Fall 2020 ATPE News

ATPE News Portrait of a Pandemic: TEXAS EDUCATORS PREPARE FOR THE UNKNOWN IN 2020-21

FALL 2020 | ATPE.ORG

PAGE 22

he limits on 11 10 Tyour freedom of speech

T eaching students to be engaged citizens

perspectives 20 Sonhifting racial injustice, trauma, and students

During a critical time for our state, your vote will determine who is in your corner during the next legislative session.

Voter turnout increased by 18% in the 2018 election, and thousands of those new voters were educators. Pro-public education candidates were victorious, reshaping the outcome of the 2019 legislative session. Lawmakers passed a major school finance reform bill; increased funding for the Teacher Retirement System, allowing for retirees to receive a 13th check; and provided significant pay raises for many teachers.

The candidates you choose will have tremendous influence over school funding, state assessments, teacher pay, school safety, and countless other issues—issues that are now more significant due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on public schools and our economy.

You have devoted your career to making the world a better place for your students. Increase your impact and amplify your voice with your vote.

November General Election

Voter Registration Deadline

First Day of Early Voting

Last Day of Early Voting

General Election Day

Visit TeachtheVote.org for the latest legislative updates and voting information.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

ATPE News

The official publication of the Association of Texas Professional Educators

State Officers

Jimmy Lee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . President, Paris (8) Karen Hames. . . . . Vice President, Lewisville (11) Stacey Ward. . . . . . . . . . . . Secretary, Humble (4) Jayne Serna. . . . . . . . . . . . . Treasurer, Leander (13) Tonja Gray. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Past President, Abilene (14)

I

Board of Directors

MaElena Ingram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . McAllen (1) Barbara Ruiz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Corpus Christi (2) Cathy Stolle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Karnes City (3) Eli Rodriguez . . . . . . . . . . . Cypress-Fairbanks (4) Susan Harrell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Newton (5) Gidget Belinoski-Bailey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Willis (6) Kim Dolese. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Northeast Texas (7) Shelia Slider. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . North Lamar (8) Patti Gibbs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nocona (9) Wanda Bailey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mesquite (10) Teri Naya. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Birdville (11) Ron Walcik. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Killeen (12) Christie Smith. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pflugerville (13) Leslie Ward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Merkel (14) Darlene Kelly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ballinger (15) Shane Whitten. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amarillo (16) Allyson Haveman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lubbock (17) Gail Adlesperger. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Big Spring (18) Michael Slaight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Clint (19) Yvette Milner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Northside (20)

ATPE News Staff

Sarah Gray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Editor John Kilpper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Art Director Michael Spurlin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Associate Editor Jennifer Tuten. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Digital Editor Jesús Chávez. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Contributing Editor Dillon Nelson. . . . . . . . . . . Contributing Designer Kate Johanns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Editorial Director ATPE News contains legislative advertising contracted for by Shannon Holmes, Executive Director, Association of Texas Professional Educators, 305 E. Huntland Dr., Ste. 300, Austin, TX 78752-3792, representing ATPE. ATPE News (ISSN 0279-6260) is published quarterly in fall, winter, spring, and summer. Subscription rates: for members of the association, $3.32 per year (included in membership dues); non-members, $10 per year. Extra copies $1.25 each. Published by the Association of Texas Professional Educators, 305 E. Huntland Drive, Suite 300, Austin, TX 78752-3792. Periodical postage paid at Austin, Texas, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ATPE News, 305 E. Huntland Dr., #300, Austin, TX 78752-3792. Advertising rates may be obtained by sending a written request to the above address.

Opinions expressed in this publication represent the attitude of the contributor whose name appears with the article and are not necessarily the official policy of ATPE. ATPE reserves the right to refuse advertising contrary to its purpose.

Copyright 2020 in USA by the Association of Texas Professional Educators

want to start by giving a heartfelt thank-you to all Texas educators for everything you have done over the past six months.

Many of you went from teaching students in the classroom to teaching online in less than a week. Your willingness and desire to continue educating your students, regardless of the situation, is incredible. I want you to know you are appreciated.

Over the past 40 years, ATPE members from all over the state have stood hand in hand and fought together for public education and what is best for educators and students. Together we have accomplished many goals, and I’m looking forward to working hand in hand with you again in the coming year as we continue this rich tradition.

Even though we don’t know exactly where we’re headed in the coming school year, as districts scramble to make plans and we’re left with more questions than answers, there are two things I know for a fact. First, Texas educators are ready and willing to take on any challenges they face. Second, ATPE will be here to support you as you sail through uncharted waters.

As educators, no matter how high the bar has been set, we have always found a way to get over that bar—and we will continue to do so. As the saying goes, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” We need to encourage one another, support one another, and lean on one another as we travel this road together. No one said it would be easy, but remember this: You are an educator. You were born to make a difference.

Thank you for what you do, for you who are, and for what you represent. Together, we can do this.

Jimmy Lee ATPE State President

ISSN ©ATPE 2020 0279-6260 USPS 578-050 305 E. Huntland Dr., Ste. 300 Austin, TX 78752-3792 (800) 777-ATPE (2873) atpe.org | atpe@atpe.org

ATPE NEWS 3

Contents ATPE NEWS | Fall 2020, Volume 41, Number 1

FEATURES

22

On the Cover

Portrait of a Pandemic

As the 2020-21 school year approaches, Texas public school educators prepare for the unknown.

11

The Act of Being a Citizen

Learn how civics education stakeholders in Texas are working to ensure students become participatory citizens.

20

Broken Heart: Addressing Systemic Racism in a TraumaInformed Resilient Classroom

ATPE member Scoie Green, a professional communications educator, explains how her colleagues can examine the trauma of racial injustice and its effects on students and their school experiences.

4 ATPE NEWS

SPECIAL SECTIONS 30 2020 ATPE Summit

Members convened virtually July 6–10 to learn, lead, and celebrate with fellow educators during the 2020 ATPE Summit.

Catch up on all the highlights.

34 Meet Your 2020-21 ATPE Leaders

Know the ATPE state and region officers for the year ahead.

© iStock.com/SDI Productions; Virtual Photo Booth images provided through The SnapBar; Plant illustration by Dillon Nelson; Bentley photo courtesy of Miguel Renteria

30

Texas educators have worked hard to stay connected with students and parents during the pandemic. Amarillo ISD teacher Miguel Renteria delivered books to his first graders, including Bentley.

Each student received nine books in a personalized bag.

EVERYTHING ELSE 6 Calendar 8 Regional Roundup 10 Your Ally

Understand the limits on freedom of expression for public school employees in our latest legal column.

14 Your Voice

During a time when government officials at all levels need to find solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic, the power of the educator vote is all the more important.

16 PAC Honor Roll

18 A Lesson in Modeling Authenticity

ATPE member Morgan Castillo, a fifth grade science teacher and 2020 H-E-B Excellence in Education Award recipient, speaks about the importance of authenticity, passion, and daring to try new things.

36 Your ATPE

Learn about a new degree program available to members | Recruit members and earn money | Save on school supplies | Earn and track CPE credits on ATPE’s Professional Learning Portal

THE ATPE VISION The Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE) supports the state’s largest community of educators who are dedicated to elevating public education in Texas.

BRAIN BREAK:

Indoor Plants for Any Classroom 43

THE ATPE MISSION ATPE advocates for educators and delivers affordable, high-quality products and services that give members the peace of mind needed to inspire student success.

ATPE NEWS 5

CALENDAR

September 7

11–13

17

17–18 30

5

9

13

31

19–23 23

24

30

State office closed for Labor Day

8–11

State Board of Education meeting

ATPE Board of Directors meeting

Constitution Day

TRS Board of Directors meeting

Last day to join ATPE or renew to avoid 30-day wait for employment rights defense insurance to be effective*

October

National School Bus Safety Week

Last day for ballotby-mail applications to be received

Fall ATPE committee meetings

First day of early voting

Deadline for first-time professional members to join ATPE and be entered to win a $500 Classroom Makeover Giveaway; One New = $10 for You submissions due

Last day of early voting

November 1

Daylight saving time ends

3

Election Day

13–15 17–20 25–27 ATPE Board of Directors meeting

State Board of Education meeting

State office closed for Thanksgiving break

*Eligibility, terms, conditions, and limitations apply. Visit atpe.org/protection to view important disclosures and complete details of the insurance policy. Staff attorney services are provided separate from the Educators Professional Liability Insurance Program.

6 ATPE NEWS

©iStock.com/alancrosthwaite; ©iStock.com/MicroStockHub; ©iStock.com/monkeybusinessimages; ©iStock.com/adamkaz

State Board for Educator Certification meeting

Last day to register to vote

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REGIONAL ROUNDUP

Kansas

T

here are more than a thousand school districts in Texas and each one has success stories. Regional Roundup highlights some of the achievements happening in our public schools.

When something special happens in your school district, let us know! Send news to comm@atpe.org.

Oklahoma

KELLER

5

6

2

McKINNEY

PLANO

1

3

FREDERICKSBURG AUSTIN

4 HARDIN

Gulf of Mexic

8 ATPE NEWS

From Across the State 1 Food Pantry Donation

When the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in March, the senior class at Fredericksburg High School decided to donate money raised for a planned trip to Six Flags Fiesta Texas to charity instead. After considering several charities, the students decided to donate to the Fredericksburg Food Pantry due to increased need caused by the pandemic. Students presented the charity with a check for $10,850. The seniors hope their donation will inspire future classes to give back to the community.

Arkansas

fisd.org

2 Meditation, Not Detention

© Photos courtesy of Fredericksburg ISD, Austin ISD, Hardin ISD, Keller ISD, and Plano ISD; McKinney photo courtesy of iStock.

co

HEADLI N ES

McKinney ISD’s Disciplinary Alternative Education Program has swapped detention for a program of mindfulness and meditation. Counselor Carrie Dewey brought the idea to the school after speaking with a friend who shared his experiences with a meditation practice while serving a prison sentence. Students sit on yoga mats and meditate while music plays, and Dewey offers instruction.

The program started three years ago with two sessions during the day. Now the DAEP offers eight sessions and even includes meditation in detention at the end of the day.

Louisiana

4 Feeding Families

A donation of 7,000 pounds of meat helped provide meals to Hardin ISD students and their families this summer. The meat came from show animals raised by district 4-H and FFA students.

The students were unable to show the animals in local livestock shows due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, anonymous donors in the community purchased the animals, processed them, and donated them to the school district and local churches to distribute to families in need. hardinisd.net

5 Reading Connection

As part of his regular duties, Keller ISD Superintendent Rick Westfall regularly visits elementary schools to connect with students.

However, when COVID-19 forced the closure of district campuses and a transition to remote learning, Westfall had to find another way to establish that connection. That’s when he began offering online book readings on a weekly basis targeted to elementary-aged students. He has also held virtual meetings with older students from the district’s high schools. kellerisd.net

mckinneyisd.net

3

Videos Help Students Cope

The sudden closure of school campuses and shift to online learning was unsettling and stressful for many students. James Butler, a social-emotional learning mindfulness specialist at Austin ISD, decided to turn to technology to help his students. Butler took exercises he previously brought to classrooms, such as breathing and awareness exercises, and posted two-minute videos of them on Twitter and YouTube each morning. austinisd.org

6 Socially Distanced Recognition

Educators know that school staff are vital to the learning success of students and deserve to be recognized. When Plano ISD had to cancel its annual awards banquet due to COVID-19, officials wanted to make sure staff were recognized for their hard work. Employees of the district drove to four staff members’ houses to give them the Superintendent Service Awards while Superintendent Sara Bonser stood in front of their homes to announce the honors from a safe distance.

pisd.edu

ATPE NEWS 9

YOUR ALLY

Navigating Politics in the Classroom

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BY PAUL TAPP ATPE Managing Attorney

his is a turbulent time in our nation’s history. For good or ill, the polarization of politics and the increased level of personal advocacy across the political spectrum have created a volatile mix. The run-up to the upcoming presidential election is unlikely to reduce this.

