Retired Aug 21 - Final Print PDF

For the latest news, go to AUGUST 2021 nea.org/NEAToday or sign up for our e-newsletter at nea.org/signup. NEA TODAY for NEA-RETIRED MEMBERS An edition of NEA Today Making an Impact MEET THE WOMEN OF NEA-RETIRED WHO ARE IMPROVING PUBLIC EDUCATION ON SCHOOL BOARDS ACROSS THE COUNTRY SEE PAGE 28

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FOR NEA RETIRED MEMBERS 24 28 34 COVER The Things You Can’t A Back to School Like No Other Throw Away 38 As we return to the classroom, we The Right Women for 24 Take a trip down memory lane the Job must address the social and emotional with NEA-Retired members who needs of the whole school community. 28 Meet six retired educators share their most beloved keepsakes from their teaching days. Finding the Lost Students who are serving on school of the Pandemic boards and having a big impact ‘Stand Up and Be Counted’ 44 Educators went to herculean on public education. Find out 32 At the virtual NEA-Retired what it’s like to campaign and lengths to locate missing students last how their work is making a Annual Meeting, delegates spoke year—and their work continues today. di erence in their local out and took action to support school districts. public education. 2021 Teacher of the Year 48 Special educator Juliana Urtubey Teaching in the Era of Polarization 34 The nation is more politically has been honored for her work in creating equitable schools. divided than it has been in decades. And many teachers feel they can no COVER: TIM MUELLER PHOTOGRAPHY; CLOCKWISE longer stand on the sidelines. FROM TOP LEFT: TIM MUELLER PHOTOGRAPHY; COURTESY OF WALT MUNSTERMAN; DAVID SCHWARTZ; JON MUZZARELLI Get NEA Today on the Go! JOIN THE CONVERSATION Available in the App Store and on Google Play. NEATODAY @NEATODAY @NEATODAY Also, visit neatoday.org for more news and features. 2

August 2021 VOLUME 40, NUMBER 1 SPECIAL SECTIONS DEPARTMENTS Get the latest news from NEA Today! First and Foremost 7 A NOTE FROM THE NEA RETIRED PRESIDENT • For timely news about issues 10 Critical race theory sparks Expect the unexpected, impacting educators, visit controversy; teachers see a believe the unbelievable, and nea.org/NEAToday or sign up for modest pay increase; research achieve the unachievable. NEA Today’s biweekly e-newsletter shows the benefits of starting at nea.org/signup. school later; parents trust 8 PRESIDENT’S VIEWPOINT teachers and their unions; grading “We have a chance to make • For updates on what NEA is deserves a rethink; and college significant strides forward for doing to help educators during attendance dropped during the all students.” the pandemic, how you can pandemic. get involved, and more, visit 22 MEMBER SPOTLIGHT educatingthroughcrisis.org. Issues and Impact 33 THE BULLETIN BOARD • For access to bonus multimedia con- 14 The numbers don’t lie: When Check out the inspiring tent, download the NEA Today app e orts of NEA-Retired from the App Store or Google Play. unions can bargain collectively, members around the country. wages and equity increase. Also TALK BACK find out how one educator helped 50 2021 NEA overturn a ban on collective REPRESENTATIVE Fix School Buildings bargaining in Virginia. A S S E M B LY Now NEA leaders, President Joe People and Places Biden, and Stacey Abrams Public schools should be as safe as spoke to delegates about the 20 When COVID-19 vaccines opportunities ahead. self-supporting schools. (“U.S. Schools were in short supply, a team of 52 RESOURCES Need an Infrastructure Upgrade”) The educators—aka the “vaccine hunters”—helped senior citizens 56 NEA IN ACTION ZIP code the school is in should not get the life-saving shots; and learn Learn how NEA is working about some winners of NEA’s every day for great public determine basic care and maintenance. Human and Civil Rights Awards. schools. The learning environment should be clean, healthy, safe, and stimulating to the learner. JUDITH The school building is where students spend most of their hours for at least 12 to 13 or 14 years of their lives. Students, parents, teachers, and other school EDUCATION SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS staff should not have to worry about the ‘No Child of Any Age Should health of students, teachers, and other Go Hungry’ school staff simply because they live in 18 When a student would rather skip a poor neighborhood, town, county, or lunch than use a free-meal card, an education support professional is often state. Do unto others as you would have the first one to notice. That’s why many are speaking out in favor of the universal them do unto you. CLORINDA school meals program, which would provide free meals to all students. Public Schools should always be kept in ILLUSTRATION: ADOBE STOCK IMAGES good repair. The atmosphere should be pleasant and encouraging to learning. Our children … deserve the very best education to succeed in life, and for our nation to thrive! LESLIE 3

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mission, vision, and values NEA-RETIRED PRESIDENT OUR VISION IS A GREAT DEMOCRACY. NEA TODAY (ISSN 0734-7219) is PUBLIC SCHOOL FOR published ve times a year by the Sarah Borgman EVERY STUDENT. We believe public education is the National Education Association, cornerstone of our republic. Public 1201 16th St., N.W., Washington, VICE PRESIDENT OUR MISSION education provides individuals DC 20036-3290. Periodicals with the skills to be involved, postage paid at Washington, D.C., Jean Dobashi To advocate for education informed, and engaged in our and additional mailing of ces. professionals and to unite our representative democracy. Postmaster: Send address changes to SECRETARY members and the nation to NEA Today, Attn: NEA Membership ful ll the promise of public PROFESSIONALISM. Management Services Address Daniel Rudd education to prepare every Change, Suite 510, 1201 16th St., student to succeed in a diverse We believe that the expertise and N.W., Washington, DC 20036-3290. EXECUTIVE COUNCIL and interdependent world. judgment of education professionals Copyright 2021 by the National are critical to student success. We Education Association of the United Roberta Margo Lynda W. Smith OUR CORE VALUES maintain the highest professional States. All rights reserved. Linda McCrary JoAnn Smith-Mashburn standards, and we expect the status, Telephone: 202-833-4000 Alen Ritchie Tom Wellman These principles guide our compensation, and respect due to NEA Today for NEA-Retired Members, work and de ne our mission: all professionals. is mailed to all NEA-Retired members BOARD OF DIRECTORS as a bene t of membership. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY. PARTNERSHIP. Advertising within NEA Today for Anita Gibson Barbara Schram NEA-Retired Members is screened, but Julie Horwin Mae Smith We believe public education is We believe partnerships with parents, the publishing of any advertisement Judy Rohde Marilyn Warner the gateway to opportunity. All families, communities, and other does not imply NEA endorsement of Stephen Gorrie, Elections Chair students have the human and civil stakeholders are essential to quality the product or views expressed. Janet Kilgus, Alternate right to a quality public education public education and student success. To change your address and/or stop Diane L. Larson, Alternate that develops their potential, receiving print materials from NEA, Diccie L. Smith, Alternate independence, and character. COLLECTIVE ACTION. visit nea.org/about-nea/contact-us, or call 202-833-4000. NEA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR A JUST SOCIETY. We believe individuals are strengthened when they work together for the common Kim A. Anderson We believe public education is vital good. As education professionals, we to building respect for the worth, improve both our professional status and THE NATIONAL EDUCATION dignity, and equality of every the quality of public education when ASSOCIATION individual in our diverse society. we unite and advocate collectively. We, the members of the National Education Association of the United States, are the voice of education professionals. Our work is fundamental to the nation, and we accept the profound trust placed in us. 5

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president’s viewpoint NEA-RETIRED PRESIDENT NECA IBEW EW SARAH BORGMAN Your Students [email protected] Deserve a 574-849-5580 Debt-Free Career Option Expect the Unexpected Demand for employees in the August—the end of one association electrical industry continues year and the beginning of another. to grow. Sweep the slate clean and start afresh. Don’t you just love new opportunities? While Powering America’s apprenticeships presenting my challenge at our virtual NEA- offer hands-on and classroom Retired Annual Meeting in June, I reminded instruction, college credits, and members to expect the unexpected, to believe wages and benefits during training. the unbelievable, and to achieve the unachiev- Certified electrical apprenticeships able. These challenges are true in real life, but are the first step in the path leading they ring true especially in our association to careers in this industry. Powering responsibilities. When we expect the unexpect- America’s apprenticeships offer a ed, we’re not knocked for a loop with surprises. superior education—at little or no When we believe in what can really happen, cost to the students— we challenge ourselves to try, plan, and work to achieve the unachievable! and full-time work as May these challenges ring true for you as, together, we begin anew our work electricians, line on behalf of NEA-Retired. workers, and telecommunications Many thanks to all who participated in making our summer meeting technicians. a success and to all who joined in as participants. It was so good to “see” many of you. And, during our spring conference, presidents asked for more time together for sharing ideas and challenges. In May, small groups met for that purpose on three different occasions and then one time together. This month, all retired elected state officers are invited for officer training. We all know that training of any type is so vital. We can still learn “new tricks.” The challenges of racial and social justice loom before us. My heart goes out to the young people in our schools and communities who struggle with this every day. We may not be present in the classrooms, but we are in the communities in our retired efforts. May we ever strive for justice for all. This association year, be sure you volunteer to serve. Surprise your presi- dent by letting him or her know you are ready for a new assignment. It will be proof that your president can, indeed, expect the unexpected! We are NEA-Retired. Our commitment continues, and we are needed NOW more than ever! N E AT O D AY PUBLISHER AND MANAGER COPY EDITOR DESIGN AND SENIOR DIRECTOR, PRODUCTION AND ART DIRECTION CENTER FOR PUBLICATIONS Judy Rowe COMMUNICATIONS Groff Creative LLC Earline Spence PROGRAM AND Ramona Oliver PRODUCTION ADVERTISING SALES EDITOR SPECIALIST ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Carson Helsper AND DIRECTOR Robin Terry Brown Tammy Funderburk [email protected] 301-527-2195 Anitrá Speight SR. WRITER/EDITORS NEA.ORG/NEATODAY CONTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR Brenda Álvarez Tim Walker EDITORIAL AND Mary Ellen Flannery Janet Rivera Mednik PUBLICATIONS Amanda Litvinov SR. CONTENT James Paterson Cindy Long STRATEGIST, NEA.ORG Bruce Stedman Steven Grant Michelle Chovan WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK: Learn more at MAIL: NEA Today, 1201 16th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20036 PoweringAmerica.org/careers EMAIL: [email protected] PHONE: 202-822-7207 FAX: 202-822-7206 FACEBOOK: facebook.com/neatoday

