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Member News -- January 24, 2017
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Steady Progress
NNSTOY Fellowship for Teacher Candidates
The NNSTOY Fellowship for Teacher Candidates, led by Jemelleh Coes (Georgia 2014), has been making steady progress since the inaugural
meeting in November. Their
webpage
features participants, their schools of education, and what they plan to teach.
The fellows collaborate weekly with State Teachers of the Year and Finalists through virtual circles on the NEA's edCommunities platform. They also participate in monthly webinars and Twitter chats. Take a look at the robust set of issues they have tackled (and plan to cover):
Field Experience: Nov. 7, 2016
Multicultural Education: Nov. 14, 2016
Growth Mindset: Nov. 21, 2016
Inclusive Classrooms: Nov. 28, 2016
Teacher Diversity: Dec. 5, 2016
Learning Processes: Dec. 12, 2016
Testing: Jan. 2, 2017
Content Area Knowledge: Jan. 16, 2017
Parent Communication: Jan. 23, 2017
Poverty and Nutrition: Jan. 30, 2017
Student Self-Efficacy: Feb. 6, 2017
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NNSTOY Awards and Scholarships
Supporting Higher Education and Teacher Prep
Chasing Rainbows. Given annually by Dolly Parton, the Chasing Rainbows award is for a
someone who has overcome adversity to become a teacher. The awardee will spend a week as the guest of Parton at Dollywood, and his/her name will be inscribed on a plaque inside Parton's Chasing Rainbows Museum. NNSTOY selects the annual recipient.
Applications are due March 1.
The Family Scholarship ($1,500) is awarded to an
NNSTOY member's relative
, who is or will be enrolled as a full time student in college in the United States. The winner must have demonstrated ability and need.
Applications are due March 10.
The Kay Battista Scholarship ($1,500) is awarded to a future teacher enrolled full-time in a teacher preparation program in the United States. The scholarship honors late NNSTOY member Kay Battista (New Jersey 1972), whose family helped the organization establish a memorial fund as part of her legacy. Applications are due March 10.
Applications for the award and scholarships, along with more information, are available on our website. Please direct questions and send completed applications to rogersmsedna@aol.com or Edna Rogers/904 Lake Smoky Road/Sevierville, TN 37876
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Washington Policy Update
Jane West
Donald J. Trump sworn in as President. President Donald Trump made his first comments about education during his inaugural speech at the Capitol. He said we have "... an education system flush with cash but leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of all knowledge." Twitter blew up after this comment
challenging both aspects of the comment. In fact, funding for education in states is below pre-recession 2008 levels.
DeVos vote likely in Senate HELP Committee Tuesday, January 31 ~ 10:00 AM . The hearing of Secretary of Education nominee Betsy DeVos has been widely covered by the press. Democrats grilled the nominee about a wide range of issues. DeVos made troubling comments at the hearing, which have alarmed some education advocates, particularly in relation to special education:
- DeVos indicated that enforcement of IDEA would be up to the states. When asked if all schools receiving federal funds should have to meet the requirements of IDEA, she responded that that was "worth discussion."
- DeVos told Sen. Maggie Hassan (who is the parent of a young man with significant disabilities) that if confirmed she would be sensitive to the needs of special needs students. Hassan noted that what was of concern was not her sensitivity, but her willingness to enforce the law.
- When Sen. Collins asked if she would be willing to look for ways to fully fund IDEA to meet the 40% promise, DeVos urged consideration of a different approach - the federal money going to the students directly, rather than to the states (i.e. vouchers).
With the Senate being controlled by Republicans with a 52-48 majority, it appears that DeVos will receive the 50 votes she needs to be confirmed as Secretary of Education.
Read Jane West's complete Washington Update, posted on our website weekly when Congress is in session. This week she offers more expansive coverage of the topics above and provides new information about loan forgiveness for teachers.
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Your Conference Questions Answered!
2017 Webpage Updated
If you haven't recently checked out NNSTOY's snazzy
conference webpage, take a look at the latest information about our national teacher leadership event.
Information is being added daily, including
presenters who have accepted invitations to speak, a short list of
essential questions for each strand, and
FAQs. You can add your own questions to the FAQ section and even sign up to get regular conference communications as we near the event July 15-19 in Washington, D.C.