Educators may wonder what rights they have to express their own opinions. In late June 2020 on the ATPE Blog, we shared guidance focusing on personal speech online (read the post at https:// bit.ly/ATPE-FirstAmendment). We wanted to follow up with additional guidance exploring the issues of politics in the classroom, especially as the election nears.

The Right to Free Expression

Teachers and other school district employees are citizens of the United States and, as such, have legal protection to express their political opinions. Most important in the context of expressing a political opinion is the right to free expression protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Public school teachers and other public school personnel do not lose their First Amendment rights— but First Amendment protections are not absolute and do not apply in every situation. It is important for everyone to know the limits that exist when deciding whether to express an opinion or how to express an opinion, whether on social media, to a group of co-workers, or in the classroom.

The Limits: Disruption and the “Balancing Test”

A teacher or other school district employee is not just a citizen. Even though the First Amendment does apply to political expression made by teachers and other school employees, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled there is a “balancing test” where the public employee’s right to express an opinion is weighed against the disruption at school or work that results from that opinion. For instance, if the teacher’s comment causes a substantial disruption at school, that teacher could experience serious negative consequences, including termination.

For example, a district might have a legal basis to take employment action if a teacher’s comments interfered substantially with their ability to teach students successfully or their ability to get along well with colleagues, supervisors, and students’ 10 ATPE NEWS

parents. Parents asking to have their children moved to another class or spending class time debating politics rather than focusing on the curriculum could be considered disruptions that could lead to negative consequences.

Because this legal balancing test depends so much on the reaction to the teacher’s political comments, it is important to be aware of local community standards and expectations. The teacher will not be able to control students’ and parents’ reactions once a comment is “out there.” For the balancing test, the reaction to the comment is practically more important than the comment itself, so everyone should take a moment to think what that reaction may be before exercising their right to express their opinion on a possibly controversial topic.

The Limits: Imposing Opinions on Students

A teacher considering sharing personal political views in the classroom must also consider whether their students are old enough and sophisticated enough to distinguish between a teacher’s personal beliefs, with which students are free to disagree without consequences, and the teacher’s authority to tell students what is or is not true regarding the curriculum. Students learn from an early age they are not free to decide for themselves that two plus two equals five. To avoid violating students’ own First Amendment rights, a teacher must be confident students can distinguish between the teacher’s personal opinion on politics and instructional material they must follow.

Takeaways

District personnel, especially teachers, have the right to have their own opinions and to express those opinions. But they need to recognize when their opinion might be considered controversial and understand that student, parent, or community reaction to their comments can lead to negative consequences.

The legal information provided here is accurate as of the date of publication. It is provided for general purposes only. Individual legal situations vary greatly, and readers needing individual legal advice should consult directly with an attorney. Eligible ATPE members may contact the ATPE Member Legal Services Department.

By Sarah Gray In a healthy democracy, citizenship extends beyond its legal definition or the act of casting a vote. True citizenship, according to civics education stakeholders, means participating in civil society every day alongside others.

Yet a 2017 survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center discovered that, of those Americans surveyed, 37% could not name any of the rights guaranteed under the First Amendment, and just 26% could name all three branches of government. Further still, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) found that only 27% of fourth graders and 24% of eighth and 12th graders were “proficient” in civics.

In an age where voter turnout continues to be low and apathy and distrust of government remain high, teaching the next generations about civics has never been more vital. Civics education stakeholders in Texas are putting in the work to ensure students become participatory citizens who safeguard the status of American democracy.

Students Acting on Civics

It’s been said so many times the phrase has almost lost its meaning, instead practically becoming an accepted norm: “This country has never been more divided.” Indeed, the first six months of 2020 alone were rocked with a pandemic and social unrest stemming from centuries of systemic racism, never mind the country’s recent political discourse. As adults in America grapple with the nature of civic society and where it stands today, those in the education sphere are focusing on a generation that isn’t even eligible to vote: K-12 students.

“The state of unrest in America and political polarization and the inability to have any level of civil discourse—all of these things really started turning people’s attention to what is going on and how you fix that,” Wendy May explains.

May is the board chair for iCivics—an organization that provides free resources, lesson plans, and educational online games to students and educators to promote civics education—and also leads iCivics’ work throughout Texas. iCivics is on a mission at the national and state levels to reinvigorate civics for the next generation of voting citizens.

Social studies and history teachers across Texas are most likely already familiar with iCivics. In fact, Texas has the second largest usage of iCivics products. Its high-tech games—which

increase in difficulty as students advance through levels, prompting students to go even deeper into the learning—are often so engaging that students will play them voluntarily at home, according to May, and iCivics’ usage numbers rank with some of the largest commercial games in the world. But students aren’t just playing video games; they are immersed in firsthand experiences that bring civics to life.

“We’ve always done this thing, which I think is super exciting, called impact points,” May says of just one example.

“When a student plays the games, they earn impact points that can be pledged to a nonprofit that is doing good in the community. At the end of a given quarter, iCivics donates real dollars to these charities with the most points. It’s creating agency for children, helping them understand how they can make a difference and take ownership of their citizenship.”

Brooke Blevins, Ph.D., and Karon LeCompte, Ph.D., are no strangers to iCivics and the importance of civics education.

They co-direct a summer camp for fifth through ninth graders at Baylor University called iEngage, which uses iCivics’ games and then takes them a step further.

“It’s one thing to teach from a textbook, which is fine—there’s some good things from that—but it’s an even better model ATPE NEWS 11

“Citizenship is about your active commitment to your communities and to those around you, so we want young people to understand that even though they may not be able to do these formal processes of citizenship like voting or serving on a jury, they can do more informal civic roles such as researching issues, talking to community leaders, or going to city council meetings. They can work alongside other people to solve difficult and wicked problems. They have a voice and can make a change.”

Students, educators, and parents can access iCivics games and resources at icivics.org. To learn more about the iEngage camp, visit blogs.baylor.edu/iengage. pedagogically if you can help students learn about being engaged citizens while being engaged citizens so they’re learning alongside actually taking action,” explains Blevins, who is an associate professor and chair of the department of curriculum and instruction at Baylor.

LeCompte, an associate professor of curriculum and instruction at Baylor, adds that while voting is important, making students understand “what it means to actually assemble, write a petition, or have freedom of speech is a very different thing.”

“We felt like we needed to push them toward this notion of more justice-oriented or participatory citizenship, but we realized we needed something more kid-friendly,” she explains.

“What does it mean for citizens to see, know, and do?”

At iEngage, students pick an issue, research it, and then create an advocacy campaign. Local leaders, such as city councilors and judges, come in to speak with students so they gain an understanding of what the law says and what can reasonably be done within the structure of government.

Past projects include supporting disabled veterans by improving public transportation, reducing landfill waste, creating an after-school program that would make bullied children feel included, and helping immigrants learn English by providing public transportation tickets so immigrants can attend classes.

“Oftentimes we think of citizenship in legal terms, right?

‘I’m a citizen because I was born in this country, or I took the citizenship test and I’ve been granted citizenship,’ but we argue citizenship is more than a legal definition,” Blevins says.

12 ATPE NEWS

In this day and age, just the mere mention of government can cause fear in educators. Talking about civics can bring up political discussions that few want to touch while in a classroom. May says iCivics hears from educators frequently, asking about how they can teach current events without getting political.

“We now have generations that are becoming voting citizens that have never had any type of true civics education while they were in school, so they’ve never been taught why they should care about being involved in their community or taught how to have an appropriate voice beyond just screaming at each other,” May says. “We need to help them actually understand what it means to get actively involved—and if you want to make a change, how you do that within the structure of your government. We’ve got to get back to teaching that in school, and we know for teachers it is difficult.”

May’s work in Texas revolves around the Texas Civic Education Coalition, a nonpartisan coalition of educators, education agencies, experts, vendors, and more who are working together to enhance civic education in the state. May believes civics education that is both robust and respectful is possible and necessary.

“Part of our job is to do better professional development to teach these teachers how to safely do it [civics education] in a nonpartisan fashion,” May says. “This is not a Republican or Democrat issue. This is about teaching students the skills and attitudes that are underpinnings of our democracy.”

The goal of the Texas Civic Education Coalition is to create civics education that falls under four pillars—civics knowledge, civics skills, civics attitude, and civic behavior—and then embed these pillars in the current curriculum. May emphasizes that the teacher voice has driven the coalition’s work. One of the coalition’s current efforts is working on the Social Studies TEKS revision (an already-scheduled revision) to enhance courses by streamlining content and teaching history and civics in a more integrated fashion.

“Texas is unique in that we have a ton of social studies time because we mandate Texas history and Texas government,” May explains. “If we revise the standards and show history teachers how to bring more civic skills and attitude training into the history curriculum, we can help them save time and equip teachers to teach

©iStock.com/golero; ©iStock.com/Lyubov Ivanova

Educators and Civics

smarter, not harder.”

This one-two punch of professional development to show educators how to properly teach civics as well as simplify state requirements so educators have more time to integrate civics with lesson plans is key for K-12 students’ learning. LeCompte notes that students need to know how to see other perspectives and find their voice.

“Think about it as a pair of glasses—I’m seeing it through a particular lens, and somebody else might have another lens, and these lenses aren’t exactly the same, nor should they be because your eyesight is different than mine,” LeCompte says.

“Although we’re seeing the same thing, we have different lenses we’re looking through, and we need to respect those spaces and help teachers understand how to say, ‘Every voice matters.’ That’s one thing we hear over and over again from our research, from kids who have attended our camp multiple times especially, is ‘We now understand our voice matters, and our voice matters more when we know the root cause of a problem, when we’ve done the research behind the problem, and we don’t just yell out that things are wrong.’”

May agrees the meaningfulness of lessons and projects is key to students’ understanding and an educator’s ability to effectively teach.

“Sometimes there is a movement to jump to project learning, and the problem with that is, in civic education, we’re not looking to make activists of our children,” May says. “Before you turn students loose with a project, first structure the classroom setting and learning environment around the parameters of why this is meaningful. That has to be steeped in history and civic knowledge.”

Benefits and Beyond

Valuable progress has already been made through Blevins and LeCompte’s iEngage camp and research and with May’s coalition work in Texas.

For May’s part, she says the coalition is working on bipartisan legislation and also received positive responses from the governor, Texas Supreme Court, the commissioner of

education, and the State Board of Education about her coalition’s goals.

Of all the different stakeholders involved in the effort, May says: “It’s the first time in Texas where they’ve all been brought together collaboratively to work together in a single direction for maximum impact. This is a real opportunity to move the needle in Texas because we have so many influential groups working together to build a consensus approach.”

The program developed by Blevins and LeCompte has also proved fruitful. The professors note they’ve seen shifts in the camp-goers’ thinking, where students no longer focus on surface-level issues or symptoms but instead dive in to find the root cause of an issue and how to advocate.

“We’ll ask at the beginning of the week, ‘What does it mean to be a good citizen?’ and they’ll say things like ‘picking up trash, not littering, voting, not speeding,’ and increasingly over the years since we’ve evolved the curriculum, they’re better able to say things like, ‘It means listening to your neighbor or working alongside other people to solve community issues,’” Blevins says.