president’s viewpoint BECKY PRINGLE PRESIDENT Resilient. Powerful. Brilliant. It’s that glorious time of the school year when all the glue sticks are unbroken “ I need you— and the baskets of ungraded papers are empty. I need every NEA member— We are refreshed. We are ready. to take your The sense of possibility that infuses the first days of the school year—I beg rightful place as you to please hold onto it. leaders, as proud We know it’s hard to maintain the enthusiasm of the early days of a school professionals, year. The challenges of public education are immense and unabated, and let’s courageous racial be real: They. Wear. You. Down. But we need your first-day energy and we need and social justice your back-to-school passion—because we have a lot of work to do this year. activists, and Today, we take our place on the frontlines of our profession, where it is our strong unionists. moral obligation to fight to reclaim public education as a common good, to do Together, our everything within our power to help transform public education into a racially engagement and and socially just and equitable system that prepares every student—every advocacy will single student—to succeed in a diverse and interdependent world. transform our We are working to address inequities, not just in education, but also in vision into reality”. health care and economic systems, housing and policing systems, that have compounded for years, especially impacting our most marginalized students —NEA PRESIDENT and communities. BECKY PRINGLE Is this easy work? No, it is not. It’s hard. It also is necessary. One of my requests to the new secretary of education, Miguel Cardona, was to ensure that educators—and the unions that represent them—have a voice at his table and are genuine partners in decision-making. And he has honored that request. In fact, his guidance to state and local officials about the billions of dollars in the American Rescue Plan says state and local agencies “must engage in meaningful consultation with stakeholders,” including educators and their union. In this partnership, we have new opportunities. We have a president who stands with educators, unions, students and families, and who is devoted to racial and social justice. We have a chance to make significant strides forward for all students—Black, White, brown, Indigenous, Asian and Pacific Islander, LGBTQ+ students, those with disabilities, those living in underserved communities—all of them. These kinds of partnerships and a commitment to collaboration must exist in schools and neighborhoods everywhere. So I need you—I need every NEA member—to take your rightful place as leaders, as proud professionals, courageous racial and social justice activists, and strong unionists. Together, our engagement and advocacy will transform our vision into reality. Last year, you endured an experience like none before. It was awful, but we learned a lot about our strength and resolve. Together, we secured billions of dollars in federal funds for schools. Together, we fed our students, taught our students, and fought to keep them safe. And now, as we prepare for a new school year, remember this—today and tomorrow: You are powerful. You are creative. You are committed. You are resilient and brilliant. It is a glorious time, indeed. 8 PHOTO: NEA

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EDUCATION NEWS AND TRENDS. Teaching the Truth About Systemic Racism Critical race theory. These three words have sparked a national What does this mean for edu- conversation about what should be taught in America’s classrooms. cators? For New Hampshire social As of June, lawmakers in at least 15 states had targeted critical studies teacher Misty Crompton, race theory (CRT), pushing legislation that would prevent educators from it means she won’t avoid, conceal, or lie through today’s challenges. teaching about systemic racism and sexism in public schools and state- “It’s called good teaching to funded programs. Instead, they called for outdated and inaccurate lessons, tell truths and have students look at a variety of perspectives … and editing out the realities of racism in history to excuse the injustices of today. a rich landscape of experiences. Otherwise, it’s just propaganda,” Some proposals would ban the classroom use of works such as the Crompton says. New York Times’ “1619 Project,” which details the legacy of slavery and its Teacher Pay Rises consequences, in Modestly history curricula. The national average annual teacher’s salary in What’s happen- 2019 – 2020 was $64,133 and is projected to increase ing in these states this year by about 1.5 percent, to $65,090, according to the is a “misrepresenta- NEA’s annual Rankings and Estimates report, released tion of critical race in April. theory,” says Shantel Over the last decade, the national average teacher salary Gabrieal Buggs, an has increased slightly—by 0.9 percent—when adjusted for assistant professor of inflation. sociology and African NEA’s annual Teacher Salary Benchmark Report, also released American studies in April, finds encouraging news for newer educators as well. In at Florida State 2019 – 2020, the average starting teacher salary across the U.S. was University. $41,163 per year, an increase of 2.5 CRT originated from legal studies, Buggs explains. It “It’s called good involves thinking about the ways in which teaching to tell truths racism—particularly White supremacy, anti- and have students Blackness, and various kinds of racialized look at a variety of inequality—is embedded into law and legal perspectives … and practice, as well as other policies within a rich landscape institutions. of experiences. Otherwise, it’s just “If we’re trying to make the law more propaganda.” equitable; if we’re trying to make work- places and … institutions function more fairly; then we have to consider the ways MISTY CROMPTON, SOCIAL that racial inequality is literally embedded STUDIES TEACHER, IN NEW into how these things were designed, in HAMPSHIRE terms of who was recognized as having rights,” Buggs says. 10 ILLUSTRATION: ©MELITA STOCK.ADOBE.COM

FIRST AND FOREMOST Starting salaries for educators grew slightly over the last decade The average salary for educators for the 2019 – 2020 school year was $41,163, compared with $34,629 for the 2009 – 2010 school year (a 19.3% increase year over year). $40K $30K $20K $10K $0K 2020 2009 SOURCE: NEA TEACHER SALARY BENCHMARK REPORT percent over the previous school year. Adjusting for inflation, it represents the largest annual increase in starting pay since before the Great Recession, which lasted from 2007 – 2009.  NEA President Becky Pringle credits the educator-led #RedForEd move- ment, which began in 2018, for helping to secure these increases. And as school systems emerge from the pandemic, this activism will be needed more than ever. “What we don’t know is what will happen in the 2020 – 2021 school year and beyond, because the COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed public education,” Pringle says. “We are still in a funding hole that was dug decades ago. The country cannot a ord to take its foot o the pedal of progress.” The Bene ts of Starting School Later A n increasing body of evidence is showing that later school start times are making a di erence in students’ lives, including improved educational outcomes and mental well-being. Physicians have been advocating for later start times for more than two decades, and the body of literature linking adolescent sleep with increased student success has only grown in depth and rigor. A new study in Minnesota found that when four school districts postponed the start of the school day by 20 to 65 minutes, grades improved slightly. Contrary to widespread concerns that students would only stay up later, students actually reported that they slept longer. Still, despite this mounting data, very few schools start the day at 8:30 a.m. or later. PHOTOS FROM TOP: ASSOCIATED PRESS; PATRICK DAXENBICHLER WWW.PD DESIGN.AT 11

Parental Support of Parents’ responses when asked if educators faced an Educators Stayed enormous amount of stress during the pandemic Strong During Pandemic Strongly agree Somewhat agree From the moment COVID-19 first shuttered All Parents 59% 27% 86% Total school buildings, educators have risen to the challenges the pandemic created, White 61% 27% 88% doing everything they could to keep students Black 65% 20% 85% happy, healthy, and learning. And though Hispanic 29% 85% some educators may feel beat up by the AAPI 56% 36% 86% stress, research shows that parents not only ELL 50% appreciate educators, but also empathize with Special needs 50% 39% 89% their struggles and trust them to make the 29% 87% right decisions. 58% The poll, conducted in March by GQR Democrats 69% 24% 93% Insights and Action, found that 86 percent of parents polled agreed that educators faced Independents 52% 28% 80% enormous stress during the pandemic as they learned new online platforms and managed in- Republicans 51% 30% 81% person and online instruction at the same time. SOURCE: NATIONAL SURVEY OF 1,547 PARENTS AND GUARDIANS CONDUCTED BY GQR VIA The poll also showed that parents and PHONE AND WEB PANEL MARCH 22 28, 2021 guardians generally trusted teachers unions (66 percent) and teachers (64 percent) to make the right decision about when schools should reopen. QUOTABLE Rethinking Grading “For a long time, students who have fewer resources and weaker safety nets have been disproportionately harmed by traditional grading practices. Embedded in the grade is the timing of when it is completed. Too many things outside of students control can make it impossible to complete on time. What actually matters is what is the learning, not the timing of the learning. Grades should reflect academic performance and learning, and we should not use them as a way of managing or evaluating behavior. And now, when so many more students have been a ected by the pandemic, we have the opportunity to distinguish and more clearly articulate what a grade should represent.” JOE FELDMAN, AUTHOR OF GRADING FOR EQUITY 12 PHOTO: LEV DOLGACHOV

FIRST AND FOREMOST College Enrollment Falls During Pandemic According to the High School Benchmarks report from the National Student Clearinghouse, college enrollments had dropped by 6.8 percent by November 2020— more than quadrupling the pre-pandemic rate of decline. Overall, 56.5 percent of the 2020 graduating class enrolled in postsecondary school immediately after graduating, compared with 60.5 percent of the 2019 graduating class. Schools with more low-income students of color experienced much greater declines compared with those from affluent schools. High-poverty high schools sent 46 percent of 2020 graduates to college this past fall, com- pared with 70 percent of graduates from low- poverty schools. This is a wider gap than in 2019, confirming concerns that the pandemic was more disruptive to low-income families and their plans for college. PHOTO: ©MONKEY BUSINESS - STOCK.ADOBE.COM Back to school Get an extra with a smile! 20% off Supports optimal learning NEA20 Transparent face masks like the ClearMask™ help youth develop social, emotional, and language skills. Recommended by the CDC The CDC suggests transparent face masks for many groups, including children and people with disabilities. Available in multiple sizes The ClearMask™ transparent face mask is available in two sizes (adult and youth) for faces of all kinds. FDA-cleared The first fully transparent mask in the United States to have FDA 510(k) clearance as a Class II medical device. www.buy.theclearmask.com

EDUCATORS AND ALLIES FIGHTING FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Collective bargaining: Key to higher wages and shared prosperity AFTER DECADES OF ATTACKS ON UNIONS THAT LED TO WAGE STAGNATION, IT’S TIME TO REVERSE THIS DESTRUCTIVE TREND BY AMANDA LITVINOV “Rebuilding collective bargaining Educators deserve the right to negotiate their own wages and benefits and to advocate for their students, but over the decades, many states is a necessary have stripped those rights away. That means educators have less component of any voice in decisions about their working conditions and students’ learning policy agenda to environments. Collective bargaining allows educators to not only negotiate reestablish robust their own wages and benefits, but also advocate for their students and wage growth for communities. NEA locals have used the bargaining process to reduce class the vast majority sizes, improve school discipline policies, and establish community schools, of workers in the among other meaningful changes. United States”. When collective bargaining is widespread, it benefits the greater good in another crucial way. Researchers have long known of the “spillover e ect,” LAWRENCE MISHEL, in which strong unions drive up wages and shrink the pay gap among non- ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE union workers in the same sector. MLEOARREN A new report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) shows that the erosion of collective bargaining—the direct result of certain lawmakers Find out why collective pushing anti-union policies that favor the rich and corporations—has been a bargaining matters in major factor in depressing salaries and driving wage inequality for 40 years.  education at nea.org/cb. As the share of workers covered by collective bargaining agreements fell from 27 percent in 1979 to 11.6 percent in 2017, the median hourly wage was stunted by nearly 8 percent. The study makes a forceful case for restoring broad collective bargaining rights in order to grow workers’ wages, reduce the wage gap, and help all workers and families prosper.  “This decline of unions wasn’t inevitable—it was a deliberate policy choice made on behalf of wealthy interests and corporations, and it can be reversed,” writes the report’s author, Lawrence Mishel. “Collective bargaining not only benefits union workers, but non-union workers as well by raising wage standards across industries,” Mishel writes. Rebuilding widespread collective bargaining requires electing pro-union candidates; advocating for pro-labor policies; enacting legislation that promotes increased organizing opportunities; and working to increase our a liates’ power. 14

