class and then we stopped talking about it all together.”

NEA offers the following GLBT resources:

• Strengthening the Learning Environment: A guide for working with gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) students or colleagues (second edition).
• FOCUS ON Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, and Transgendered Persons: A brochure that examines our understanding of the achievement gaps for this vulnerable population.
• Safe schools for everyone: An interview with Kevin Jennings, founder of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network.
• The safe zone: Links to bullying resources, a brief glossary of bias terms, and a downloadable poster.

—Mishri SomeshwaR

From the NEA Professional Library

Expert Advice

In The First-Year Teacher, veteran educators weigh in on how to survive your first year. 

What advice do teachers have for surviving the first year?  Authors Karen A. Bosch and Katherine C. Kersey compiled the following list:

• Get to know the custodian and the secretary well.
• Choose extra-duty assignments that you want and can handle.
• Don’t correct papers or do lesson planning at faculty meetings.
• Stay away from the teachers’ lounge.  It may be a negative place.  Find a quiet spot to recoup.
• Don’t complain, as misery finds too much company.
• Start class as soon as the bell rings.
• Plan activities for students who finish their work before others.
• Anticipate the behavior of children before and after holidays and long weekends, on field trips, and when evaluators come into the room.
• Decide what kind of homework to assign and how much.
• Don’t give up!

It has been said that teaching is the only profession where the beginner is expected to do what the veteran does and with equal success.  Many beginning teachers have expressed the need for one more college course or text to prepare future teachers for the transition from campus to classroom.  It is our hope that this book will provide the missing link between teacher preparation programs and first-year teaching performance.

From The First-Year Teacher: Teaching with Confidence (K-8) by Karen A. Bosch and Katherine C. Kersey.  Order your copy or call 800-229-4200.