All three women agree educators play a vital role in helping students understand their own role within a civic society. As May points out, if a school can create a “whole school civics ethos,” then you’re teaching students to be caring, engaged members of their community.

Says LeCompte: “I think that our future might be a better place if every teacher worked toward helping their students become justice-oriented citizens, and ‘justice-oriented citizens’ also includes recognizing that your sense of justice may not be the same as someone else’s sense of justice, but recognizing also that you support other people in having respectful opinions.”

“Civic education matters just as much as math and literacy and science,” Blevins says. “This work is central to the continuation and flourishing of the American democracy and of a global society.”

ATPE NEWS 13

YOUR VOICE

Amid Uncertainty, One Thing Is Clear: Your Vote Matters

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BY JENNIFER MITCHELL ATPE Governmental Relations Director

14 ATPE NEWS

hat if your school closed for spring do we provide a safe learning environment break and never opened back up for students and accommodations for school again? What if you suddenly had to staff who are worried about their health? teach all your classes from home on a laptop? How do we modify our school calendars in a What if the STAAR test were simply cancelled? way that will make it easier for us to manA year ago, these what-ifs would have seemed age similar disruptions in the future, if neclike impossible scenarios. Now they are a essary? How do we help those students who shared experience for many ATPE members. have fallen further behind?

The changes that happened practically overAs we start the school year under such still night because of COVID -19 have tested your strange and shifting circumstances, many mettle in ways you never imagined when you questions remain unanswered. Amid few cerfirst entered the education profession. Most tainties, we know the coronavirus pandemic of the changes have been difficult and unwel- has strained our economy and our public edcome—with cancellation of the STAAR test be- ucation system, and there will be an enduring ing one possible exception. need for added resources and creative soluEducators were tions to the novel dauntless in facing problems we are now AS LOCAL, STATE, the sudden disruption facing in our public of the 2019-20 school schools. Whether we AND FEDERAL year. You turned your like it or not, educaGOVERNMENTS kitchen tables into tion in the time of classrooms. You spent COVID -19 is a more SCRAMBLE TO FIND hours overhauling lesexpensive undertakSOLUTIONS TO son plans and develing. ATPE is gearing oping a new breed of up for a difficult 2021 PROBLEMS THAT WERE “homework” for your legislative session in UNIMAGINABLE ONLY students (and their which budget writers frazzled, teleworking must attempt to adA YEAR AGO, YOU ARE parents). You held dress these expanded SEEING THE POWER drive-by celebrations needs with markedly for graduating seniors. decreased revenue.

OF YOUR ELECTED You accomplished The education budOFFICIALS. all these unforeseen get cuts of 2011 are tasks with a smile, still fresh on the often while dealing with your own behind-the- minds of many of you. It took years to fill that scenes challenges: caring for your stuck-at- hole, which is starting to look like a small inhome families, staying connected to isolated dentation compared to the crater in front of older relatives, and facing the trauma of a deadly us today. Fortunately, we’ve seen a modest new disease within your own household or circle shift in elected officials’ attitudes toward the of friends. education profession in the last few years, slowly turning away from the toxic rhetoric Uncertain Future and strong-arm tactics of groups that want to Navigating government orders that often defund our public education system, muzzle conflicted and changed on a weekly basis and teachers, and hand out taxpayer dollars with worrying about long-term impacts of the pan- no strings attached to unregulated private and demic made this a summer of disquiet. How home schools. Whether that trend continues

depends entirely on the votes you cast in 2020 at every level of the ballot.

©iStock.com/Davel5957

The Power of Your Vote

As local, state, and federal governments scramble to find solutions to problems that were unimaginable only a year ago, you are seeing the power of your elected officials. For instance, in recent months Gov. Greg Abbott issued a number of sweeping executive orders, from shutting down schools this spring to restricting certain businesses from opening and requiring Texans to wear masks in many situations. Abbott is not up for reelection this year, but there is no question that voters’ mixed reviews on his handling of the pandemic will be remembered in the 2022 election cycle.

Much of the state’s guidance on when and how to begin the 2020-21 school year left a great deal of discretion to local officials. As a result, school districts tasked with determining their reopening protocols, adopting or readopting calendars, and crafting plans for online and in-person instruction have turned to their locally elected school board trustees and the superintendents hired by those trustees to make such important decisions.

State legislators are another group of elected officials whose judgment will play an enormous role in shaping the future of our schools and how Texas responds to and recovers from the COVID -19 pandemic. Although the Texas Legislature will not convene its next regular session until January, planning is already underway, and bills are being drafted as we speak. Those state lawmakers elected by you will be crafting the budget that pays for almost every aspect of your profession (not to mention drawing new electoral maps through redistricting).

At the federal level, members of Congress are determining the flow of federal funds, employees’ rights to sick leave or unemployment benefits, and safety measures. Of course, 2020 is also a presidential election year, and it’s important to remember that the president has not only the power to issue executive orders of his own and to sign or veto federal bills, but also has the ability to appoint officials to powerful posts within his cabinet. The U.S. Department of Education, headed by a presidential appointee, will decide whether to grant waivers of rigid testing and accountability requirements and how to dole out federal education funds, for example. The list goes on.

These are trying times. It matters more than ever that you vote in November and in all other elections at the local, state, and national level. All elected officials ultimately answer to you, the voter. Use your power to elect the people who will do right by you, your families, and your students.

TeachtheVote.org: ATPE’s Advocacy Website TeachtheVote.org, our comprehensive advocacy website, makes it easy for Texas voters, educators, and parents to:

Read the public education news that matters most.

Research the education platforms of political candidates and elected officials.

Decide which candidates will

make public education a top priority.

Stay informed through regular blog posts and email updates.

You can also follow legislative action as it happens through the @TeachtheVote and lobbyist Twitter feeds.

ATPE NEWS 15

PAC HONOR ROLL

Thank you for your investment in Texas public education!

The following ATPE members donated $50 or more to ATPE’s Political Action Committee (ATPE-PAC) from April 1 to June 30, 2020.

Lewisville Karen Hames Sondra Lewis McAllen Twila Figueroa Midland Michelle Adams Midway (12) Jason Forbis Millsap Deann Lee

Alvin Ron Fitzwater Amarillo Michael Renteria Shane Whitten Austin Marcia McNeil Ballinger Darlene Kelly Boerne Richard Wiggins Bushland Dawn Riley Community Wendy Smith Conroe Judi Thomas Cooper Bulldogs Jerrica Liggins

Corsicana Julleen Bottoms Wendy Cook Brooke Roberts Crowley Steve Pokluda Cypress-Fairbanks Eli Rodriguez Dallas Dianne Reed Mary Stricker Del Valle Debra Smith Eanes MaryAnn Baker Falls City Theresa Moczygemba Ferris Meredith Malloy Galena Park Sharon Dixon Lynn Nutt

Hale Center Brenda Bryan Lynette Ginn Huntsville Johanna Ullrich Hurst-Euless-Bedford Kylie Herring Ingram Chris Moralez

Nocona Patti Gibbs North Lamar Shelia Slider Northside (20) David de la Garza Madonna Felan Evelyn Hardaman Bobbye Patton

Irving Teri Daulton Connie Kilday

Olney Dale Lovett Becky Spurlock Sam Spurlock

Jim Ned Nicole Fuller

Palacios Mary Kathryn Niccolai

Plano Katy Matthews Lindsay Robinson Dennise Schuler Round Rock CaRita Forte San Antonio Byron Hildebrand Spearman Sherry Boyd Stanton Bill Griffin Tyler Betty Berndt Willis Jennifer Richter Woden Teresa Millard ATPE Staff Ginger Franks Shannon Holmes Kate Johanns

Keller David Williams Killeen Ron Walcik La Joya Yessica Garza Mauro Sierra

Did you donate during the ATPE Summit?

Look for your name in the next issue!

Invest in the ATPE Political Action Committee today!

It’s easy to set up recurring monthly or quarterly donations online at atpe.org/pac-donate.

ATPE-PAC solicits contributions only from members, employees, and their families. Participation in ATPE-PAC is voluntary.

16 ATPE NEWS

©iStock.com/shakzu

Abilene Kay Loftin

Pasadena Charlotte Anthony

THE ASSOCIATION OF TEXAS PROFESSIONAL EDUCATORS AND GCU

Working Together for You

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ATPE has a special arrangement with GCU that allows eligible participants to earn a degree, certificate or take a single course with special benefits.

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For more information, please visit gcu.edu/TXEducators or call 855-428-1772

Important policy information is available in the University Policy Handbook at https://www.gcu.edu/academics/academic-policies.php. The information printed in this material is accurate as of April 2017. For the most up-to-date information about admission requirements, tuition, scholarships and more, visit gcu.edu. For more information about our graduation rates, the median debt of students who completed the program and other important information, please visit our website at gcu.edu/disclosures. Please note, not all GCU programs are available in all states and in all learning modalities. Program availability is contingent on student enrollment. Grand Canyon University is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (800-621-7440; http://hlcommission.org/).

GCU, while reserving its lawful rights in light of its Christian mission, is committed to maintaining an academic environment that is free from unlawful discrimination. Further detail on GCU’s Non-Discrimination policies can be found at gcu.edu/titleIX. 17COEE0071

This spring, 16-year teaching veteran Morgan Castillo, an ATPE member and fifth grade science teacher at Woodgate Intermediate School in Midway (12) ISD, was named a recipient of the prestigious H-E-B Excellence in Education Award. She spoke to ATPE News about the importance of authenticity, passion, and daring to try new things.

What made you want to be an educator?

I never planned on becoming a teacher. I went to Baylor to become a missionary. While I was there, I became involved with a local nonprofit that works with the poor and marginalized of the community and the world. After an internship, I decided I wanted to further invest in underserved communities. It was time to get a job with steady income, and my mom sent me a newspaper ad for the Dallas ISD Alternative Certification Program, and I decided to go for it! They placed me in a Spanish position at F.D. Roosevelt High School.

What has kept me in the education profession is my own educational experience in Texas public schools. I grew up in Garland ISD and experienced some outstanding educators.

For example, my middle school science teacher, Ms. Borland, brought in Jane Goodall, the famous primatologist, to speak to us. She also involved us in Robert Ballard’s JASON Project, where we video-conferenced with actual scientists halfway across the world. (This was pre-internet, so videoconferencing was state-of-the-art, and Robert Ballard had just discovered the Titanic wreck.) Ms. Borland is just one example of so many teachers who went above and beyond to provide experiences for students. These teachers set the minimum standard for me as an educator. So, shouldn’t my students have at least the same experiences, if not better? I really take to heart that every student deserves passionate, creative-driven teachers.

What is your favorite part of your job?

Our world is fascinating, and my favorite part about my job is that I further develop students’ natural curiosity and appreciation for how amazing of a world we live in! Students have designed and conducted their own experiments using live crayfish and presented their research to an audience at a major university. I’ve brought in a rocket engineer from SpaceX. Students have handled fossils that are millions of years old and wondered about our prehistoric world. A class also worked with a local municipality to educate the public about the importance of pollution-free stormwater runoff. These opportunities inspire and empower students to take learning further. As they make personal connections, unplanned student-initiated opportunities 18 ATPE NEWS

arise. One year, a student volunteered to bring to class chickens from home while learning about bird beaks and feet. Another time, we had an impromptu show-and-tell of personal rock collections. Creating memorable experiences for your students inspires them to extend their learning.