ISSUES AND IMPACT Attacks on unions Median hourly wage, with and without eroded 2017: $22 have stunted wages collective bargaining rights (1979 – 2017) $21.27 $21 The red line shows that the intentional Median hourly wage without union decline (in 2020 dollars) erosion of collective bargaining rights Actual median hourly wage (in 2020 dollars) stunted wages by nearly 8 percent between 1979 and 2017. The blue line 2000: $20 shows where we would have been $19.69 without that loss in negotiating power. 1979: 1988: 2017: $19 $18.39 $18.65 2000: $19.70 SOURCE: ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE $18.51 2000 $18 1980 1988: 2010 $17 $17.83 2020 1990 Collective bargaining Weaker unions, lower educator pay promotes wage equity States that restricted collective bargaining by teachers unions during the Collective bargaining decreases wage 2011 – 2012 school year showed a drastic decline in school district spending inequality, especially for People of Color on teacher salaries and benefits over the next five years. and women. Wages are more than 10 percent higher, on average, for unionized The five states workers than their non-unionized counterparts—and that figure increases are Idaho, even more for People of Color. With Indiana, collective bargaining, wages increase: Michigan, Tennessee, and 14.7% Wisconsin. 21.8%for Black workers, and Restrictions on teachers unions in these for Hispanic workers. five states reduced spending on teacher compensation by 6 percent ILLUSTRATION: SMARTBOY10 -5.0% -6.0% 0% -2.5 -9.7% Total Compensation -5 -7.5 Salaries Benefits -10 -12.5 SOURCE: CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS 15

ISSUES AND IMPACT BE LIKE GWEN: Advocate for collective bargaining GWEN EDWARDS IS A TECHNICAL SUPPORT SPECIALIST Gwen Edwards, right, rallied for education funding at the AT RIPPON MIDDLE SCHOOL, IN PRINCE WILLIAM Capitol in Richmond, in 2019. COUNTY, VIRGINIA Our #RedForEd march in February 2020 was particularly NEA Today: The collective bargaining ban for public impactful, because that made our cause so visible. It was a employees in Virginia was finally lifted in May 2021. What good way to start educating the public. does this mean for the state’s educators and students? How are you working to organize educators now? Gwen Edwards: It means that our voices are at the GE: Our building reps are already holding meetings table, and we are able to impact decisions. When Virginia educators had collective bargaining decades ago, they were so they can explain what collective bargaining is. A lot able to negotiate for additional teachers for reading, art, and of people don’t know, because so many of us have music instruction. They helped set school calendars and never had these rights. We’re having those one-on-one fairer discipline policies. Now our voices will be heard again. conversations with our members and all school employees to show them how collective bargaining rights will Collective bargaining means we can advocate for high- benefit them and their students. quality professional development and safer conditions in all schools. We’ll be able to speak up about the need for What would you say to educators fighting for collective additional funds and sta ng. I work at a school with a large bargaining rights in other states? population of lower-income students, and we need more resources than schools serving wealthier families, not fewer. GE: Don’t stop talking about what these rights mean. We will be able to negotiate for additional services to meet Every employee deserves to have a union representing their student needs, whether that means increases in sta ng, contract negotiations, and every student deserves a well- improved access to technology, or more books. resourced school. And we’re rooting for you! How have you been involved in advocating to restore collective bargaining for educators? GE: I participated in lobbying through the Virginia Education Association and the Prince William Education Association. Over the years, we wrote letters to our elected o cials, held rallies, marched at the Virginia Capitol, and spoke to our representatives about repealing the ban on collective bargaining. We just kept talking about it. Unions are Welcome Again in Washington Educators helped elect U.S. President Joe Biden in part because of his support for expanding collective bargaining rights and protecting workers’ right to organize. “I’ll be the most pro-union president you’ve ever seen,” Biden promised during his campaign. His secretary of labor, Marty Walsh, is the first union member to serve in the role in nearly a half-century. NEA voiced support for both Walsh and Deputy Secretary of Labor nominee Julie Su, a renowned labor policy expert. NEA also supports the Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2021, which protects employees’ rights to organize and collectively bargain in the NEA higher education workplace. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill in members at a pre-pandemic March. At press time, the Senate had not voted on the bill. conference on bargaining for the common good. 16 PHOTOS: COURTESY OF GWEN EDWARDS; NEA

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WE MEET THE NEEDS OF THE permanently provide free breakfast, WHOLE STUDENT. lunch, dinner, and a snack to all school children, regardless of income, while ‘No child of any age eliminating school meal debt that the should go hungry’ school accumulates when a student receives but cannot pay for lunch. EDUCATION SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS CALL FOR PASSAGE OF A FEDERAL LAW PROVIDING “In the richest country in the world, FREE MEALS TO ALL STUDENTS it is an outrage that millions of children struggle with hunger every day,” BY CINDY LONG Sanders said in a statement. “Every child deserves a quality education free Far too many students skip lunch because they are afraid they of hunger. What we’ve seen during this can’t a ord it or are embarrassed to hand the cafeteria worker pandemic is that a universal approach a free-lunch card. to school meals works. We cannot go Nutrition services professional Susan Jones, who works in the backwards.” Colonial School District, in New Castle, Del., says she dreads seeing hungry kids dodge the lunch line. “The best possible use of my tax Taking out the guesswork dollar would be to feed a kid,” Jones says. “Universal school meals would make a huge di erence at the register. Everyone’s going to get An emergency nutrition waiver lunch, no questions asked.” program was implemented in spring of 2020, as COVID-19 closed school If lawmakers are successful, this will become reality. buildings and triggered an economic Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, crisis and widespread food insecurity. along with Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Gwen Moore of Wisconsin, The waivers made it easier to feed all introduced the Universal School Meals Program Act of 2021, which would students, but if universal school meals don’t continue, educators say, many students will fall back into hunger. Student Recruitment Specialist Vanessa Jimenez says this could have a dire impact on the large refugee and Susan Jones Robbie Jones Vanessa Jimenez 18 PHOTOS: COURTESY OF MEMBERS

EDUCATION SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS immigrant population in the Phoenix improve their health and classroom Childhood hunger is in Union High School District, in Arizona, performance; eliminate the stigma of the spotlight where she works. The majority of these student meal debt; and relieve schools students rely on school meals. of complicated and burdensome Some 30 million children in the paperwork. country relied on free or reduced-price “We shouldn’t have to wait until a school meals in 2019, according to the child misses a few meals to figure out This spring, as the U.S. House summary of the proposed legislation. they might need help. They may have Subcommittee on Civil Rights and That number exploded following gone days before someone realizes Human Services considered USDA the massive layo s and economic this. Universal meals take out the policies and priorities, NEA sent a hardships that took place in the wake guesswork,” she says. “As a society, we letter to the representatives. of COVID-19. should feed our children, teach them, and love them. We’re talking about NEA’s letter states: “We … take Robbie Jones is head custodian 40-cent milk cartons—we can and this opportunity to highlight NEA’s at Christiansburg Middle School, in must do better for our kids. No child key principles for child nutrition Montgomery County, Virginia. Along of any age should go hungry.” reauthorization. In addition to with fellow custodians, bus drivers, expanding access to school meals and and food service workers, she provided Congress needs to act now summer food, we strongly support meals to students from 4 high schools, maintaining the healthy guidelines for 4 middle schools, and 16 elementary The U.S. Department of Agriculture school meals; ongoing training and schools. (USDA) announced last month that it professional development for school is extending a program providing free food service sta that maximizes “Any child aged 18 and under gets school meals for every K–12 student hands-on learning and takes place food, and that’s been since day one,” through spring 2022, an important during paid, regular working hours; she says. “Families were so relieved and first step in assuring that American and expanded grants for kitchen so happy. It took a pandemic to shine kids don’t go hungry—at least for this equipment.” a light on it, but children have enough school year. stress factors today. They shouldn’t have to worry about meals.” NEA members believe ensuring that all students have access to free ATACKTEION Tell your members of Congress to vote for healthy school meals is crucial to the Universal School Meals Program Act of 2021. ending hunger. Go to nea.org/schoolmeals to voice your support! Providing universal school meals to 19 all students, at no cost to them, would ILLUSTRATION: ADOBE STOCK IMAGES

MEET THE PEOPLE MAKING NEWS IN EDUCATION. The Vaccine Hunters leaders in Maryland to change faulty Spanish translations and confusing MARYLAND EDUCATORS HELP SENIORS grammatical errors on the vaccine GET VACCINATED registration form for Spanish speakers. BY JANET RIVERA MEDNIK In addition to supporting several community clinics by reaching out Early this year, when COVID-19 vaccines were in short supply, to the Latinx and African American scoring an appointment was akin to winning the lottery. And find- communities and securing their ing a coveted slot took computer know-how and rapid-fire fin- appointments, the educators have gers—all of which could be especially challenging for senior citizens, been a valuable resource on-site at vaccine clinics as well. They have who were a high-priority group. checked in patients, called to fill no-show spots, and translated for non- Thankfully, members of the Maryland State Education Association English speakers. Most recently, they even partnered with a major hospital stepped in as soon as the vaccines became available in January. Every to sponsor their own clinic aimed at reaching People of Color. day, after teaching their school classes online and prepping for the next More than 8,500 vaccination day, the Montgomery County educators—who dubbed themselves the appointments later, Aguilar and her fellow vaccine hunters have proven “vaccine hunters/las caza vacunas”—scoured vaccination websites till that they are making a di erence— not only for students, but for all hours of the night, creating color-coded spreadsheets and helping grandparents, too. seniors make sense of complicated applications. Within hours of securing their first ap- pointments, word spread on social media. Maryland Spanish And after only a few days, 500 people had teacher Tanya Aguilar reached out to them by phone or email. and her fellow “vaccine hunters” helped 8,500 “Even though we were sleep-deprived senior citizens secure appointments for and exhausted, it was worth it knowing COVID-19 vaccines. we were helping people navigate a di - cult process,” says Spanish teacher Tanya Aguilar. “We cried with grandmas and grandpas who told us that they were desperate to get vac- cinated, so they could see their [families] once again. We knew we were making a di erence, and that’s what kept us going.” The educators helped scores of seniors get vaccinated, but a disturbing trend emerged: Seniors of color weren’t get- ting vaccinated at the same rate as their White counterparts. Aguilar and her fellow vaccine hunters, half of whom are fluent in Spanish, went to work to counteract this glaring inequity. They scrawled the names of churches, community centers, unions, and influential leaders on legal pads, meticulously crossing them out after making contact. Soon, more and more of the team’s color-coded spreadsheets were filled with the names of African Americans and Latinos. And while the educators helped many, the vaccine in- equity remained worse than ever across the country. That’s why the educators took their concerns to the boardrooms of corporations such as CVS. They also persuaded influential 20 PHOTO: COURTESY OF TANYA AGUILAR