Reminder: the deadline to submit a proposal to speak at the conference has been extended to Friday, February 3.
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New Ways to Engage
Plug into teacher leadership outside of your school.
Fellows engage in 12 months of globally-focused professional development with other educators throughout the United States. They get to know their cohort through webinars and during an in-person workshop held in the fall of 2017 in Washington, D.C. In the summer of 2018, the fellows hop on a plane for a nine-day field study in another country! Deadline to apply is February 28, 2017.
Encourage K-12 and college students to enter NOAA's contest to design content for Science on a Sphere. Students will create new maps, visualizations, and stories that help share NOAA's mission in creative and innovative ways.
Submissions are due March 17, 2017.
Engage with Genomics Literacy, Education and Engagement (GLEE) Initiative.
A small consortium of organizations and individuals, tentatively named the Genomics Literacy, Education and Engagement Initiative, has begun researching the latest in genomics education at the K-12 and undergraduate levels. They invite educators to complete a brief, 10-minute survey about their current teaching practices to define what resources are available and needed to best help teachers in this new "Age of Genomics." Respondents have the option to be sent the list of resources compiled from the survey and updates from the GLEE initiative.
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What We are Reading
Interesting and emerging ideas about education from around the country
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New & Noteworthy
Tools and opportunities to support #TeachersLeading
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Kudos, Shout-Outs & Accolades*
News from the NNSTOY community
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Michigan Teachers of the Year past and present meet with State Superintendent Brian Whiston in Lansing.
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Congratulations to these NNSTOY members, who were nominated by their state affiliates for this year's NEA Foundation Awards for Teaching Excellence: Amy Jo Meiners (Alaska), Leticia Guzman Ingram (Colorado), Sandra Hall (Delaware), Linda Glasgow (Missouri), Jessica Anderson (Montana), John Tierney (Nevada), Chelsea Collins (New Jersey), David Morales (New Mexico), Dana McDonough (New York), Keana Triplett (North Carolina), Amy Neal (North Dakota), Lori Michalec (Ohio), Jason Proctor (Oklahoma), Heather Anderson (Oregon), Cathy Whitehead (Tennessee) and Roger King (Wisconsin).
Tom Rademacher's
"
Time to Cancel the Education Wars and Take Care of the Kids" was recently posted on his blogspot. It's a
great read
. He writes, "No more throwing up our hands and saying, 'but poverty!' No more saying that we'll just close our door and wait for help to show up. The best of our political leaders will be playing too much defense, spread too thin on too many issues. No one is going to help us, we know that. It's on us. It's on us to take care of the kids while they're with us."
Christopher Benshoof (Alaska 2013) has been selected by BP as a
Hometown Hero.
Jeff Baxter's (Kansas 2014) article "A New Principal -- Again" was published on the U.S. Department of Education's Homeroom blog. Baxter, who has been through nine principals in 28 years of teaching, offers teachers advice about how to manage the transition of a new principal.
Those who missed the 2017 State Teachers of the Year celebrating at the College Football National Championship Game can catch up on ESPN's Extra Yard for Teachers Facebook page.
Angie Miller's (New Hampshire 2012) article "6 Things Teachers Can Do When Bad News Strikes,"
was published in EdWeek and on the NNSTOY blog. Miller describes the impact of her experience as a student during times of national crisis, when teachers did not acknowledge the events in the classroom. And she offers strategies teachers can use to help students process tragedies--such as the events of 9/11 and the Challenger disaster--and learn.
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Check out this short video of Casey Bethel (Georgia 2017) in action, showing what inspires him to teach.
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Justin Minkel's (Arkansas 2007) article
"The Long Road Ahead: What Children Need From Us After the Election of Donald Trump" was published in EdWeek. He offers strategies for teachers to help students cope, writing, "Our classrooms have to be places where young people can talk about what's on their minds and hearts. We don't need to share our own feelings or political beliefs, but we have to address children's fears, thoughts and questions in as clear and gentle a manner as we can."
Ryan Kaiser's article (Maryland 2016) "The Importance of Experiential Learning" was published on Curio Learning. His piece argues for teachers to focus on helping students to see the relationships between what they are learning and the world.
*Send us your scoop!
If you have professional information to share in Member News,
please connect with laurie@nnstoy.org.
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