What advice would you give to other educators?

Don’t model perfection for your students; model authenticity.

Only when we acknowledge and embrace our true selves—flaws and all—can we best serve our students by developing relationships and giving them the gifts of worthiness and acceptance.

The fear of failure often paralyzes a teacher; we are scared to fail because our end product isn’t an item on a store shelf, it’s a human life. However, we owe it to our students to take risks because playing it safe serves no one. When teachers step out on faith and embrace the likelihood of failure, students will gain so much more beyond the content knowledge, thus outweighing any negatives. Students rarely remember that specific lesson you spent hours perfecting and preparing, but they forever recall the permission you gave yourself to be authentic in front of them.

Be vulnerable with your passions and dreams! For me, I love science. I wear crazy science socks and science shoes for good luck on test days. I wear mammoth jewelry and bring in my rock and fossil collections. I’ve always wanted to share that love with young people, but it wasn’t until I took the leap and switched to teaching science that it finally happened. In my class when we study volcanoes, I am literally jumping with excitement as we watch the lava flow on screen. When students say, “Wow, you really like volcanoes,” my response is, “Of course! When I grow up, I want to be a volcanologist!” My eyes are big, my excitement authentic. My students may not share my passion, but all students can connect to having a passion. When they see your passion, they gain confidence to share their passions with you.

In a fast-changing world, we must be daring enough to try new things to prepare our students for a future of navigating a constantly changing environment. Teachers should attempt challenging lessons, apply for dream training opportunities, or explore new content. Saying yes to these risks has not only made me a better teacher, but has made me a better leader, servant,

Photo courtesy of Midway (12) ISD/H-E-B

and model for my students and those around me. Students who entered my room disliking science are now considering future careers in the field. Introverts have come out of their shells. Our learning and personal growth far exceeded my expectations.

Potential failures are another opportunity to grow and saying yes to vulnerability actually is a sign of great strength.

became a round-the-clock position, and I was also guiding my two young children through their lessons. Each time I tried to create a structure or a schedule, something else would interfere, so I learned to just be flexible and give myself grace.

Why is it important for educators to embrace leadership roles?

The perception of public schools isn’t always great. There are so many charts and graphs that show scary statistics about public schools. That may be all that someone outside of the education profession sees, when in reality, great things are happening in Texas public schools. From meeting the social and emotional needs of children to providing meals, we’re going so much further than memorizing facts. We are developing the whole child and creating lifelong learners.

Every educator has amazing stories to tell about struggles, about successes, and about that kid who overcame some huge hurdle to really become successful or even some real struggles that we face. There is so much power in our stories as educators. The more personal stories our legislators and policymakers can connect with, the better the decisions they are going to make, not just for educators, but also for Texas public education and ultimately for students. Teachers should be proud of the work they are doing and not be afraid to share their experiences. It’s not boastful or bragging to share the great things happening in your classroom or school. It’s our responsibility as educators to make sure that our community truly understands the depth and extent to which we go to care for children.

I plan on using the Castillo Cabinet for the upcoming school year, no matter the method of instructional delivery. I enjoyed their [students’] feedback, and they felt like their voice mattered, which it did. In a traditional classroom, a teacher can quickly scan the room to identify struggling students. The pandemic made it much more difficult to identify those students. I couldn’t catch and help the struggling students in the middle of the learning process.

I had to wait for them to submit something. So, I’m having to find new tools and methods of teaching to identify those needs before a student gives up.

One of the things that kept me up at night was worrying about my students who do not have the best home life. School was their safe zone, where they could develop healthy relationships with adults and children their own age. The pandemic suddenly took all of that away from them. However, thanks to strong campus leadership, my school was proactive from the beginning about identifying those students and working together (teachers, administrators, support staff ) to reach out and ensure their safety and well-being. That was one of the great things that happened as a result of the pandemic: I feel so much closer to my Woodgate family. Our bonds are tighter. We depended on each other and really went all out for our school community.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced this year, and how did you overcome them?

What do you envision the biggest challenges educators will face this year?

Maintaining relationships with my students in a virtual environment was very challenging. Relationships keep students coming back—it’s the key to buy-in—but I could no longer see them every day. One of the ways I overcame this hurdle was by creating Castillo’s Cabinet. I selected a handful of students of various backgrounds and abilities to help gather input and make decisions for running my virtual classroom. We met twice a week and discussed likes and dislikes about the tools I was using to deliver instruction. I used their opinions and ideas to make it more engaging.

Managing work-life balance was quite challenging. Teaching

How has the pandemic changed your preparation and approach to teaching?

Coming up with new ways to create quality relationships with students while keeping them healthy and safe during a year full of unknowns. Right now, we don’t know what to prepare for, so we have to prepare for every scenario. In the midst of the uncertainty, we have to continue to be a positive role model for our students. While we hope that students have had good social interactions during the last several months, many will be returning with high anxiety, fear, and other experiences. All of this means that social-emotional learning must be at the heart of what educators do each day, virtually or face-to-face. continued on page 39

ATPE NEWS 19

Broken Heart: Addressing Systemic Racism in a TraumaInformed Resilient Classroom

E

BY SCOIE GREEN, KATY ISD ach morning, students stand, placing their hand over their hearts, and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. “With liberty and justice for all” are the words that echo throughout our classrooms from coast to coast with students yearning for the opportunity to be heard as a fellow American.

Needless to say, our students have also observed Colin Kaepernick placing his knee to the ground during “The Star-Spangled Banner” in opposition to a series of African American deaths caused by law enforcement, which has led to the Black Lives Matter movement.

We face not only a coronavirus pandemic but also a pandemic of continual racial and systemic injustices that has been inherited from several generations. History 20 ATPE NEWS

reveals that it began in 1619 when enslaved Africans arrived in Virginia and has extended to the most recent deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. The outrage and outcry of Black forefathers has become the ancestral burden of each generation.

Although the history of oppression and racism dates back centuries, the advancement in technology through camera phones and social media has provided repetitive exposure to traumatic experiences that may have gone undiscovered or unreported.

Clips of the nightly news feature unarmed African Americans being killed on the street, dying while in police custody, or being the victim of a misleading eyewitness. These experiences produce racially charged memories in which no environment feels safe.

Then, there is the added pressure of microaggression. This is a term coined by psychiatrist and Harvard University professor Chester M. Pierce for when someone insinuates something about a person of a marginalized group without saying it directly—for instance, not taking the time to learn to correctly pronounce a student’s name, refusing to look the student in the eye, asking to feel the texture of their hair as if they are part of a laboratory experiment, or making comments such as “Wow, you’re so articulate!” This type of behavior often leads to lower performance and disengagement and a disproportionate population in special education and gifted and talented programming.

As educators, one needs to begin by examining how the trauma of racial injustice impacts students and their school experience. Educator and anti-racism activist Jane Elliott said, “Teachers can’t

© iStock.com/tatianazaets

MEMBERS SPEAK

teach what they haven’t been taught, and are in danger of losing their jobs if they teach the truth.”

It is important to recognize that creating a trauma-informed resilient classroom is a process. As teachers, one must be willing to become a lifelong learner.

This includes fostering strong connections, making social and emotional skills a priority, establishing a safe space, and building even stronger relationships with kids of non-responsive parents.

Relationships are built though communication. Conversations should include historical events, things currently happening in the news, or personal tragedies.

This is a teaching (and listening) opportunity for the educator to move from the “why” to the “how” mindset. At this point, the teacher may begin to look beyond the behavior and focus more on avoiding the triggers. For instance, are you able to talk with your students about their trauma, even if you’re of a different race?

Perhaps they could benefit from shifting the classroom from teacher-directed to student-directed, in which the peer is developing speaking, listening, collaboration, and independent thinking skills with limited teacher interjections, in order to integrate the cultures and views of stuAs educators, one needs dents into the learning experience. to begin by examining how How do your students respond to correcthe trauma of racial injustice tive action from a teacher of another race? impacts students and their Creating a culturally responsive classroom school experience. management system means the teacher is willing to reflect on the ways in which their — Scoie Green decisions promote or impede students’ acKaty ISD cess to learning. Management procedures such as handling confrontation privately and respectfully as opposed to yelling or removing students from the classroom is still a teachable moment. On the other hand, going to the principal’s office and later getting suspended matters because it has a strong correlation with encountering law enforcement, which is a pathway to the cold, dark school-toprison pipeline.

Once the conversation has taken place, it is now time for the teacher to self-reflect as an individual by asking the following questions: “Have I shared a personal testimony to build a stronger relationship? Do I have any implicit biases and how may I self-correct? Do I say anything when a colleague is being racially offensive? Do I have the language to articulate academic or social support needed for my students?”

The space for reflection gives the teacher time to support anti-racist communities and unlearn certain ideologies that are poisonous to our communities.

Then, we can become more intentional about how we communicate and educate our students, which is part of the recovery process.

As we all know, you cannot teach the mind when the heart is broken.

“

”

Scoie Green is in her fifth year of teaching in Katy ISD. Prior to teaching professional communications, she began her career as a special education teacher. She was named a 2019 ATPE Campus Representative of the Year and was a member of the 2019-20 Leadership ATPE cohort. A 2020-21 Teach Plus Texas Policy Fellow, she is passionate about education policy and practice issues that advance equity, opportunity, and student success.

WHAT IS A TRAUMAINFORMED SCHOOL? A trauma-informed school is one in which adults in the educational community have been trained to recognize and respond to those who have been affected by traumatic stress, whether student or faculty. Learn more using the following resources:

TEA’s Trauma Informed and Grief Informed Practices page https://bit.ly/TEA-trauma

Treatment and Services Adaptation Center for Resiliency, Hope, and Wellness in Schools traumaawareschools.org

Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative traumasensitiveschools.org

 Are you an ATPE member with a

story to tell? Email comm@atpe.org for magazine submission guidelines.

ATPE NEWS 21

IN THIS SPECIAL SECTION: How ATPE’s response to the pandemic and member concerns has evolved

A Q&A with a clinician from the University of Texas at Austin

Important information about your legal rights during this time

How special education has been affected by COVID-19

Portrait of a Pandemic: TEXAS EDUCATORS PREPARE FOR THE UNKNOWN IN 2020-21

A Changing Response in a Changing World

O

By Kate Johanns

n March 6, ATPE sponsored an event in which Texas Tribune co-founder and CEO Evan Smith interviewed Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath. Even though COVID-19 was on everyone’s minds—Smith and Morath greeted each other with a jovial elbow bump—it was the sort of pre-coronavirus event where breakfast tacos and a community container of salsa sat in the back. In other words, it was very much before COVID-19 rocked the entire United States and Texas public education in particular.

Smith and Morath spent the first eight-plus minutes of their conversation (available at https://bit.ly/ATPE-TTMarch6) discussing coronavirus—again, very much with

22 ATPE NEWS

a before mindset. TEA had dealt with this type of thing before, Morath said, citing school closures and waivers during Hurricane Harvey, Ebola virus cases in 2014, etc.

Smith and Morath spoke of taking the “normal precautions” in ways that now feel awkward: “As a student, try not to lick a doorknob; it’s generally frowned upon,” Morath said wryly. “That’s actually in our employee handbook,” Smith bantered back.

As Twitter pundits would say: That didn’t age well.

The conversation turned to TEA’s takeover of Houston ISD, and the education stakeholders in the room—ATPE staff included—finished their tacos and went back to the office.

Within a week, we lived in a different world.