PEOPLE AND PLACES ‘They Will Louisiana teacher Chris Dier runs his they see adults like me, every day, Remember classroom like a “social laboratory.” in positive roles around them,” Long This’ said. “That’s why we need more trans educators in schools, and we need to THIS YEAR’S WINNERS OF support their choice to be out,” added THE NEA HUMAN AND Long, who also runs a Colorado-based CIVIL RIGHTS AWARDS ARE organization aimed at promoting and MAKING A DIFFERENCE protecting the employment rights of trans educators. BY MARY ELLEN FLANNERY For all of this work, and more, Long “Twelve years ago, I was a high was honored in June with the Virginia school student who had just Uribe Memorial Award for Creative come out as transgender,” Leadership in Human Rights, an NEA Colorado teacher Sam Long told a Human and Civil Rights (HCR) Award. Human Rights Campaign audience These awards are given annually to ed- in 2020. “Without the support of ucators and other allied organizations my family or my school, everything that advance racial and social justice in became a struggle, even my favorite our schools and communities. subject, which is science. People tried to tell me that trans identities are not Nebraska’s Maira Mendez- Connecting the past compatible with biology, that men Rodriguez organized the children to the present have XY chromosomes, women are of workers at a meat factory. XX, end of story. Sam Long’s students learn that Nebraska teacher Maira Mendez- “trans people can be happy, Rodriguez also earned an HCR Award “That oversimplified impression healthy, normal … ” this year. Her organization, Children of biology has been taught in many of Smithfield, united the children of schools, and it’s also been weaponized workers at a Smithfield Foods process- by lawmakers to justify harmful legisla- ing plant, giving them a powerful tion,” Long continued. “But, today, I’m voice during the COVID-19 pandemic. the one who is teaching biology.” In partnership with state Sen. Tony Vargas, the organization successfully ‘We need more trans mandated that the plant disinfect work educators’ spaces and provide 6 feet of physical distance between employees. The As a high school science teacher in company was also required to supply the Denver area, Long makes sure his workers with face shields and o er students learn that gender identity is medical leave to workers who tested di erent from sex; that chromosomes positive for the virus. are just one of many factors a ect- ing people’s physical development; Another award winner, Louisiana and that same-sex sexual behavior high school teacher Chris Dier, says is ubiquitous in the animal kingdom. he runs his history class like a “social Furthermore, as co-founder of the laboratory,” empowering students to Gender Inclusive Biology website, confront preconceived notions of race Long is helping other educators adapt and identity. Dier incorporates litera- their curricula and find resources for ture from overlooked voices, building gender-sensitive learning. empathy among students and en- abling underrepresented voices to be “Even if my students don’t remem- part of the historical record. He links ber any of the science I taught them, the past to the present, from Jim Crow I know they will remember this: Trans to modern policing; from Stonewall- people can be happy, healthy, normal, era LGBTQ+ activism to today’s Black extraordinary, complex individuals. Lives Matter movement. That’s what young people learn when ATACKTEION To find out how to nominate a colleague for NEA’s HCR PHOTOS: COURTESY OF MEMBERS Awards, see Page 54. For more about HCR winners, visit neahcrawards.org. 21

+ member spotlight ‘Science Grandpa’ Isle Museum Foundation, where I operated the Teaches Kids to planetarium dome and presented star and music Shoot For The Stars laser shows. I had the freedom to personalize my shows, so I often started with a corny joke: Do BY BRUCE STEDMAN, AS TOLD TO JAMES PATERSON you know what an astronaut’s favorite book is? A comet book! Itook a long and winding path to becoming a teacher. I worked as a log driver—floating timber The crowds ranged from first graders—who down a river—and as a Model T driver, chauf- confused me by raising their hands in the dark to ask feuring a carload of kids around museum grounds. questions—to college students and astronomy club But over time, I figured out that my true passion is members, who challenged me with tough questions. teaching young people about science and space. I would ask younger kids to name their favorite I began my career as an educator in 1970, and planets in the solar system, then give them taught science in Monmouth, Maine, public schools interesting facts about space. With older audiences, for 30 years. I discovered that I loved the relationships after a quick trip around the solar system, I’d tell I developed with the students and the way they them stories of stars, nebulas, and constellations. absorbed information. By my second year, I was hooked and became president of the Monmouth After moving to Mooresville, N.C., in 2017, I again Teachers Association. volunteered. This time, I was operating one of the largest domes in the state, at the Schiele Museum I took great joy in working with kids on science of Natural History, in Gastonia. experiments and on the math team. I also took students on trips to visit the planetarium at the I also volunteered to represent the NASA Jet University of Southern Maine, in Portland. Propulsion Laboratory as one of about 1,000 solar system ambassadors (SSA) nationwide. We give I soon discovered that student interest peaked lectures and speak to astronomy clubs and other when I talked about space. The topic covers so many groups about NASA and space science. As an SSA, important science lessons through the awe-inspiring I was invited to do shows at my local library and marvels of the universe. Of course, it was a natural elementary schools as well, where I became known as step for me to join the Maine Science Teachers “science grandpa.” Association, and I eventually served as its president. When the pandemic hit, they asked me to create a I retired from teaching in 2001, but the science group of recorded and live virtual shows—which was bug stayed with me. After moving to Sunset Beach, a challenge to say the least. Creating a 20-minute N.C., in 2014, I started volunteering with the Ocean video could take 10 hours! But it was worth the effort, and the shows went over well. I feel lucky to have had these wonderful opportunities in my 74 years around the sun. I can only hope that I’ve inspired future generations to continue to explore the universe—and beyond. Retired educator Bruce Stedman volunteers as a solar system ambassador for NASA. 22 PHOTOS: COURTESY OF BRUCE STEDMAN

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The Things You Can’t Throw Away RETIRED EDUCATORS TALK ABOUT THE BELOVED MEMENTOS THEY HAVE KEPT THROUGH THE YEARS BY MARY ELLEN FLANNERY Susan Baker had more than 100—and she doesn’t even drink co ee. e keepsakes that NEA-Retired Denise Van Deroef has 37 yearbooks—one for members have carried through their years include every year that she taught high school art in handwritten letters of appreciation, thousands of New Jersey—while Connecticut’s Karen favorite children’s books, and so many sweet DiMenna has 38 to match her years as a middle and memories. ese are just a few of the treasures that high school math teacher. And the funny or retired educators will hold onto forever. appreciative “teacher mugs,” gifted by students and parents? At one point, retired Massachusetts teacher Field hockey stick. “I taught for 35 Love note. Retired Florida years, and at the very beginning, I came teacher Janice Poirier and her to a school that was built in 1918 with a husband have moved six times— gymnasium about the size of a double- from Virginia to Florida to car garage,” says retired Iowa physical Georgia and back again to Florida— education teacher Barbara Cunningham. and in every home, Poirier displays When voters eventually agreed to pay for this sweet heart on her refrigerator a new school, Cunningham got to live the door. It was a birthday gift from a little girl, an dream of every physical education immigrant from Guatemala who mastered English teacher: She was able to buy new in Poirier’s fourth-grade classroom. “I think of her equipment for her girls’ programs. She every time I look at it,” Poirier says. chose eld hockey, a sport she played in Potholders. During the Second Sudanese Civil War college. “It was a love of mine, so we got the in the 1990s, roughly 2 million Sudanese people sticks, got the shin guards,” she recalls. died, many from famine. But retired Florida teacher Later, in the 1970s, when Title IX was Marilyn Warner recalls one family who ed to passed and PE classes combined—boys and girls— Ethiopia and then somehow ended up in the town eld hockey fell by the wayside. “ is beautiful of Clearwater, on Florida’s Gulf Coast. e hockey equipment sat in a closet. oldest son was a student in Warner’s And when I retired, I took a stick.” rst-grade class. “At Christmas, [the mother] came to my class,” 24 recalls Warner. e woman explained, with scant English, that she didn’t have any money, but still wanted to give Warner PHOTOS: COURTESY OF MEMBERS

Former theater teacher Marti Franks received the most perfect retirement present: a reading quilt made from the show T-shirts given to cast and crew. something. e mother presented Warner with sewn by a second grader; a ceramic angel, crafted by these two potholders that she had knit herself. “ ey a kindergartner’s mother; a strawberry from another always make me smile, as I remember the mother second grader, “one of the nicest, most polite ones,” and her wonderful son, Hiruye,” Warner says. recalls Diagostino; and a Santa with a Diet Coke can from a fth grader. Eraser. When Jan Jarvis “I always had a [soda] Unruh started teaching bottle or can on my desk,” in 1980 at Kansas’ Rose she says, so “[the student] Hill Intermediate insisted I needed that School, she had all the ornament!” “old stu ”—things that The Leatherman. Bob today’s new teachers wouldn’t McCarty spent 26 years recognize. She had chalkboard erasers as head custodian at and those ve-pronged chalk holders that draw Torrington High School, in straight lines across the board. When she retired in eastern Wyoming, before retiring in August 2020. 2005, she says, “I chose to keep a lot.” at includes When he left, his decades-old multifunction tool—an letters from parents and students, and this person- American-made Leatherman that he bought before alized chalkboard eraser, which was a Teacher he started working—went with him. is pocket tool Appreciation Week gift many decades ago. did everything from tightening a screw to opening a Christmas ornaments. Like a lot of longtime box. “It saved me thousands of steps,” he says. educators, Lynn Alianello Diagostino has unwrapped Show quilt. Retired Ohio teacher Marti Franks was 21 so many gifts of Christmas ornaments that her when she rst directed Our Town, the most perfect holiday tree is a sparkling testimony to her 39 years of high school play ever; she was 62 when she directed it teaching. Some of her favorites? A felt Christmas tree PHOTOS: TOP DAVID SCHWARTZ PHOTOGRAPHY; INSETS COURTESY OF MEMBERS 25

THE THINGS YOU CAN’T THROW AWAY for the last time. In between, she and her “drama the other side. Keck and her husband have been kids” took to the stage hundreds of times, producing married 38 years, and they still have that drawing dozens of shows for their community. On closing on display in their home. nights, students would present her with a gift: a Beloved book. Not long ago, a former student handmade birdhouse for Aristophanes’ e Birds, or a found retired Washington teacher Janis Swanson hollowed-out jewelry box book for Arthur Miller’s e on Facebook, reminding her of a book they read Crucible. When she retired in 2011, after 44 years of together in class: Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen teaching, Franks received the most perfect present: Cushman. He told Swanson that every April 1, a reading quilt, sewn from the show T-shirts given to he plays the same joke as Catherine, the main cast and crew. “It’s the loveliest gift because it’s character, who comes up with various plots to something you can actually use,” says Franks, who escape her medieval suitors. now works as a labor liaison in Northeast Ohio. Wedding portrait. When retired Oklahoma teacher “ e funny thing is, I honestly don’t remember Terrie Keck was engaged to be married, two of her the joke!” says Swanson, who taught seventh-grade social studies and other subjects for 37 years. But rst-grade students drew a portrait of her and her she’ll never forget the student. then- ancé, with Keck in her wedding dress and her soon-to-be husband with a big mustache. “I said, “Absolutely brilliant,” she says. “I always worried ‘ ank you, it’s beautiful!’” recalls Keck. “Both of that I wasn’t o ering him what he needed— them said, ‘ at’s not all, your wedding vowels are because he was so bright. To hear from him was on the back!’” e girls had written A, E, I, O, U on just wonderful. You never know what impact you’re making.” Help elect champions like President Biden! In his first 100 days, President Biden has made the single largest investment in students and public education ever. Your contribution to the NEA Fund helps elect champions like President Biden! Donate today at neafund.org 26

