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Member News --October 25, 2016
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Michael Dunlea (New Jersey Finalist 2012) shares his strategies to influence policymakers in this video produced from his second-grade classroom (1:41).
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Influencing State Leaders
Submit a Video to Share Your Knowledge!
This school year is pivotal. As state leaders write comprehensive plans to comport with the the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), they need advice from country's best teachers to get it right.
This is no time to hide your light under the bushel.
To build teachers' capacity to talk with state legislators and policymakers,
we need you
to submit a short video offering your best advice. We know that State Teachers of the Year and Finalists have ideas about connecting with authority figures. We are asking you to share your knowledge.
Please make a 1- 2-minute video using your cell phone (or your desktop or laptop computer). Then post it in our Dropbox. Here's how. Please record and submit this week. (Or, you could let state leaders come up with their own initiatives without hearing from teachers. What could go wrong, right?)
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Montana Chapter Sets Up Shop Under Big Sky
Fifteenth NNSTOY Chapter Forms
The elk herd population may need to make room for the new Montana State Teachers of the Year and Finalists state chapter, formed last week. Check out the
Montana NNSTOY website
.
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Upcoming Webinars
Professional Learning from NNSTOY
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Daniele Massey
(DoDEA 2013), and
Jemelleh Coes
(Georgia 2014)
Tuesday, November 1- Inward and Onward #1: Examining Our Personal Bias, including the scientific effects of stereotypes and prejudice. Register.
Tuesday, November 29 - Inward and Onward #2: Concrete Strategies for Building Equitable Classrooms. Register.
Tuesday, December 13 - Inward and Onward #3:
Supporting Colleagues in Building Equitable Learning Environments, with
Lee-Ann Stephens (Minnesota 2007).
Register.
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New Ways to Engage
Plug into teacher leadership outside of your school
Join the NNSTOY Private Facebook Group.
NNSTOY news is posted regularly on our private Facebook group. You have to ask to join, but if you are
State Teacher of the Year, a Finalist or a state coordinator, you will be quickly added to the NNSTOY Facebook Community!
Share Your PD Truth.
The NEA, Corwin and Learning Forward want to know how professional learning impacts your teaching and your students' learning. They are asking educators to
take a survey
that helps industry leaders understand how your professional learning aligns with the Standards for Professional Learning. The survey takes 20-25 minutes and must be complete by October 31.
Submit a Teach to Lead idea to improve inclusion, equity and opportunity.
It's not too late to get in on the Teach to Lead equity summit in Chicago, Illinois, December 3-4. Submit an idea by midnight October 26.
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What We are Reading 
New and noteworthy ideas about education from around the country.
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New & Noteworthy
Tools and opportunities to support #TeachersLeading
Inclusion, Equity and Opportunity Twitter Chat sponsored by #TeachersAtED November 15 ~ 7:00 - 8:00 PM ET.
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Kudos, Shout-Outs & Accolades*
News from the NNSTOY community
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Daniele Massey
(DoDEA 2014), Lee-Ann Stephens (Minnesota 2007), Jemelleh Coes (Georgia 2014) and Katy Smith (Minnesota 2012) work on Teacher Leadership Module Six: Improving Outreach and Collaboration with Family and Community. Not shown: Katherine Bassett (New Jersey 2000), Peggy Stewart (New Jersey 2005) and Chris Todd (Connecticut Finalist 2013).
Justin Minkel's
(Arkansas 2007) article, What to Do When You Realize You Don't 'Like' Your Students, was published in EdWeek. Minkel recounts his first year of teaching when he realized that he liked his students as individuals. "
Even when misbehaving, my 4th graders were adorable and hilarious individuals," he writes. "But taken all together, as a group, I didn't enjoy their company. I got frustrated with their refusal to do the simplest things I asked of them, like putting down their pencils and looking up when I turned off the lights." Even after fifteen years of teaching, he sometimes has this problem, but he has learned how to recognize it--
and change his attitude.
Lee-Ann Stephens (Minnesota 2007) spoke on a panel called "Revolutionizing School Leadership Under ESSA" on Capitol Hill earlier this month. The event was sponsored by NAESP and NASSP as part of Principal Appreciation Month. Stephens encouraged principals to cultivate teacher leaders in their schools and to think of themselves as "partners with teachers."
Nate Bowling's (Washington 2016)
What We Owe the Next Generation of Teachers was featured on the U.S. Department of Education's
Homeroom blog. Bowling describes his journey from being "a fairly mediocre teacher" t
hrough the years it took him to hit his stride. Bowling says he is concerned about the new teachers who started this fall, half of whom will be out of teaching in five years.
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Teaching is hard," he writes. "The early parts of our career are harder. Being a new teacher in a high-need school, without the appropriate supports is the hardest. It breaks strong, smart people, but it's the most important work imaginable." Read about the meaningful supports he says educators owe to new teachers.
Ten State and National Teachers of the Year had their
letter to the editor opposing Donald Trump published by the
Washington Post last week. They include
Rich Ognibene (New York 2008),
Justin Minkel (Arkansas 2007),
Shanna Peeples (NTOY and Texas 2015),
James E. Ford (North Carolina 2015), M
ohsen Ghafarri (Utah 2015),
Jemelleh Coes (Georgia 2014),
Pamela Cort (New Mexico 2013),
Megan Allen (Florida 2010),
Rich Mayorga (Arizona 2003), and
Patricia Jordan (New York 1993). An excerpt: "
We believe that Donald Trump is a danger to our society in general and to our students in particular. His words and actions have shown a consistent disdain for human dignity. His behavior goes against everything we teach the children in our care."
Rebecca Mieliwoki's (NTOY and California 2012) article
Beyond the Binders: How Seeing Teachers as Learners Creates Meaningful PD That Sticks was published in
EdWeek and
on the NNSTOY blog. She begins by describing the challenge teachers face when districts ask them "
to take on new programs, new curriculum, new technology, new policies, new assessments, and new teaching methods. Their 'support' is delivered one giant binder and lengthy PD session at a time. Eventually the poor brains and shelves of teacher buckle under the weight of the implementation onslaught." Her solution? Treat teachers like learners.
Alex Kajitani's (California 2009) published a nifty piece in
EdWeek on the
NNSTOY blog. "Five Great (Short!) Videos for School Leaders" highlights good leadership videos that can be used to inspire a group or a leader who needs a boost.
Rich Ognibene
(New York 2008) joined Secretary John King and White House Director of the Domestic Policy Council Cecilia Muñoz on a press call celebrating the country's record graduation rates. The Department of Education reported that it was refreshing to hear Ognibene's message that, when it comes to getting students to come to school, "carrots work much better than sticks."
SEND US YOUR SCOOP! If you have items of interest about yourself or other members, please forward them to laurie@nnstoy.org.
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