© iStock.com/Kristen Prahl

THE EVOLUTION OF ATPE’S RESPONSE

By March 11, ATPE had launched a COVID-19 FAQs and Resource Webpage to provide Texas educators with access to accurate, confirmed information about their rights and responsibilities in a COVID-19 world.

(One of the first comprehensive resources for Texas educators, the webpage has served as a model for other education associations across the country.) The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic.

Tom Hanks announced he had the virus. And one by one, school districts announced they were extending spring break by a week to get the situation under control.

Over the next four weeks, Texas educators implemented a remote instructional environment, preparing for Gov. Greg Abbott’s inevitable April 17 announcement that Texas public schools would remain closed for in-person instruction for the rest of the 2019-20 school year. Texas educators again had to adapt to a new set of challenges.

Just as educators’ experiences have evolved, so has ATPE’s response, though it has always been rooted in three areas: advocacy with state and federal decision makers, individual representation by attorneys, and serving as a trusted source for information in a time particularly rife with rumors and misinformation.

“There’s been quite a bit of evolution,” says Paul Tapp, ATPE managing attorney. “It originally happened so fast, going from ‘oh, there’s a concern’ to everyone working from home for the rest of the school year. The issues we thought we might deal with in the spring, as far as individual teachers who had health concerns, ended up being resolved at the time because everyone was remote teaching.

We ended up answering member questions about liability for using personal devices, liability if something inappropriate occurred during a virtual class, and of course work hours. A lot of students were very hard to reach, and educators were spending a lot of time in the evenings trying to engage students and parents.”

The state of uncertainty—where educators have spent most of the summer and will reside until more districts announce their plans, given the general nature of TEA’s reopening guidance—has produced more general concerns.

“The biggest concern we get is ‘I do not feel like I’m going to be safe returning to the classroom—what are my rights?’” Tapp says. “There are a lot of educators whose personal health conditions either put them in an at-risk group or with close family members in an at-risk group.”

Until more specifics are known about individual districts, ATPE staff attorneys counsel members about the interplay of emergency COVID-19 legislation, such as the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and the Emergency Family Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLEA), and existing laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that will guide whether employees with health concerns receive accommodations.

It’s a complicated area of the law, Tapp explains, and ATPE has worked hard to combat the rumor mill.

“The most important thing we’ve done is provide accurate information to our members,” he says. “There’s a lot of information that is either intentionally wrong or from people who just don’t know what the rules are.”

For instance, rumors have swirled statewide about educators being asked to sign “liability waivers” before returning to work.

“That is something close to an urban myth that has taken on a life of its own,” Tapp says. “It’s honestly unlikely that it would be true as districts don’t have that much concern about liability—and there’s also serious questions as to such a waiver’s enforceability. I tend to think this is something that has just gained traction on its own.”

He adds: “The most important thing I tell members is to take a moment to think about what you have heard and where you have heard it from. Unfortunately, we are in a situation now where there are more unknowns than knowns. That will change as things evolve, but that is where we are right now, and it helps to take a moment to recognize that.”

CONNECTING THE DOTS FOR EDUCATORS AND LAWMAKERS

ATPE Governmental Relations has seen similar evolution in its advocacy efforts. Initially, the ATPE lobby team worked to get a handle on how districts were reacting statewide and answer member questions. ATPE staff reported on daily press briefings at all levels of government, and lobbyists analyzed a byzantine stream of guidelines and restrictions from the U.S. Department of Education and the Texas Education Agency. Given the time of year, however, efforts quickly turned to advocating for the waiver of STAAR requirements.

“We’ve gone from giving people information to proactively working to shape the decisions being made,” ATPE Senior Lobbyist Monty Exter says.

“Our greatest advocacy tool remains our ability to educate. Educating state leaders is one of the most important things that we do and what we’ve being doing a lot of. Early on, we were a conduit of information from policymakers to our members. Now, we are a two-way conduit, explaining to policymakers how our members feel about both the situation generally and the policies they’ve been making.”

Just as the ATPE Member Legal Services Department has counseled individual members on ADA, FFCRA, etc., ATPE Governmental Relations has explained the interplay between these laws and various levels of government to decision makers.

“You cannot overstate the volume of information that has come out in the past four months,” says Jennifer Mitchell, ATPE Governmental Relations director. “We’ve ATPE NEWS 23

had to digest it and figure out what each document means and how it interacts with other documents. There’s been a flood of information that is often contradictory and often changing.”

Exter agrees: “We take in all of the information and see how the different areas interact with one another from a policy and a logistical standpoint. We see connection points and communicate how that system works together. This is huge for our members and for policymakers who frankly don’t often see all those connections either.”

ATPE Governmental Relations has also seen the rumor mill at work. In one example, another organization shared information about retirement amid COVID-19— information that was not necessarily inaccurate but also not fully fleshed out. A news outlet picked it up, and suddenly Texas educators were discussing the concept of “temporary retirement,” which doesn’t exist in the Teacher Retirement System (TRS). Basing decisions off inaccurate information could have long-term detrimental consequences.

“We’ve tried to be really clear in our communications,” Exter says. “There are significant consequences because of the way TRS is set up. We want to make sure people are fully informed in making those decisions.”

A buyer-beware attitude to information is critical, especially when we are spending so much time on social media.

“Bad information does spread quickly and widely, and that’s more of a challenge now than it has been in the past,” Mitchell says. “It’s free, and it’s widely available. It’s not good advice, but there’s plenty of it out there.”

A MEMBER-DRIVEN RESPONSE

Since its founding, ATPE’s advocacy has been wholly member driven. The messages ATPE lobbyists deliver in Austin and D.C. come from the member-written-andadopted ATPE Legislative Program and the association’s standing and current resolutions—which until July 9 did not contemplate COVID-19 or any sort of public health crisis necessitating a mass closure of schools for in-person instruction. ATPE’s membership is diverse, ranging from educators working in giant urban schools to the smallest of 1A districts out in the Panhandle. Just as Americans and Texans have widely varying and strong opinions about the severity of the pandemic and the appropriate level of response, so do ATPE members.

“It’s important for ATPE members to understand the staff does not decide which positions to take on issues like these,” Mitchell says. “We are aware there are differences of opinion among our 100,000 members, so we respond according to the views of the majority of the members we hear from, guided by the actions of the ATPE House of Delegates.”

In addition to anecdotal data collected through member calls and emails, ATPE conducted a survey open to all Texas educators to determine their top concerns about 24 ATPE NEWS

returning to in-person instruction. (View the results at https://bit.ly/ATPE-COVIDsurvey.) This was followed by questions dedicated to COVID-19 on ATPE’s annual membership survey. Then, during the virtual ATPE House of Delegates (HOD) meeting July 9, member-delegates proposed and adopted two resolutions calling for ATPE to urge the state to keep schools closed for in-person instruction until Texas has demonstrated a “flattening of the curve,” as well as require districts to include educators and parents in development of plans to reopen campuses. The HOD also adopted a resolution urging a waiver of STAAR and TELPAS requirements for the 2020-21 school year.

With members driving the agenda through a democratic process, ATPE released its own plan for reopening campuses (atpe.org/COVID-recs).

ATPE IS HERE FOR YOU

As of this writing, we are still in a period of uncertainty.

TEA has issued reopening guidance allowing school districts to begin the 2020-21 year with a four-week transition period of virtual instruction that can be extended if needed by a school board vote. Districts across the state are beginning to announce their specific plans. Tapp says educators should remember how quickly TEA’s guidance has evolved.

“Over seven days we went from the understanding that schools were going to open at the regular time as if nothing was going on at all to pretty much every level of authority saying no, districts have the flexibility to take the local environment into account,” he says. “So, it’s important for educators to first take a moment and think about what they’ve heard.”

In a period with more questions than answers, the one thing ATPE members should not question is that ATPE is here for them. We are here to provide you with the answers we can.

“Depending on what your question is, the best resource might be Member Legal Services, or it might be our Governmental Relations team,” Tapp says. “It just depends on what you need. We’re here to help.”

Learning to Tolerate Ambiguity Interview by Sarah Gray

W

ith equal desire to care for students in person but remain healthy and safe, educators find themselves in a precarious place as the 2020-21 school year begins. For insight into the mental and emotional effects of COVID-19 on educators, ATPE spoke with Travis Bauer, a doctoral candidate in counseling psychology at

the University of Texas at Austin. Bauer has worked as a clinician for teachers and is part of a lab conducting research on teacher stress.

HOW DO YOU DEFINE TEACHER STRESS?

in the sense that students will not be in parents’ or caregivers’ homes and perhaps that leads to work, but in terms of real teaching going on, I think it’s going to be a pretty mixed bag just because when folks feel scared, it’s hard for them to focus.

In my lab, we start from the baseline of what is “teacher stress.” Theoretically, we talk about the transactional theory of stress. You’re at heightened risk for stress when your perceived demands outweigh your perceived HOW DID YOU DEVELOP YOUR PROFESresources. Our lab has done a lot on the granular level [to SIONAL INTEREST IN TEACHER STRESS? determine sources of teacher stress]. What are the facOur lab helped push focus on teachers because they tors, structurally, whether it’s lack of funding or amount need to be seen, too. Once I started seeing teachers as a of supplies or huge classroom sizes? therapist, it was just self-evident. Why aren’t we helping On the one hand, there’s no lack of areas to study, and them more? There are so many factors working against that’s a dark comment. I can be the best therapist I can be supporting teachers for their own sake and that’s, to me, and give my teacher the best treatment or sit with them the message that needs to ring the loudest: Teachers deduring a difficult time, but if serve support. Not just bethey aren’t supported by their cause they are seeing your administration, aren’t paid kids, but because they are “ People may not remember well, or don’t feel safe in their amazing people who are doeverything they learned environment—however they ing the work. I’m glad there’s define that—the baseline is this scrutiny now being given in 2020, but they will still going to be difficult. to schools about everything, remember the teacher they Things were difficult bebut these sort of considerhad if they feel grounded, fore, but now the pandemic ations for safety and resourcsafe, and seen.” is overlaid on everything else. es should have been had 20 Every single one of my clients years ago. It’s frustrating that —Travis Bauer, PhD candidate, counseling had their own trials and tribit’s in the context of crisis that psychology, UT Austin ulations before the pandemic. people are thinking about Mrs. X was struggling with schools, and it’s really only childcare during the normal because of COVID that people day, and now it’s like, “Will their children stay with them are considering these things. The more I work with teachwhile they teach remotely?” ers, the more I’m just like, “Why does no one prioritize I can’t even fathom the levels of complexity teachers are teachers just because they’re human beings?” going to work through as we figure out how to open schools.

It’s upsetting to me that policymakers prioritized opening WHAT CAN PEOPLE DO TO SUPPORT EDUCATORS bars and restaurants over school. It’s a matter of trying to DURING THIS TIME? make all these inequities visible to people who don’t see I think the bigger ask would be for folks to be involved in them and to try to advocate to protect not just the teach- their community and to do basic research of what public ers but the cafeteria workers, custodial staff, everyone. education is like in their district, city, and state and just look at some of the stats [and funding]. I feel like basic edHOW HAS THE DEBATE OVER REOPENING ucation for folks may inherently inspire people to join the PROTOCOLS AFFECTED EDUCATORS? cause to support teachers and public education broadly.