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The Right According to the National Women Association of School Boards, for the Job women now make up half of school board members across the country. NEA Today talked with several of these women who are NEA-Retired members to find out how they are making a difference for schools in their hometowns. MEET NEA-RETIRED MEMBERS ACROSS THE Joyce Haynes: Speaking out for public school funding Haynes has always been active in COUNTRY WHO HAVE RUN FOR SCHOOL BOARD— her local union and believed that AND WON! FIND OUT WHAT INSPIRES THEIR she could have an even bigger PASSION AND WHAT IT TAKES TO RUN. influence on the school board. “I learned so much in the union, and I felt I was playing a role in the direction our schools were taking,” she says. “I wanted to continue BY JAMES PATERSON Ask a retired educator why children and grandchildren have that involvement, and that she decided to run for attended local schools—including opportunity arose when I retired.” school board, and she will the K–8 school, where all levels are likely pause, as if the answer taught by one teacher. She says the underfunded and struggling schools in the district have caused too many students— should be obvious. These positions “I felt I had the right experience and their families—to lose faith are time-consuming, but educators and interest, and after serving, I’m in the education they receive. are motivated by the same sense of even more optimistic now about Changing that became a priority purpose and passion that drove what schools can do.” for her and a campaign mantra. them to become teachers in the first place. “Pride” was Joyce Haynes’ answer. After serving as a teacher for 40 years, she now sits on the school board in Louisiana’s St. Landry Parish, where a quarter of residents live below the poverty line, and the median family income is about $23,000. “I attended these schools and have a strong connection to them,” she says. “I want our students to have better facilities and pride in where they are from and where they are educated.” For retiree Trudi Downer, who has served on elementary and high school boards in her hometown of Molt, Mont., for two decades, her background as an activist paved “As a member of the board … I could persuasively give [educators’] perspectives,” says retired teacher Joyce Haynes. the way for her service. Plus, her 28 PHOTO LEFT: TIM MUELLER PHOTOGRAPHY

Retired educator Trudi Downer The current board now works (left) participates in graduation cooperatively on broader issues ceremonies as part of her school related to staff and funding. They board duties and had the honor have also tackled some of Dow- of presenting an eighth-grade ner’s specific priorities, such as certificate to her grandson, in maintaining music instruction; 2019 (above). supporting a school that could lose funding if enrollment drops to The election training she of board members, even allow- fewer than 10 students; and received from NEA’s See Educators ing her to play a mediating role prioritizing an award-winning Run program and her state in contentious contract talks, program to support students’ organization were key to her she says. transition from school to work. winning election two years ago. She gained the skills she needed “After a difficult strike, we Downer wishes school boards to campaign effectively, handle worked hard to move from would focus more on the needs finances, and speak to the media. confrontational to issue-based of students rather than simply bargaining,” she says. “I really keeping taxes low. Having edu- “They helped me be ready to wanted the board and staff and cators on school boards to reset carry that message about the students to work as a team.” priorities will help, she says. power of working together,” she Julie Cieniawski: A said. “That was a theme for my Downers’ activist spirit grew passionate campaigner campaign.” out of the political climate of the Arizona retiree Julie Cieniawski’s ‘60s and ‘70s, and specifically the concern about the policies of the Since being elected, she women’s rights movement. Scottsdale Unified School District has spoken out at schools and School Board prompted her to community functions about the run for a seat in November. The value of public education. While competition was intense, as she federal support is increasing, she faced off against five other worries that district schools will still be plagued by a lack of (Left) After retiring in 2018, funding. They are facing com- Arizona educator Julie Cieniawski petition from charter schools, successfully ran for school board; a dwindling tax base, and an (below) Cieniawski reads to a unwillingness in the community school group as part of NEA’s to support education. An initiative Read Across America. to increase school funding in the parish was recently voted down 29 by a 40 percent margin. Her priorities now? Finding funding and alternative ways to improve classroom materials. Trudi Downer: An activist at heart Downer’s experience as an educator and her dedication to improving schools won the respect PHOTOS: COURTESY OF MEMBERS

THE RIGHT WOMEN FOR THE JOB Brenda DeRamus- “Our public schools Washington can bring schools Coleman (right) deserve to be revered,” she up-to-date and make certain there gets sworn in says. “Now, more than ever, are opportunities for all students,” as a member of our communities need glue to she says. the Montgomery pull us together. Our schools Pam Baugher: Union veteran County Board of can be that and more.” and school board president Education, in 2018 Brenda DeRamus- (above). Coleman: Social justice Pam Baugher can tick off a advocate long list of positions she has held candidates seeking three seats in with education organizations, a highly divisive race about the For Brenda DeRamus- including serving as an NEA future of the district’s 30 schools. Coleman, who had 40 Representative Assembly delegate years of experience as for 17 years and as the first “A majority of governing board a teacher and adminis- president of the California members didn’t even send their trator in Alabama, Teachers Association/NEA- kids to our schools, and actually running for the Mont- Retired, a group she helped found. were trying to dismantle them. But gomery County Board of as a bridge-builder, my focus was Education came with a She also attended nearly every on moving forward. I knew our simple realization: “I was meeting of the Bakersfield City kids deserved better.” thinking about who had Board of Education for more than the right qualifications,” 30 years. She ran a lively, future-focused she recalls. “The characteris- campaign costing about $16,000, tics I was thinking about “I always joked that when I with the support of a team of sounded a lot like me. I think other retired, I should run. I had spoken volunteers—many of whom were retired educators would often find there as an individual and rep- educators. She won the most votes that is true.” resenting the union, and I often felt of any of the candidates and now She says she discovered politics I just got a smile and a nod.” serves as board vice president. was not something she particularly enjoyed, but she determined that In her first campaign, which Cieniawski and other new her genuine concern about cost about $10,000, Baugher visited reform board members were education was a good selling point. all of the district’s 41 schools, called elected on pledges to improve “I believe people wanted registered voters, worked with the schools that had suffered from someone who cared about our media, and attended community poor management and bad press. students, and I showed them that Staying true to these promises, was my priority,” she says. California retired educator Pam the new board is reversing the DeRamus-Coleman has seen Baugher first attended school previous administration’s policies progress on two issues that are board meetings as a union leader that cut staff and discontinued close to her heart: using restorative and is now board president. recognition of the district’s justice practices in schools and three unions. raising awareness about human trafficking, which tragically affects some of the district’s children. She also helped pass a recent $9-million tax increase that will go toward schools. “We have a great opportunity to move education forward with this sort of support,” she says, referring to the Biden admin- istration’s increased funding for education. “Change here and in 30 PHOTOS: COURTESY OF BRENDA COLEMAN AND PAM BAUGHER

events. Her slogan? “Your child is more than a test score.” Baugher had attended past board meetings as a union representative. So when she was elected to the board, she says, “I made it understood I would look at things through a teacher’s eyes, but put the district rst.” She now serves as the board president and is still working to undo damage from the No Child Left Behind Act. (Clockwise from top left) City commissioner Mary Moe speaks at a racial justice rally, in 2020; Moe’s o cial portrait as a state Mary Moe: Accomplished senator; and Moe at a community forum. public servant Mary Moe says retired teach- ers are uniquely quali ed to ll positions where educational policy education and the climate of Moe has a lengthy list of is made. political activism that inspired her accomplishments from her years “Teachers make especially good as a young woman. But running for working on education issues. She public servants because they o ce took other skills. played a key role in securing always have been,” says Moe, a “I never got over the aversion increases in teacher recruitment former high school and college to knocking on doors, but it’s like funding as well as $100 million for English teacher, college ad- eating spinach. You had to shut up school improvement. She also ministrator, school board member, and do it,” she says. “And raising worked to raise awareness about state senator, and current city money was surprisingly painless. low-income students who were commissioner in Great Falls, Mont. People want to feel they’re doing being unintentionally left out of Like Downer, her involvement something. Donating to good candi- co-curricular activities. grew out of her concern about dates is the best way to feel that.” But like many of these retired educators, some of Moe’s biggest concerns are the lack of support for public schools as well as Running for O ce growing privatization e orts. “ ere is support for public education, but I’m afraid that is Interested in running for school board? Here are some tips from eroding,” she says. “During my time NEA-Retired members who have run for o ce and won! in the legislature, the pressure from Dip your toes in. Some who have run suggest working on another out-of-state interest groups to di- person’s campaign rst and attending board meetings before running. vert public funds to private schools A clear message. Experts in politics always say it is important to was intense.” “stay on point” but that requires having a clear message rst. Some suggest three simple priorities. Consider your comfort. You will likely have to ask people to volunteer and seek support on the phone or door-to-door—and ask MLEOARREN To build your for money. Consider your comfort with those jobs. campaign skills, Create a team. You’ll need support beyond family members—so check out NEA’s See get a group and formalize how much they will be involved. Enthusiasm can decline. You’ll need a campaign organization with Educators Run program, responsibilities assigned to speci c people—and you’ll need to manage it or appoint someone to the task. educationvotes.nea.org/ see-educators-run/. PHOTOS: COURTESY OF MARY SHEEHY MOE 31

‘Stand Up subside, we have an opportunity dent of his local, vice president and Be to rebuild and replenish public of MEA, and as the first president Counted’ education [and] … provide every of Education Minnesota Retired. student … with the access and opportunity they deserve.” Supporting worthy causes Moss called on members to NEA-Retired also presented protect voting rights and focus on five members of NEA’s Aspiring AT THE 2021 VIRTUAL racial and social justice. “Together, Educators program with Jack we must challenge any system … Kinnaman Memorial Scholarships ANNUAL MEETING, that stands in the way of our pur- of $2,500 each. NEA-RETIRED MEMBERS suit of education justice,” she said. The winners are: Madeline WERE FIRED UP AND Candelaria spoke of the im- Burk, from University of Oregon; portance of growing membership. Will Crawford, from University of READY TO TAKE ACTION “Organizing our members is … Tennessee; Tatiana Oney, from the only way to have real political Collin College, in Texas; Hannah power,” he said. St. Clair, from the University of BY ROBIN TERRY BROWN Oregon; and Kelsey Zetzel, “Believe the un- from Butler University, believable and in Indiana. To donate to achieve the un- the Kinnaman Memorial Scholarship Fund, go to achievable!” These were the donatekinnaman.com. rousing words of NEA- NEA-Retired also raised Retired President Sarah more than $18,000 through Borgman at the 2021 NEA- a virtual auction for the NEA Retired Annual Meeting— Fund for Children and Public held virtually on June 23 Education—a PAC that sup- – 24 due to the pandemic. (Clockwise from top left) NEA-Retired President ports pro-public education Now more than ever, she Sarah Borgman, NEA President Becky Pringle, NEA said, retired educators must Secretary-Treasurer Noel Candelaria, and NEA candidates. To contribute, dig deep into their well of Vice President Princess Moss addressed delegates resilience. “NEA itself, our at the virtual NEA-Retired Annual Meeting in June. go to educationvotes.nea. org/donate. democracy, our profes- Honoring years of activism Casting ballots sion, public schools are all being Candidates vied for NEA- attacked at every turn,” Borg- On the second day of the Retired leadership positions man stated. “Today, we—NEA- meeting, Borgman presented re- including the role of secretary and Retired—are ready to meet those tired Minnesota teacher Walt Mun- seats on the Executive Council and challenges, to stand up and be sterman with the Distinguished Board of Directors. Ballots were counted.” Some 300 delegates Service Award—the organization’s submitted by mail. Check nea.org/ attended, representing the 324,315 highest honor. retired for the latest results. members of NEA-Retired. In a pre-recorded video, she Through electronic voting that Hearing from NEA leaders lauded Munsterman’s 40-plus took place live at the meeting, years of activism. In the 1970s, he delegates elected six NEA-Retired NEA President Becky Pringle, worked as a chief bargaining nego- members to the NEA Standing NEA Vice President Princess Moss, tiator in his local, and in the 1990s, Committee on Resolutions for 2021 and NEA Secretary-Treasurer Noel he facilitated the merger of the – 2022: Ginny Bosse (Wisconsin), Candelaria each addressed the Minnesota Federation of Teachers Ross Dill (Illinois), Sandra Hatley delegates. Retired and the Minnesota Educa- (North Carolina), Pat Jordan (Con- “I look to NEA-Retired as our tion Association (MEA) Retired, necticut), Sid Kardon (Michigan), greatest reminder of the tough which together became Education and Bobby J. Pierson (Alabama). battles that we have faced and Minnesota Retired. Maureen Keeney (Delaware) and won before,” Pringle said. “As the Among Munsterman’s many Karen Solheim (Georgia) will serve storm of COVID continues to union positions, he served as presi- as alternates to the committee. 32 PHOTO: VIDEO STILL

The Bulletin RenteTiawrhreocsedouolumnanndteeNtmtrsEhytbAee-rs Board Helping Union Traveling the Underground Railroad Members Get Vaccinated R etired teacher Muneerah Higgs helped make Black History Month an in-person learning experience Retired educator Pam for students at New Jersey’s Lawnside Public Kellar was able to get a School, even during remote learning. A former third- COVID-19 vaccine quickly, grade and middle school social studies teacher with a because she is 75. But passion for African American history, Higgs teamed up it was not so easy for with genealogist Shamele Jordon to make her town’s younger union members. history come alive for students. Kellar, who is president of Lawnside, known as Snow Hill before the Civil War, the Michigan Education became a stop on the Underground Railroad as well as a Muneerah Higgs Association-Retired safe haven for free Black people and runaway enslaved people. To help students Pam Kellar experience this history first-hand, Higgs and Jordon created a project called “Visualizing Your Past.” They provided students with packets of cards featuring chapter in the town of local historical figures and places. Every week, Higgs taught a virtual history Warren, spent weeks on class based on the cards, ending with a challenge to students: Take a selfie at the phone and online one of the sites or make a video or creative project about one of the topics. scheduling appointments The innovative project drew the attention of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Higgs for her fellow educators. has also been selected to write the curriculum for her state’s Amistad project, The former elementary which requires educators to teach the history of Africans and African Ameri- school teacher navigated cans in the U.S. “This is the history of America,” Higgs says. “Without it, Ameri- three hospital systems can history is incomplete and inaccurate.” and the local health department to snag Putting Books in the Hands of Children appointments for active and retired colleagues. Oregon Education Association-Retired (OEA-Retired) board member Janet “Except for my neighbors, Jackson and her Literacy Committee have distributed 18,496 books to everyone I’ve made an students across the state since 2009. Her team—which also includes appointment for has OEA-Retired members Kathryn Warrior, Matt Falby, and Sandy Grzeskowiak— been a union member,” have delivered books to schools, clinics, social service agencies, dental offices, she says. farmer’s markets, laundromats, school lunch programs, and more, reaching children in every county. They have only one rule: The sites must allow children —MEA-Retired to take the books home for keeps. PHOTOS: COURTESY OF MEMBERS After wildfires swept across parts of Oregon in summer 2020, they provided books to students who were impacted by the fires. Jackson received an envelope full of thank- you notes from a first-grade class, and a giant thank-you card from fifth and sixth graders. Jackson says: “This is the best volunteer job I’ve ever had.” Janet Jackson (left) and Kathryn Warrior distribute books at a Labor Day Union Picnic in Portland, Ore., in 2019. 33

TEACHING IN THE ERA OF Polarization F BY TIM WALKER FOR MANY EDUCATORS, THE or the rst time in his 32-year teaching STAKES ARE WAY TOO HIGH career, Kelly Keogh found himself standing TO MAINTAIN “NEUTRALITY” IN in front of his social studies class, remind- THE CLASSROOM ing students that Nazis are, in fact, not good people. But many educators still stay far away from discussing Keogh, who teaches AP government and international political topics or events, either because they fear reprisal or relations at Normal Community High School, in Illinois, was believe it to be inappropriate (or both). But today, “political” responding to former President Donald Trump’s shocking subjects could mean just about anything. comments that the neo-Nazis who marched on Charlottes- ville, Va., in August 2017, included “some very ne people.” Educators should always be mindful of overstepping Obviously, no student in Keogh’s class endorsed Trump’s boundaries by endorsing candidates or speci c party posi- comments. Keogh’s condemnation was borne out of exas- tions, says Paula McAvoy, a professor of social studies educa- peration and frustration at the toxicity of what now passes as tion at North Carolina State University. But she believes the political discourse in the country. danger posed by polarization may require teachers to have e danger, as Keogh saw it, was the normalization a more active presence and focus. of such rhetoric. He could not allow any possibility that his students would think this was just another issue up for de- “Extreme polarization can lead into an attack on our bate in our hyperpolarized political climate. democratic values,” McAvoy says. “We need to recognize that ere was no “both sides” to the Charlottesville protests, it’s undermining our democracy, and that’s not something nor was there any legitimate defense for the insurrection at that schools can or should ignore.” the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. CONSUMED BY RHETORIC Until 2016, Keogh held back on expressing his opinions about politicians’ statements. But he shed some of his neu- Christine Nold, a sixth-grade social studies teacher at trality when the rhetoric began to obliterate any standards Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School, in South Burlington, Vt., of civility, decency, and established fact. believes that avoiding political issues in her classroom would “I struggled with it at rst, but I began to take more of a be an abdication of her responsibility. stand. As an educator and presumably a role model, I couldn’t let this stu go by without comment,” he recalls. “We can’t deny the experiences so many of our students are having in their lives.” she says. “ is idea of avoiding what is political means that there is nothing to be done in a class- room. It’s on us to provide the space to discuss these issues.” Duane Moore agrees. A government teacher at Hamilton High School, in Ohio, Moore is appalled that in many districts, educators are not allowed to bring up certain topics in class. “I nd that absolutely heretical, because our job is to study that which happens outside the classroom, bring it in the classroom, o er content, and help make sense of it so our 34

Social studies teacher Kelly Keogh says critical thinking in the classroom is more important than ever. students know what is going on when they go back out into It can be daunting to address and navigate around the the social world.” toxicity of the public discourse, no question about it. “Stu- dents are consumed by the politics of the moment and the Nold was thinking about this responsibility as she overheated rhetoric,” Moore says. watched rioters overrun the U.S. Capitol Building—some armed with stun guns, pepper spray, and baseball bats. Clearly, today’s politics are plagued by extreme or “a ec- Horri ed by what she saw, she tweeted, “Each person knock- tive polarization”—the tendency to view those in another ing down those doors once sat in a classroom.” political party as not only wrong or misinformed, but mali- cious, distrustful, in short, the enemy. e comment immediately sparked a ood of responses. Some accused Nold of blaming educators and public “I tell my kids all the time that we are going to have to schools for political extremism. start talking to each other if we have any hope of getting out of any of these messes we are in,” Moore explains. “Whether Nold was actually calling out what she saw as a missed or not I’m staying neutral or playing it safe as an educator is opportunity. She believes our educational system can do not going to help.” more to prepare students to become citizens: Where is the MODELING PROCESS NOT OPINIONS focus on critical thinking skills? Do we need to change how we teach civics? Are we pushing too much “neutrality” on Moore teaches African American history, in addition teachers, even when misinformation, animosity, and even to government, and approaches many issues from a social racism pollutes classrooms? justice perspective. “ e [students] know generally where I stand,” Moore says. “I have a degree of comfort and openness “We can’t deny the experiences so many of that I bring to the conversation. at helps to develop a rap- our students are having in their lives. This port with students.” idea of avoiding what is political means that there is nothing to be done in a classroom. He adds that it’s key to always having a defensible posi- It’s on us to provide the space to discuss tion, which he insists is not the same as persuading students these issues.” to subscribe to a particular ideology. CHRISTINE NOLD, SIXTH GRADE TEACHER, VERMONT When you present a well-reasoned, evidence-based point of view that skews one way or another, Moore believes you are showcasing how to source information. “I’m modeling the process, not the facts,” he says. “I’m highlighting media literacy, reliable sources, coming to an issue and understanding its complexity and nuance.” PHOTO: JON MUZZARELLI 35

TEACHING IN THE ERA OF POLARIZATION “Students generally MORE DELIBERATION, LESS DEBATE? know where I stand,” says Ultimately, for these educators, the goal is to deliber- government teacher Duane Moore. ate over an issue, not merely to debate it. Deliberation- based classroom strategies, says McAvoy, can be more e ective in moderating a ective polarization. Debate can be healthy and stimulating, especially when facilitated by experienced and rst-rate teachers. If necessary, Moore But debates can go wrong, McAvoy says. will put his nger on the “Student engagement is good, hurt feelings and anger scales to bring balance to are not,” she adds. a classroom discussion. “I think we should turn our classroom into places where we can collectively explore how to live together, BOUNDARIES AND versus let’s all gure out our views, hold them, defend GROUND RULES them,” she explains. “Deliberation is a di erent type of Educators don’t have discussion. Deliberation is about trying to come to a to be experts on every is- common understanding rather than winning.” sue, but Keogh agrees that Such a shift doesn’t necessarily make the classroom teachers need to do their any less challenging. is is why teachers, colleges, homework, too. “ ere’s districts, and school leaders have to prioritize profes- been this downplaying of sional development and, perhaps more important, have content knowledge to quite some detriment,” he says. the trust and con dence in educators to be the professionals “So preparation on the part of the teacher is critical. Know they are. what you are talking about all the time. You can’t just let By helping teachers get comfortable with bringing politics students go forward without you having that solid foundation into the classroom, Nold says, schools can play an important of knowledge.” role in lowering the country’s political temperature. When students deliberate over an issue in his classroom, “What’s so great about public schools is that they bring Keogh will have students present arguments to the class that so many students together with various perspectives, so it’s they don’t agree with and help them nd dependable sources a real opportunity to help them develop a more humanizing of information. approach to viewing the world—and not have them leave my Outside the classroom, the students probably haven’t classroom and fall prey to radicalization,” she says. “If we help been exposed to many competing viewpoints—except for them explore these issues responsibly, I think we will see less those that have been demonized through the lens of their people go down that path.” favorite news sources (or their parents for that matter). “Students want to do well, so they’ll do a good job arguing a position they personally may nd otherwise MLEOARREN Want to explore ways to teach controversial unacceptable,” Keogh says. issues, evaluate online information, and He is careful to establish and enforce ground rules around any personal attacks and cut o argu- strengthen and refocus history and civics instruction? ments based on false information or biased and racist stereotypes. These online resources o er a wealth of free resources. Nold also structures discussions with her sixth graders Stanford University: Civic Online Reasoning carefully. Her classes focuses on media literacy and cor.stanford.edu reliable sources without the potential pitfalls of a debate, which could lead to hurtful or dehumanizing comments. “I make it clear that the lines people cross outside my Brown University: The Choices Program classroom in discussing an issue, such as immigration, are not acceptable inside my classroom,” she says. “I will choices.edu not hesitate to point out to my students the harm that is CivXNow civxnow.org done by certain language and the harm that is done by NewseumEd repeating it.” Without these and other guardrails, Nold believes newseumed.org/medialiteracy an educator can’t create the space needed to have constructive, humanizing conversations about any topic. Tufts University: Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) circle.tufts.edu 36 PHOTO: COURTESY OF DUANE MOORE