As a clinician interested in the neurobiology of trau- On a smaller level, especially for teachers and teachers who ma and how it affects our interactions, I can say that if are parents, just take care of yourself. Be easy on yourself. for some reason teachers have to be in school in August, The hardest thing for a lot of teachers is they are their own but we’re still where we’re at now [July 2020] in terms harshest critics. They have such a critical eye for how to imof COVID-19 cases, [it’s going to be stressful]. If you’re a prove lesson plans and their approach to others, and that teacher in a classroom worried about a student who might critical lens can be turned inward to a detrimental effect. have something because they are sniffling, your body is in I don’t think COVID is going anywhere fast. It’s such a state of survival and perceived threat. That is going to a natural instinct for all of us in this country, but parmake it difficult to execute on any kind of complex task, ticularly folks in education, to go to a problem-solving much less teach 25, 30 kids. Unless folks are made to feel mindset. Tolerate the ambiguity of the fact that we are in safe, it’s not going to be productive. It might be productive this weird space, and in that ambiguity, make some space ATPE NEWS 25

for the pain you feel, the confusion, and the sadness, but also make some space for the things that feel nourishing, whether that’s your family, kids, partner, or close friends, and actually make the time for it. One thing I talk to a lot of my clients about is “boring self-care,” not like yoga or a spa day, but clipping your toenails, taking a shower, or getting out of bed. Give yourself a boost for doing those things because those are indicators of life and growth and progress toward the next day.

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR THE COMING SCHOOL YEAR?

Make space for the disappointment. The lesson plans you had for the fall are going to look different. In so far as you have control over this: Less is more. I imagine there’s going to be a push to optimize time to get maximum learning over Zoom. We have short attention spans [for] video formats. Just understand you’re working against people’s nervous systems and brains that can only take so much info, and if you feel like you’re hitting a wall, it’s not you.

It’s not like teachers are messing up or not getting it right or not figuring out the right combination to make the perfect plan. It’s because we’re all in this crummy situation, and I think the biggest gift we can give students, especially as educators and helpers, is just to connect with them and check in. The therapist in me [thinks that the] more we can connect with students and make them feel safe and heard and listened to, that will result in a lot of positive outcomes that last a really long time versus getting students to remember some piece of knowledge. People may not remember everything they learned in 2020, but they will remember the teacher they had if they feel grounded, safe, and seen.

Leave Options During COVID-19

By Paul Tapp, ATPE Managing Attorney

W

hat leave options do you have if you are unable to work, either because you get sick or need to quarantine because of a possible exposure to COVID-19?

Returning to on-campus learning has increased concerns about leave options if a person either contracts COVID-19 or is required to quarantine because of a possible exposure to COVID-19. At the time of this writing, multiple leave options exist beyond the normal state and local sick leave days that may apply in individual situations—some paid, some unpaid. We’ll go through each option and explain how it would apply to a coronavirus-related absence.

26 ATPE NEWS

STATE PERSONAL LEAVE

Section 22.003 of the Texas Education Code requires that public school districts (not charter schools) provide five days of paid personal leave per year. The staterequired leave is characterized as either discretionary (voluntary) or non-discretionary (involuntary) leave.

Districts can place restrictions on the use of voluntary leave, but generally if the absence is not under the control of the staff member, a district must allow the use of available personal leave. Available personal leave could be used for an illness or a required absence due to a required quarantine.

LOCAL SICK LEAVE

Many districts provide additional sick leave in addition to the five state personal leave days, and the number is determined locally by the district’s board of trustees.

Most districts treat local leave days in a way that would make them usable for a staff member who was ill or likely required to quarantine. Because these days are locally provided, each district determines the terms of eligibility.

CORONAVIRUS-SPECIFIC LEAVE

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) went into effect April 1 and remains in effect through December 31, 2020. The FFCRA provides two types of leave specific to COVID-19: expansion of FMLA and emergency paid sick leave.

Expansion of FMLA. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides up to 12 weeks of leave under certain conditions when an employee or close family member is experiencing a “serious health condition.” Family and medical leave (FML) is unpaid, though available paid leave could be used concurrently. The FFCRA temporarily expanded the FMLA in both circumstances where it applies and makes those circumstances paid leave in some cases. The expansion provides that FML now applies if an employee has worked for a school district for at least 30 days and the employee is unable to work (or telework) due to a need for leave to care for a child under 18 years of age if the child’s school or childcare has been closed, or if the childcare provider is unavailable due to a public health emergency. In this limited circumstance, FML is paid leave under these conditions: • The first 10 days of leave are unpaid, but the employee may elect to substitute paid vacation or personal, medical, or sick leave.

• After the first 10 days, the employer is entitled to pay at two-thirds of the employee’s regular rate of pay.

• Maximum compensation is $200 per day, with a maximum of $10,000 in total.

Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL).

This provides paid leave to the extent an employee is unable to work (or telework) because: 1. The employee is subject to a federal, state, or local quarantine order.

2. The employee has been advised to self-quarantine by a health care provider.

3. The employee is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and seeking medical diagnosis.

4. The employee is caring for an individual who is subject to (1) or (2).

5. The employee is caring for a child and the school or place of care of the child has been closed or the childcare provider “is unavailable due to COVID-19 precautions.”

6. The employee is experiencing another condition specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

The amount of EPSL depends on whether the employee is a full-time or part-time employee: • Full-time employees are eligible for up to 80 hours of EPSL. • Part-time employees are eligible for the number of hours they would normally work on average over a two-week period.

The amount of compensation for EPSL is calculated based on the usual rate of pay and the number of hours the employee would otherwise be normally scheduled to work, except there is a maximum benefit of: • $511/day and $5,110 in total for use under (1)–(3) above.

• $200/day and $2,000 aggregate for use under (4)–(6) above.

• For use under (4)–(6) above, the employee is compensated at two-thirds their normal rate of pay.

The EPSLA also provides: • The employer may not require the employee to look for or find a replacement.

• Sick time under the EPSLA is available regardless of the amount of time the employee has been employed.

• The employer may not require an employee to use other paid leave provided by the employer before the employee uses EPSL. • It is unlawful for an employer to retaliate or discriminate against an employee for use of EPSL. Because schools around the country transitioned to remote teaching so quickly in the spring, there have been few situations in which teachers and other staff have needed to request either type of leave under the FFCRA. As such, many specifics remain untested; for instance, whether a district requiring an educator to quarantine would be a

“local quarantine order.” However, there is no question that a doctor’s written advice to quarantine would be sufficient.

Employees should also be aware that if they are quarantining because they are experiencing COVID-like symptoms, they must seek a medical diagnosis to be eligible for EPSL.

PAID ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE DURING REQUIRED QUARANTINE

In addition to the leave options described above, many districts have adopted Policy DBB, which provides that the district may require a medical examination when the district receives information that an employee has a physical impairment that could be a health or safety threat to others. The policy may provide that the district may place the employee on paid administrative leave while waiting for the results of the examination. There are many factors that could contribute to a determination as to whether a district would place a particular employee on paid administrative leave, so it is not possible to guarantee that every district staff member required by a district to quarantine will be placed on paid administrative leave.

For additional information, visit ATPE’s COVID-19 FAQs and Resources page at atpe.org/coronavirus.

The legal information provided here is accurate as of the date of publication. It is provided for general purposes only. Individual legal situations vary greatly, and readers needing individual legal advice should consult directly with an attorney. Eligible ATPE members may contact the ATPE Member Legal Services Department.

Special Educators Grapple with Unique Challenges

By Michael Spurlin

T

he sudden shift to distance learning after schools closed their doors due to COVID-19 was jarring for both educators and students alike. However, for students enrolled in special education, the virus was particularly cruel: The remote learning challenges are amplified for those with special needs. After all, some of the most vital learning techniques for special education students are the very things most likely to spread the virus. Adapting and overcoming these challenges has required a great deal of creativity and perseverance on the part of special educators.

As an early childhood special education teacher in Leander ISD, Lindsay Higginbotham began grappling with these challenges as soon as schools moved to distance learning. Prior to the pandemic, she worked in a classroom of 3- to 5-year-olds with special needs, usually ATPE NEWS 27

working one on one at a close distance.

“On a daily basis I am changing diapers, wiping noses, and helping facilitate play and learning with my students,” explains Higginbotham. “At times during learning, I need to use hand-over-hand guidance to help them complete various tasks and work on their fine motor skills.”

Susie Andrews is a special education teacher who works with students with visual impairments. In her role working with a special education co-op that serves four districts in South Texas, she is also frequently in close physical contact with students. Unfortunately, it was difficult to replicate these interactions through distance learning.

“Some of my students have multiple disabilities, so they need hands-on guidance to complete some of their activities,” Andrews says. “I currently have a student who is deaf-blind and needs a lot of guidance because he is learning Braille, how to type on a keyboard, and how to use a Braille display. Although we were able to complete many activities using Zoom, there were times he had difficulty hearing me. Teaching keyboarding and the Braille display require more hands-on guidance, which cannot be done through Zoom. I was unable to easily work with my students with multiple disabilities because many of them are non-verbal and have no vision, which makes it very hard to work with them online.”

Working with such young children added to the difficulty of online instruction for Higginbotham, too. Like many other children that age, her students could not access or navigate computer instruction without parental assistance—and stressed and overwhelmed parents did not always have the time to guide their children through lessons while juggling their own work demands and other children. On top of that, some of Higginbotham’s students have limited language skills due to disability. Additionally, the need for the social and community aspects of school are especially acute for special education students.

“A lot of my students have play and social skills goals that require them to physically interact with their peers during play times and classroom activities or engage in verbal exchanges with their peers,” Higginbotham says.

“Thus, not being in the classroom environment makes it difficult to work on any social skills goals because they do not have peers at home. Additionally, I have students who have classroom routine goals that ask them to follow routines in the classroom and teacher directions that are difficult to assess when not in the classroom.”

Even when Higginbotham could translate an activity or lesson to the digital world, assessing a student’s progress, a task typically done in person in the classroom, presented its own challenges. “I feel that I was not able to fully assess or take accurate data on how my students were progressing on their IEP [individualized education program] goals as I relied on feedback from parents.”

The pandemic didn’t only affect these assessments of 28 ATPE NEWS

students already in special education programs. As Gidget Belinoski-Bailey, an educational diagnostician for Willis ISD explains, it altered the normal process for evaluating which students need these resources. She normally splits her time between two campuses as she communicates with parents and teachers, facilitates ARD meetings, and observes students in the classroom and individually.

While much of this work could continue virtually, student evaluations came to a stop.

“In order to evaluate a student and adhere to standardization of testing instruments, I have to 100% be in the same room with students and closer than six feet,” Belinoski-Bailey explains. “If a student was in the process of a referral, then the referral had to be stopped until faceto-face testing could take place.”

Belinoski-Bailey is optimistic these types of evaluations can resume, but stringent safety protocols must be followed. “I will have to be closer than six feet and will need to use many different forms of PPE as well as sanitize tests after each student,” she says. “I have some concerns the testing environment might be intimidating to some students and may impact their test data negatively. I also believe that all of the precautions will add to the amount of time to complete an evaluation.”

While it is not yet known how long the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to affect Texas students and educators, obvious obstacles remain in the near future. As the fall semester nears, special education teachers are relieved to have the advantage of more time and experience.

“We found out school was going to close during spring break, and we never really had a lot of time to prepare,” Andrews recalls. “We now have more time to prepare. I believe this will make the education of my students with visual impairments better.”

Both Andrews and Higginbotham, if forced to continue distance learning, plan to develop lessons more suited to the new environment: creating video lessons, sending more learning materials to students, and creating more specific lesson plans to reflect the reality of working from home.

Ultimately, to best serve students, the best thing everyone can do is remember to be patient and understanding.

“We are all in this together,” Belinoski-Bailey says.

“Parents and teachers have to remember that each are doing the best they can do in a very unusual situation.”

Andrews agrees. “The more we learn, the more we can improve outcomes for our students. I truly believe that safety for students and staff is the most important thing right now, so virtual learning may be inevitable—and until we can work with our students safely [in person], we need to work at being the best at our jobs, no matter what that looks like, and keep learning new ways to help our students until this pandemic is over.”

Information accurate as of July 31, 2020. Visit atpe.org/coronavirus for the latest information.

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ATPE members convened virtually July 6–10 for the 2020 ATPE Summit, the association’s annual leadership training and governance conference. All ATPE members were invited to commemorate the association’s 40th anniversary and celebrate the state’s largest community of educators, and a historic number of members—more than 2,300—registered to do so. With the power of technology, ATPE members received training to help them successfully run ATPE local units and regions, participated in the House of Delegates (HOD) meeting, elected state officers, and enjoyed two keynote speakers and continuing professional education opportunities.

The next few pages highlight leaders, members, and supporters who are making a difference in ATPE and their communities. You will also find information about decisions made during the HOD. Thank you to everyone who participated in the virtual 2020 ATPE Summit.

30 ATPE NEWS

Acknowledgments

House of Delegates

Thank you to our generous corporate and association partners.

ATPE’s annual House of Delegates meeting reflects our member-driven philosophy. At the HOD, delegates representing their local units’ members vote for ATPE’s next leaders and determine policies that will guide our association. This year, delegates met July 9 to hear candidates for state office speak and to consider honorary, current, and standing resolutions; member motions; the ATPE Legislative Program; and other agenda items.

CORPORATE PARTNERS Frost Bank RBFCU ASSOCIATION PARTNERS It’s Time Texas, Texas Association for the Gifted & Talented, TCEA, Texas Association of Future Educators, and Texas ASCD EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR COMMITTEE Chair Rebecca Monsevalles, Stephanie Hudson, Crystal Huff Peterman, Kim Kauitzsch, Eli Rodriguez, La Taisha Stinnette, and Debra Wood LEADER OF THE YEAR COMMITTEE Chair Julie Fore, Laura Campbell, Nicole Fuller, Jo Kelley, Tara Linz, and Suellen Lumbreras LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE AND PAC COMMITTEES Chair Kally Evans, Twila Figueroa, Kimbra Chiles, Scott Mathis, Betty Berndt, Ginger Williams, Katrina Price, Dianne Reed, Stacey Dieterich, Elizabeth Abrahams, Amy Irwin, Nancy Fowler, Abigail Ramford, Michelle Adams, Elizabeth Sunderland, and Robert “Blain” Hester NOMINATION/ELECTION COMMITTEE Chair Jerrica Liggins, Dwight Davis, William Grosso, Dorothy Hulett, Robin Newkirk, Betty Plunkett, and Sylvia Zamora

Virtual Photo Booth images provided through The SnapBar

RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE Chair Katy Matthews, Susan Ambrus, James Ellis, Norma Gandara, Tanya Gray, Vickie Rabb-Wiggins, Minne Sanchez, and Monica Tovar

BYLAWS AMENDMENTS There were no proposed bylaws amendments this year.

RESOLUTIONS The HOD readopted 13 standing resolutions and voted to readopt Current Resolutions Nos. 1 and 2. These two current resolutions urge the ATPE Board of Directors to research methods to give tiered rebates to local units and regions, respectively; board work in this area is ongoing. Two proposed new current resolutions were prefiled and then adopted. The first resolution involved urging the State of Texas to delay in-person instruction due to rising COVID-19 cases, require local school districts to include educators and parents in decision-making processes, and allocate emergency funding to substitute teachers in case of quarantine by district personnel; the second resolution called for waiving various testing requirements in 2020-21 due to the pandemic. Members can read the resolutions at atpe. org/about-atpe/governance/house-of-delegates. The HOD also adopted an honorary resolution recognizing Past State President Byron “Skip” Hildebrand for his service to ATPE. MAIN MOTIONS There were no main motions this year.

ATPE LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM The ATPE Legislative Program, presented to legislators at the beginning of each legislative session, outlines the association’s legislative positions and guides ATPE Governmental Relations in its advocacy efforts. The HOD adopted the 2020-21 ATPE Legislative Program. Visit atpe.org/leg-program to review the program.

ATPE NEWS 31

2019-20 Awards ATPE honored educators, students, ATPE leaders, and education journalists at the summit.

Charles Pickitt Educator of the Year Award The Charles Pickitt Educator of the Year Award recognizes ATPE members who demonstrate exceptional or innovative capabilities in their respective educational fields. Winners receive a $5,000 prize.

ADMINISTRATOR OF THE YEAR

ASSOCIATE OF THE YEAR

ELEMENTARY TEACHER OF THE YEAR

SECONDARY TEACHER OF THE YEAR

SPECIAL SERVICES EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR

Kellye Loving Corpus Christi ISD

Tanya Crites Lumberton ISD

Michael Sweet Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD

Michael Clark Katy ATPE

Aiesha Odutayo Houston ISD

Finalists: Ronald Sursa, Killeen ISD, and Kristina Wiedman, Warren ISD

Finalists: Tilda Moore-King, Mesquite ISD, and Stephanie Foley, Woden ISD

Finalists: Terri Pitts, North East ISD, and Jennifer Engelbrecht, Denton ISD

Finalists: Lisa Lipstraw, Paris ISD, and Monica Swanson, Plano ISD

Finalists: Julie Nabors, Krum ISD, and Myra Rodriguez Berrones, Zapata ISD

Floyd Trimble Local Unit of the Year Awards The ATPE Local Unit of the Year Award acknowledges local unit efforts and accomplishments during the year. Each winning local unit receives $1,000.

LOCAL UNITS WITH 1–200 MEMBERS

LOCAL UNITS WITH 201–500 MEMBERS

LOCAL UNITS WITH 501–1,000 MEMBERS

LOCAL UNITS WITH 1,001+ MEMBERS

UNIVERSITY LOCAL UNITS

Lumberton ATPE Region 5

Nacogdoches ATPE Region 7

Weslaco ATPE Region 1

Mesquite ATPE Region 10

2019-20 officers: President Susan Letourneau (pictured), Vice President Stefanie Gregg, Secretary Debra Arceneaux, Treasurer Charlotte Hoover, and Local Membership Chair Deborah Oliver

2019-20 officers: President Roya Dinbali (pictured), Vice President James Nicholas, Secretary Renee Holland, and Treasurer Laura Treadaway

2019-20 officers: President Rebecca Monsevalles (pictured), Vice President Maria Saldana, Secretary Melissa Diaz, and Treasurer Juan Guajardo

2019-20 officers: President Donnetta Allen (pictured), Vice Presidents Anita Young and Kristie Hernandez, Secretary Victoria Colbath, Treasurer Kimberly Davis, Membership Chair Amber Johnson, and Past President Jennifer Grady

South Texas College– Mid-Valley ATPE Region 1

Finalists: Calhoun County ATPE, Navasota ATPE

32 ATPE NEWS

Finalists: Pharr-San JuanAlamo ATPE, Zapata ATPE

Finalists: La Joya ATPE

2019-20 officers: President Vanessa Montalvo (pictured), Vice President Kayla Lopez, Secretary Hiromi Diaz, and Treasurer Aurelia Carrillo

Doug Rogers Campus Representative of the Year Award The Doug Rogers Campus Representative of the Year Award acknowledges those special ATPE volunteers who are fundamental to the continued growth and development of our grassroots organization. Winners receive $1,000 each, and their local units receive $250 for future local unit activities.

LOCAL UNITS WITH 1–200 MEMBERS

LOCAL UNITS WITH 201–500 MEMBERS

LOCAL UNITS WITH 501–1,000 MEMBERS

LOCAL UNITS WITH 1,001+ MEMBERS

Karen Glenn Lumberton ATPE

Michael Sweet Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ATPE

Norma Vega La Joya ATPE

Rachel Melancon Dallas ATPE

Finalists: Belinda Wolf, Wichita Falls ATPE, and Marisela Yanez, Rio Hondo ATPE

Finalists: Myra RodriguezBerrones, Zapata ATPE, and Raquenel Solis, PSJA ATPE

Finalists: Jesus Garza, La Joya ATPE, and Hilda Martinez, La Joya ATPE

Finalists: Tamara Garcia, Mesquite ATPE, and Antonio Mercado, Edinburg ATPE

2019-20 Political Action Committee Honorees STEPHEN F. AUSTIN ATPE-PAC HONOREES The members below have contributed the following cumulative amounts to ATPE-PAC since July 1997.

Pleasant, Larry Rojas, Elizabeth Sunderland, Stacey Ward, Audree Wood, Deborah Wright

$10,000 – PAC Hall of Fame Twila Figueroa, Ginger Franks*, Richard Wiggins *This year’s newest inductee.

DAVY CROCKETT FUNDRAISING CHALLENGE This challenge was established to recognize the regions and local units that raise the most money per member for ATPE-PAC.

$7,500 Gayle Sampley $5,000 Jayne Serna, Ron Walcik $2,500 Julleen Bottoms, Sherry Boyd, Hector Cruz, Suellen Ener, Alice Erdelt, Ron Fitzwater, Tonja Gray, Karen Hames, Margie Hastings, Benjamin Lozano, Bobbye Patton $1,500 Elizabeth Abrahams, Brenda Bryan, Evelyn Hardaman, Malinda Holzapfel, Nichie Hoskins, Carolyn Huebel, Linda James, Janie Leath, Katy Matthews, Teresa Millard, Betty Plunkett, Eli Rodriguez, Michael Sweet, Norma Vega, Cyndy Veselka, Kelley Walker $500 Heriberto Ibarra Abrego, Donnetta Allen, Christopher Adams, Laura Campbell, Ygnacia Capetillo, Sarah Czar, OnaBeth Day, Kimberly Dolese, John Donihoo, Kim Farlow, Christina Flores, Brenda Fuller , Wanda Giles, Sharon Ginn, Jennifer Grady, Eunice Green, Darius Hatchett, Marcella Helmke, Jennifer Hill, Shannon Holmes, Kat Koch, Heidi Langan, John Magness, Judy Malloy, Liz McDaniel, Theresa Moczygemba, Nathan Moye, Deborah Mullins, Russell Mullins, Deborah Petrosky, Joan Phillips, Deborah

Region, 10,001+ members Region 10 Region, 10,000 or fewer members Region 20 Local unit, 1–200 members Woden ATPE Local unit, 201–500 members McAllen ATPE Local unit, 501+ members Northside (20) ATPE ATPE-PAC STATESMAN AWARD The ATPE-PAC Statesman Award honors ATPE members who have donated $20 or more to the ATPE-PAC for 12 consecutive months.

Elizabeth Abrahams, Charlotte Anthony, Betty Berndt, Brenda Bryan, David de la Garza, Sharon Dixon, Twila Figueroa, Ron Fitzwater, Tonja Gray, Margie Hastings, Darlene Kelly, Dale Lovett, Chris Moralez, Deborah Mullins, Russell Mullins, Lynn Nutt, Deborah Pleasant, Steve Pokluda, Michael Renteria, Dawn Riley, Eli Rodriguez, Jayne Serna, Wendy Smith, Sam Spurlock, Judi Thomas, Cyndy Veselka, Ron Walcik Continued on page 39

ATPE NEWS 33

Meet Your 2020-21 ATPE Leaders 2020-21 State Officers

Jimmy Lee

Karen Hames

Stacey Ward

Jayne Serna

Tonja Gray

Lee, a 33-year education veteran, is a substitute teacher.