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NOOLITKHEERA BACK TO SCHOOL AS STUDENTS NATIONWIDE RETURN TO THE CLASSROOM, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING WILL HELP STUDENTS—AND EDUCATORS—MOVE FORWARD BY CINDY LONG Paraeducator Ashanti Rankin is worried. How will his students, his children, and his fellow educators cope with post-pandemic stress? 38 PHOTO CREDIT:

This year, back to school is anything but “back to CDC Report on Teachers’ normal.” As we return to our classrooms in the Mental Health* wake of the pandemic, many are wondering if school will ever be the same again. But when it 27% 37% comes to social and emotional learning (SEL), OF TEACHERS OF TEACHERS that’s actually a good thing. SELF-REPORTED SELF-REPORTED Trauma is an effective teacher. It taught us what matters SYMPTOMS SYMPTOMS most: connection before curriculum; emotions over assess- CONSISTENT CONSISTENT WITH ments; well-being over workload. These aren’t new lessons, WITH CLINICAL but the global pandemic reminded us what research has long DEPRESSION. GENERALIZED shown: SEL is inextricably tied to academic success. ANXIETY. When many schools reopened to in-person or hybrid 53% 19% learning during the last school year, it was clear to educators OF TEACHERS ARE OF TEACHERS that mental health had to be addressed before anything else. THINKING ABOUT STARTED OR That hasn’t changed. INCREASED ALCOHOL LEAVING THE USE TO DEAL WITH “Students can’t learn when they’re stressed,” says NEA PROFESSION— STRESS DURING THE President Becky Pringle. “School mental health profession- THAT’S MORE PANDEMIC. als and all educators have to listen to them, talk to them, THAN BEFORE THE and understand how they are experiencing this world in this *REPORT RELEASED IN MAY 2021. moment, which is different from our experiences. Educators PANDEMIC. have to work together to address stress and trauma before we can get to a place to learn.” cases start to rise again, are we going to have to go back to virtual? Will I catch COVID?” With school counselors facing overwhelming caseloads and a skyrocketing number of students in need, some schools A’yonna also admits that she wasn’t as focused as she are recognizing the power of SEL and providing mental should have been during the last school year, and she missed health supports far beyond the counselor’s office. a lot of assignments. She started feeling pressured to the point of thinking about dropping out. NEA Today spoke with educators at Lakeside Middle School in Millville, N.J., who have embraced this holistic “But I won’t do that,” she says. “I’ve learned to focus on approach. Here they share their tips for smoothing students’ one subject at a time and not let it all pile up on myself.” return to school this fall. ‘If trauma is the problem, empathy is the cure’ High anxiety For help, A’yonna turned to paraprofessional Ashanti A’yonna Costing, a rising ninth grader at the school, had a Rankin, who works with Lakeside students on behavioral and emotional skills. Rankin has always taken a holistic approach hard time with hybrid learning. “It was challenging for every- to working with students by meeting them where they are; one, even our teachers,” she says. “Going back full-time will checking in on their emotions; and helping them manage dif- be a great opportunity for everyone because we will be more ficult feelings. Over time, he says, the students begin to trust focused on schooling and how we were before COVID-19.” that you do want to build a relationship, and they feel more comfortable working on solutions to deal with problems. Still, she wonders, “How are we going to maintain social distance with everyone in the school building together? If “These are kids, humans,” he says, adding that the most important thing for humans is connection. “Executive skills Tip #1:Ask what students missed and empathy go hand in hand.” Students develop part of their identities by participating There have always been students at Lakeside who are in the social aspects of school. Band or choir perfor- dealing with trauma, but during the pandemic, the district mances, plays, sports, and the ritual of the prom offer recognized these stressors in new ways. Schools gave stu- connections. What students choose to participate in is dents more leniency for assignments and other classwork if part of who they are. Ask students to talk about what they were struggling with traumas related to COVID-19. And they missed. Is there something that can be done to students were encouraged to talk about their trauma so they make up for it? Encourage them to brainstorm ideas for didn’t have to carry the burden alone. a “post-pandemic prom,” a students-against-educators sporting event, or a back-to-school concert. 39 PHOTO OPPOSITE PAGE: JEN POTTHEISER

A BACK TO SCHOOL Tip #2: Engage and acknowledge LIKE NO OTHER identity and oppression “The empathy that’s been shown and the grace in allow- Grief, identity, race, and trauma have all been ing the students to bring their trauma—to simply talk about brewing in the same stew. To keep students it—has made a huge difference. If trauma is the problem, from reaching a boiling point, New Jersey empathy is the cure,” Rankin says. paraprofessional Ashanti Rankin recommends the framework of Gholdy Muhammad, author This year, Rankin expects that the biggest emotional issue of Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for facing students will be grief. Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy. “There’s grief not just for their family members dealing with “She starts with developing identity. If you don’t COVID [and] the traumas of the racial reckoning, but also grief know who you are, if you don’t have a strong sense of about the expectations of what students wanted to do in their self, you’ll have troubles in school and in life,” Rankin yesterdays,” he says. “They feel like they’ve been robbed of these says. If we start with her framework and look at the memories of what should have been, and we need to acknowl- whole child, we can make gains in SEL and academics edge it, let them express it, and show some more grace.” simultaneously. We need to connect Muhammad’s Framework: Jaclyn Eppright, a counseling social worker at Lakeside, • Identity Development: Helping youth to says many students have requested to meet with her more often. And those are the students she knows about. She make sense of who they are and others suspects there are more who have yet to ask for help. During • Literacy Skill Development: Developing virtual learning, some students experienced trauma at home, such as abuse, domestic violence, and the impacts of poverty. proficiencies across the content areas • Intellectual Development: Gaining “It will be imperative for schools to take the time to really look at ways to support students,” she says. “That means SEL knowledge through literacy practices incorporated within the classrooms, less academic pressure, • Criticality: Developing the ability to read and more counseling support. I know the foundation of a school is to provide education, but we have to remember that texts (including print and social contexts) to understand power, equity, and anti-oppression • Joy! Helping youth to see the joy in themselves and others Tip #3: Relationships, academics take a back seat to safety. When our students feel relationships, relationships! safe they’re able to learn.” “Relationships are the At a recent conference, she took to heart the words of a agent for change, and the speaker who suggested using the term “physical distance” most powerful therapy is rather than social distance, because, more than ever, we need human love.” to stay connected socially. —Dr. Bruce D. Perry, author “I think we need to really consider the social-emotional aspect of this pandemic for all ages,” Eppright says. “For Counseling social younger students, this way of school is all they know, and for worker Jaclyn high schoolers, they’ve missed out on major events that sup- Eppright says this port them socially, like sports and prom. We have to recog- quote drives her work nize and empathize that this is a loss for our students on so with students. many levels, not just academically.” Family ties “My number one tip to any educator is to Rankin has seen grief and anxiety affecting his own chil- build a positive relation- dren, too. He could tell his stepson Isayah was stressed when ship with your students,” he started sleeping more, and stopped talking with his friends she says. “Take a few or even playing with the family dog. extra minutes to get to know your kids and their “When he’s stressed, he’s silent,” Rankin says. interests.” Isayah, who is entering his senior year, says he felt emo- tionally drained. During the last school year, he wanted to 40 keep up, but there was so much work, and his teachers didn’t always respond to his needs. “First semester all of my teachers would text me back and have some kind of relationship with me, but second semester, PHOTO: JEN POTTHEISER

In Her Words community resources to many other educators, you did do something work with our schools. this doesn’t come easily right today. SHANIQUA WILLIAMS, to me, so I try to keep COUNSELOR AT ‘They are not behind’ learning. One terrific re- We often go through JAMES WOOD source is the book Trauma the day in a blur, but I tell MIDDLE SCHOOL, IN As a sixth-grade coun- Stewardship: An Everyday my colleagues to take WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA selor, I worry about my Guide to Caring for Self stock of what they ac- kiddos who didn’t have a While Caring for Others complished. Know There is a huge up- chance to build relation- by Laura van Dernoot that the day wasn’t a total tick in mental health ships with their teachers Lipsky and Connie Burk. wash and someone is concerns. We’ve in elementary school I read it in a book club at looking forward to seeing seen it in online searches: and now have to adjust work, and I’d recommend them tomorrow. End on “I’m depressed,” or “How to middle school. That’s it for all educators. that positive note. do you tell your mom always a hard transition, you’re gay?,” or even, “I but it will be extremely ‘You did do something Like the day a boy want to kill myself.” We try stressful this year. right today’ walked up to me, gave to provide the necessary me a fist bump, and just support in the guidance For some students, I also partipated in started talking about his o ce, but there are not the last time they were in one of NEA’s professional math test. He wanted enough outpatient facili- a school building was in learning courses on SEL. I to share with me. And I ties. One student said the fourth grade. It’s impor- picked up a lot of helpful was so glad to be able to waiting list is three to four tant that we all work tips, but one lesson has celebrate with him. That months long. together to make them really stuck with me: No day, I finished well. understand they are not matter how your day Kids are coming into behind—there are just starts, choose to finish I try to remind myself the guidance o ce much some things they haven’t well. I always tell myself, and my colleagues, there more often. That helps learned yet. will always be a smile in us build relationships the day, just look for it. with them, but we’re not supposed to provide ‘We [must] work MLEOARREN Check out the NEA courses “SEL: long-term care for the through our own Self-Awareness” and “SEL: Self- serious issues we’re see- trauma first’ Management” at nea.org/SEL. ing, such as depression or self-harm. We need more We all want to be Find creative ways to include SEL in your there for our students, lessons in “Teaching and Learning” (Page 28). but we can’t do that un- less we work through our own trauma first. Like for PHOTO: LUIS GOMEZ 41

A BACK TO SCHOOL LIKE NO OTHER Tip #4: everyone connected to the Culture and competence coach Gina Harris gathers in a ‘Restorative school—to sit in a circle,” restorative circle with students at Percy Julian Middle School, circles’ support she explains. “We pass in Oak Park, Ill., in 2019. educator around a speaking stick and See more of NEA Today’s interview with Gina Harris at mental health give everyone an opportu- nea.org/SEL. nity to share. Parents hear Gina Harris is a culture about kids’ and teachers’ and competence experiences; educators coach in Oak Park, hear about the challenges Ill. Her whole day is focused of administrators—and how on addressing the social the [administrators] would and emotional needs of like help solving them.” students and educators. One of her strategies is Harris says these ‘restor- to gather members of the ative circles’ help build and school community in a repair relationships through monthly dialogue event equal opportunity sharing called “Coming Together.” and listening. “We invite everyone— Students need oppor- administrators, students, tunities for connection, too, parents, family members, Harris adds. teachers, ESPs, and “I encourage teachers to set time throughout the day for pausing points, where everyone can stop, breathe, and acknowledge what ev- eryone is feeling,” she says. “You’d be amazed what one minute of breathing can do.” some didn’t really talk to me,” he says. “In some classes, they will we still receive free meals, have access to technology, and pushed out so much work because we needed to get to all be kept safe from COVID? ey’ll need extra reassurance the topics for the exams, and I didn’t really understand all of and resources to help them cope,” Varner says. “ ey’ll need it. I’m worried about the upcoming year, because I was barely a caring adult to explain things to them and be a calming understanding some of the earlier material.” presence; to let them know that change can be OK and show It’s likely that Isayah’s teachers were as emotionally them how to deal with it.” drained as he was. Burnout is at an all-time high, and just as If one of her students is having a stressful day, Varner tries we are asking educators to give grace to their students, “we to sit and talk with the student for a few minutes. Sometimes need to give grace to [the educators], too,” Eppright says. just being able to process things is enough to help students “ e profession is challenging enough and now the move past that block and get their focus back, she says. demands put on us are unbelievable,” she says. “Just like kids, “Sometimes, the only positive interaction a student has if we don’t feel safe in the environment we work in, we’ll be in during the day is with a sta member at school,” Varner ght or ight mode and won’t produce our best work.” explains. “Showing that student that you care and know that they can succeed can completely change the way the student Self-care still works reacts to you, others, and even themselves.” Many educators say tending to their self-care is like following instructions for airplane oxygen masks. Put on your own mask rst before helping others, because if you MLEOARREN Looking for more SEL strategies run out of oxygen, you won’t be able to help anyone. and resources for managing stress? Interested in advocating for mental Likewise, if you’re stressed you won’t be able to ease health supports for public schools? the stress of your students, says Lakeside social studies teacher Hannah Varner. And this year, there will de nitely Or want to know more about community schools— be a lot of stress. which o er mental health services for students “ ere will continue to be uncertainty among our and families. Go to nea.org/SEL. students, especially for those living in poverty. ey worry, 42 PHOTO: ALEX ROGALS/WEDNESDAY JOURNAL OF OAK PARK & RIVER FOREST

The state they’ve only gotten worse Lauren Baker elementary level, I’ve had legislative during the pandemic. kids being treated in resi- battle for school Finally, through the advo- preventive services. New dential facilities. I didn’t see counselors cacy of NEA members and mental health bills also that when I first started.” parents, some legislators have been filed this year In Tennessee, elementary are getting the message. in Washington and New Kanagawa also has schools aren’t required Jersey. seen an increase in the to have counselors. In Michigan, for ex- number of middle school The other day, counselor ample, psychologist and “I’m cautiously opti- students she refers for Lauren Baker was talking state Rep. Felicia Brabec mistic,” Baker says. Mental crisis screenings, as well to a colleague who serves sponsored legislation health support for children as those who require hos- three elementary schools this year to require one costs money, and only a pitalization. There is more alone, spending a few counselor for every 450 handful of states spend homelessness, too, she hours here, a few hours students. Currently, Michi- less per student than Ten- notes. When her school re- there. It reminded Baker gan’s student-to-counselor nessee, she acknowledges. turned to in-person educa- of her early career days in ratio is 671-to-1, the sec- tion during the last school East Tennessee, working ond worst in the nation, The need for more year, the students all took with 900 students alone. behind Arizona. investment mental health screenings, triggering interventions. Today, Baker shares Last year, it was 760- While increasing her 800 elementary to-1, but Michigan Middle mental health care requires “How do counselors students in the suburbs of money, not doing anything with 750 children identify Memphis with another full- Betsy Kanagawa can cost more in terms of those supports, make those time counselor. That’s a students’ health and well- contacts, and make those comparatively better ratio, School Counselor of the being. “The level of anxiety interventions? It’s an over- and yet she knows she Year Betsy Kanagawa I’m seeing … it’s clinical whelming task,” she says. could provide more inten- notes that the better ratio anxiety and depression, sive mental health support likely is a side effect of the and it’s dramatically differ- “We’re just not spend- to students and families if pandemic, and not neces- ent,” says Baker, who is in ing our [state] money in a she had only 200 or 300 sarily a good thing. her 16th year as a school way that shows our sup- students. counselor. “Even at the port [for these children],” “It’s only lower now she says. “I hope this Many Tennessee leg- because we have so many passes. The problem is, islators agree. This spring, students in Michigan it probably won’t if they a bill that would lower that we can’t find!” says can’t figure out a way to the student-to-school Kanagawa, who has 440 pay for it.” counselor ratio to 1-to-250, student assigned to her which is the American this year—the highest —MARY ELLEN FLANNERY School Counselor As- number in her 10-year sociation’s recommended counseling career. The American Rescue Plan Can ratio, passed in the state’s Support Mental Health House of Representatives State lawmakers are but stalled in the Senate. listening, student advo- After hearing from millions of educators nationwide, cates hope. Last year, in Congress passed President Joe Biden’s American “This is absolutely, Virginia, state lawmakers Rescue Plan (ARP) last spring. The $1.9-trillion stimulus 100 percent the way to mandated a 375-to-1 ratio package will provide critical funding for public schools. go,” says Baker. “Every in elementary schools; counselor I’ve talked to, 325-to-1 in middle schools; “This historic legislation provides the resources to not one of them needs and 300-to-1 in high help every school put in place the effective measures another program. They schools, where counselors needed to keep students and educators safe,” says need more help.” also provide career and NEA President Becky Pringle. “It also makes extraor- college readiness services. dinary investments that will lift countless children and Can lawmakers help? families out of poverty and works to address the im- In California, lawmak- mense inequities that have systematically affected the Children’s mental ers set aside $75 million most vulnerable students and communities of color.” health needs have been in new grant money for growing for decades—and Last June, the Department of Education posted state plans for how ARP funding will be spent, which in- cludes hiring more school counselors and making sure every student has the social, emotional, and mental health support they need to create a strong foundation for academic success. Track your state at bit.ly/arpfunding. PHOTOS: COURTESY OF MEMBERS 43

FINDING THE STUDENTS OF THE PANDEMIC EDUCATORS HAVE GONE ABOVE AND BEYOND TO LOCATE MISSING STUDENTS, AND THEIR WORK IS NOT DONE MBY AMANDA LITVINOV school building had opened for in-person learning for all arch 2020 was a terrifying time for educa- students, with a virtual option—which about 40 percent of tors, students, and their families, as the pan- families selected. MacIndoe had roughly 100 students in his demic emerged and state leaders made the classes, but he still couldn’t locate 7 of them. difficult decision to close school buildings. After switching to remote classes, many “I could never get a hold of any of those students or educators were hit with another terrible reality: They could their parents,” he says. “I had students on my roster that not find some of their students. I never saw.” “It was really disappointing, because we had posi- The number of students missing from his classroom by tive relationships with those students, and then they just spring 2021 was about half of what it was the year before, but disappeared,” says James MacIndoe, who teaches English at MacIndoe was deeply concerned for those few who were still Standley Lake Senior High School, in Westminster, Colo. At completely disengaged from their education. the worst point, roughly 15 percent of his students had gone missing. According to the Bellwether research, missing students are primarily from marginalized groups that often face bar- Countless educators like MacIndoe have worked to locate riers to their education, including students in foster care, students who fell off the grid during the COVID-19 crisis. homeless students, English language learners, students Precise data is hard to come by, but research by Bellwether with disabilities, and students who are the children of Education Partners estimates that as many as 3 million stu- migrant workers. dents disappeared between March and October 2020. When schools reached out to students and their families—by phone, That tracks with the students MacIndoe lost. by email, and by snail mail—they never heard back. “These families are facing so much stress they can’t pro- vide the framework for these kids’ virtual learning,” he says. Although most school buildings have reopened in full or “For some of these kids, they are not in a good place in terms in part, the search for students is not over. of their mental health and can’t sit in front of a computer five STUDENTS UNSEEN hours a day.” One of his students is in a particularly difficult situation. Jefferson County Public Schools, where MacIndoe teach- “She takes care of several younger children, and her mom has es, started the 2020 – 2021 school year with remote learning, health problems,” MacIndoe says. “Normally, school would and then went hybrid in mid-November. By spring 2021, the be her place to get away from those problems for a while, but 44

“We had positive relationships James MacIndoe worked alongside counselors and assistant with those students, and then principals to contact missing children. they just disappeared. … I had students on my roster that during the pandemic she has basically become a caretaker I never saw. ” for her family.” HERE TO HELP —JAMES MACINDOE, HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER, COLORADO The Robla School District, in Sacramento, spans five schools and serves grades pre-K–8. The families they serve are PHOTOS: DOUG GRITZMACHER low-income, and many students are English learners. When schools went virtual in March 2020, absenteeism was high, says Laurie Butler, a social worker in the district for 22 years. “We knew right away that we had to get to families and let them know we are here to help,” Butler says. She met with her team, and quickly developed Student Find, a districtwide program to locate and assist families. They determined protocols for making home visits safely, equipping staff with masks, face shields, and gloves. They got the word out to teachers that they should alert the Student Find team if a student was chronically absent from class. By early May, Butler and her colleagues were knocking on doors offering tech assistance, hot spots, advice on setting up children’s at-home learning, and connections to social service agencies. Elisa Olmo, another district social worker, teamed up with Butler to go door-to-door to help families. “This was very individualized work with each family,” Olmo says. One family needed help getting on a waitlist for perma- nent housing after experiencing homelessness; others needed a Spanish-speaking contact, she says. 45

FINDING THE LOST STUDENTS OF THE PANDEMIC “A lot of students were home Laurie Butler (left) and Elisa Olmo made home visits to find alone, or an older sibling was in out how they could support students and families during charge because their parents have virtual learning. to work,” Butler adds. “You can’t tell a parent don’t work.” community groups that want to help make sure that students don’t fall behind.” Instead, Robla partnered with a local non-pro t, the Rob- Both during the pandemic and moving forward, she erts Family Development Center, adds, it is essential that there are sta able to go meet families to open a learning hub where where they are. students could go four days a week for supervised online learn- ing in a safe environment, with health protocols in place. e program provided transportation, breakfast, lunch, and an after- noon snack. Butler calls the hub “a life- saver” for many of her students. e hub was still operating after Robla entered a tran- sitional phase in the spring, o ering two days of in-person learning per week. “Our families have been so appreciative that we’ve had real solutions to bring to their doorstep,” Butler says. “It takes a lot of sta power to do home visits, but just look at how successful we can be,” Olmo says. “It’s a team e ort between teachers, principals, social workers, and the How can educators and districts help support students and families? Chronic absentee- • Establishing communi- • When speaking with • Having a dedicated ism—missing 10 cation with families and families, ask how they sta member to act percent or more helping parents and are doing before asking as a family liaison can of school—is not a new guardians find solu- why the child has been make a big di erence. problem. Even before tions is key to keeping missing school, re- These sta mem- the pandemic, one in six kids in school, whether commends Colorado bers support positive students was considered virtually or in-person. teacher James relationships between chronically absent across MacIndoe. schools and families the nation, and the prob- • Investing in sta is and can make home lem is most pronounced critical. Smaller class visits when families among students who live sizes allow for more need support. in poverty. one-on-one inter- action and more time MLEOARREN Even as schools re- for educators to estab- open for in-person learn- lish relationships with NEA locals can advocate to use federal ing and families stabilize, students and families. pandemic relief money to add sta for schools can carry forward family outreach. For more information, see many of the important nea.org/ESSERadvocacy. lessons learned during the pandemic, such as: 46 PHOTO: CNN