Hames, a 42-year education veteran, is an eighth grade English/language arts and reading teacher.

Ward, a 23-year education veteran, is a fifth grade math and science teacher.

Serna, a 30-year education veteran, is an adjunct professor of history.

Gray, a 32-year educator, works at the Region 14 Education Service Center.

PRESIDENT Paris, Region 8

VICE PRESIDENT Lewisville, Region 11

SECRETARY Humble, Region 4

TREASURER Leander, Region 13

PAST PRESIDENT Abilene, Region 14

2020-21 Region Officers REGION 2

REGION 3

REGION 4

REGION 5

REGION 6

MaElena Ingram McAllen

Barbara Ruiz Corpus Christi

Cathy Stolle Karnes City

Eli Rodriguez Cypress-Fairbanks

Susan Harrell Newton

Gidget Belinoski-Bailey Willis

Michael Sweet Pharr-San Juan-Alamo

Jackie Hannebaum Corpus Christi

Mandy Vahrenkamp Calhoun County

Sharon Dixon Galena Park

Katelyn Hanson Vidor

Donna Ward Willis

VICE PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

Norma Vega La Joya

Amerika Reyes Corpus Christi

Lance Schultz Calhoun County

Shawn Mustain Spring Branch

Donna Haley Newton

Michael Robinson Willis

SECRETARY

SECRETARY

SECRETARY

SECRETARY

SECRETARY

SECRETARY

Rebeka Longoria Zapata

Adriane Taylor Corpus Christi

Tiffany Keszler Ganado

Eden Renovato Hempstead

Lori Burton Jasper

Jenna Norris Navasota

TREASURER

TREASURER

TREASURER

TREASURER

TREASURER

TREASURER

Rene Zuniga South Texas College

Lorrie Gomez Corpus Christi

Kelli Cook El Campo

Stephanie Baker Humble

Maya Issac Newton

Rachel Leveridge Huntsville

PRESIDENT

DIRECTOR

REGION 1

PAST PRESIDENT

Ron Fitzwater Alvin

34 ATPE NEWS

REGION 8

REGION 9

REGION 10

REGION 11

REGION 12

REGION 13

Kim Dolese Northeast Texas

Shelia Slider North Lamar

Patti Gibbs Nocona

Wanda Bailey Mesquite

Teri Naya Birdville

Ron Walcik Killeen

Christie Smith Pflugerville

Teresa Millard Woden

Jerrica Liggins Cooper Bulldogs

Denise Sanders Vernon

Donnetta Allen Mesquite

Christopher Adams Hurst-Euless-Bedford

Jane Sykes Waco

Stephanie Stoebe Round Rock

VICE PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

Katherine Whitbeck Nacogdoches

Phil Williams Chapel Hill (8)

Dale Lovett Olney

Julie Fore Dallas

Betty Plunkett Krum

Courtney Jones Connally

Kristin Shelton Round Rock

SECRETARY

SECRETARY

SECRETARY

SECRETARY

SECRETARY

SECRETARY

SECRETARY

Beverly Leath Woden

Yesica Munguia Paris

Belinda Wolf Wichita Falls

Katy Matthews Plano

Tiffany Gygi Birdville

Stacey Dieterich Axtell

Danielle Sanders Austin

TREASURER

TREASURER

TREASURER

TREASURER

TREASURER

TREASURER

TREASURER

Michelle Adams Northeast Texas

Deena White Chisum

Traci Morrison Nocona

Nichole Waggoner Garland

Steve Pokluda Crowley

Christina Taylor Axtell

Greg Vidal Leander

PAST PRESIDENT

PAST PRESIDENT

PAST PRESIDENT

Samuel Spurlock Olney

Wendy Smith Community

Heidi Langan Austin

PRESIDENT

DIRECTOR

REGION 7

REGION 15

REGION 16

REGION 17

REGION 18

REGION 19

REGION 20

Leslie Ward Merkel

Darlene Kelly Ballinger

Shane Whitten Amarillo

Allyson Haveman Lubbock

Gail Adlesperger Big Spring

Michael Slaight Clint

Yvette Milner Northside (20)

Nicole Fuller Jim Ned

Betty Wood-Rush Early

Sherry Boyd Spearman

Mariah Robinson Lubbock

Joshua Kendrick Andrews

Edana Slaight Ysleta

Elizabeth Turner Northside (20)

VICE PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

SECRETARY

VICE PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

Gae McInroe McMurry University

Cheryl Buchanan Ballinger

Irma Walker Amarillo

Abigail Ramford Lamesa

Stacy Gallier Andrews

Robert Zamora Clint

Madonna Felan Northside (20)

SECRETARY

SECRETARY

TREASURER

SECRETARY

SECRETARY

SECRETARY

SECRETARY

Amy Sparks Abilene

Rose Harris Ballinger

Nancy Fowler Amarillo

Susan Wilson Lamesa

Michelle Adams Midland

Patricia Garcia Ysleta

Laura Herrera North East

TREASURER

TREASURER

TREASURER

TREASURER

TREASURER

TREASURER

Tommie Hicks Hawley

Mari Mendez Junction

Sharon Ginn Hale Center

Tamara Wilkinson Andrews

Eduardo Sierra San Elizario

Ygnacia Capetillo North East

PRESIDENT

DIRECTOR

REGION 14

ATPE NEWS 35

YOUR ATPE

NEW DEGREE PROGRAM: Colorado State University Global ATPE is proud to announce our new partnership with Colorado State University-Global Campus that provides our members with a 10% tuition discount. CSU-Global is the first and only 100% online, independent, regionally accredited, nonprofit university in the country. The university was created for working adults to affordably earn a degree to advance in the workplace. They offer students:

100% online courses.

No set class times or locations, so you earn your degree on your time.

Student-centered resources.

24/7 access to tech support, writing center, and tutoring in addition to career navigation services, student advisors, disability services, and tuition planning specialists.

Tuition guarantee.

At CSU-Global your low, discounted tuition rate won’t increase from enrollment through graduation.

No student fees.

Unlike most other universities, CSU-Global doesn’t charge student fees or out-of-state premiums.

Speak to a CSU-Global Enrollment Counselor at (800) 920-6723 or visit csuglobal.edu/request-information for more details. Be sure to mention that you are a member of the Association of Texas Professional Educators to take advantage of this exclusive discount!

The Return of One New = $10 for You, ATPE’s Recruitment Reward Program!

We’re thrilled to bring this incentive back for the 2020-21 membership year! Any member is eligible to participate and earn money while helping grow the association through this program!

Here are a few key details about this initiative:

z Any active ATPE member who recruits a new member between now and October 31 can receive $10 per member! z Make sure the new member joins in the first-time professional, associate, or administrator categories. A “new member” is someone who has never been a member of ATPE. (Exception: If a member was previously a college student or student teacher member, they do qualify as a new member. This is a program change for 2020-21!) z Incentives will be paid for each recruited member who is an active member in ATPE’s database on February 1, 2021. z All funds will be issued via direct deposit (EFT) in March 2021. z The top recruiter will receive $1,000 in addition to $10 per member recruited. z No entry form needed—simply tell the educators you recruit to clearly print or enter your full name in the “recruited by” box on their membership application.

36 ATPE NEWS

YOUR ATPE

Need School Supplies?

ATPE Can Help!

Stock up on school supplies and take advantage of the savings your ATPE membership provides! We’re talking about discounts of up to 80% on more than 93,000 products at Office Depot and OfficeMax. Members can shop online or in stores and enjoy FREE next-day shipping on online orders over $50!

Log in to your ATPE account and visit atpe.org/discounts for full details!

Take Care of Your CPE Credits with ATPE’s Professional Learning Portal Continuing professional education (CPE) is mandatory for most Texas educators, but it doesn’t have to be difficult! Knock out a few hours of CPE and really hone your teaching skills for the new school year. Thanks to your ATPE membership, you have the opportunity to earn CPE from the comfort of your home—or anywhere with an internet connection!

©iStock.com/anilakkus; ©iStock.com/OnstOn

The ATPE Professional Learning Portal provides you with access to a wide array of webinars and courses, including sessions from past SXSW EDU conferences. On the portal, you can:

Take courses on multiple devices.

Generate certificates and reports.

Track your progress.

Log CPE hours earned through the ATPE portal (or from other sources).

To access the ATPE Professional Learning Portal and view the courses, just log in to your ATPE account on atpe.org and head to Online Professional Development under the Resources tab.

ATPE NEWS 37

EDUCATORS MAKE GREAT STUDENTS Stephen F. Austin State University offers myriad graduate educator preparation programs through online, hybrid and face-to-face formats.

ONLINE

Master of Education early childhood elementary education (with or without reading specialist certification) secondary education special education (with or without educational diagnostician) educational leadership (principal preparation) Certificates ESL/bilingual supplemental certificate principal or superintendent preparation supplemental certificates

HYBRID

Master of Education special education with visual impairment or orientation and mobility Master of Arts professional counseling (school counseling) school psychology

FACE-TO-FACE

Doctor of Education educational leadership (approx. every other Friday evening/all day Saturday) Doctor of Philosophy school psychology Take classes to further your education when it’s convenient for you! For more information about these programs, contact Belinda Davis, James I. Perkins College of Education graduate studies coordinator, at (936) 468-1587 or coegrad@sfasu.edu.

ADVERTISEMENT

Continued from page 33

WILLIAM B. TRAVIS ATPE-PAC HONOREES William B. Travis Honorees are members who donated $150 or more to ATPE-PAC between August 1, 2018, and July 31, 2019.

Elizabeth Abrahams, Christopher Adams, Michelle Adams, Donnetta Allen, Susan Ambrus, Wanda Bailey, WilliamBarton, Rebecca Barton, Betty Berndt, Neva Bottoms, Sherry Boyd, Brenda Bryan, Alyssa Cannon, Ygnacia Capetillo, Francisca Cardenas, Dana Carroll, Trasa Cobern, Mary Crisp, Hector Cruz, Sarah Czar, Carol Davies, OnaBeth Day, David de la Garza, Stacey Dieterich, Kimberly Dolese, John Donihoo, Joanna Duran, Suellen Ener, Alice Erdelt, Jose Fang, Madonna Felan, Angelyna Fernandez, Twila Figueroa, Ron Fitzwater, Christina Flores, Janelle Flores, Jason Forbis, Julie Fore, John Fore, Emily Fortune, Ginger Franks, Bernard Franks, Brenda Fuller, Stacy Gallier, Carl Garner, Katherine Geisler, Cesarea Germain, Donna Gibbon, Patti Gibbs, Sharon Ginn, Jennifer Grady, Tonja Gray, Eunice Green, Leah Greer, Bill Griffin, Jesse Guerrero, Karen Hames, Evelyn Hardaman, Margie Hastings, Darius Hatchett, Cynthyna Haveman, Tommie Hicks, Byron Hildebrand, Shannon Holmes, Malinda Holzapfel, Nicholi Hoskins, Stephanie Hudson, MaElena Ingram, Phyllis Jarzombek, Monica Jimenez, Stefani Johnson, Rebecca Keels, Darlene Kelly, Joshua Kendrick, Connie Kilday, Rebecca Lanham, Beverly Leath, Deann Lee, Jimmy Lee, Jerrica Liggins, Bridget Loffler, Glenda Loftin, Dale Lovett, Margaret Lovett, Elias Lozano, Meredith Malloy, Judy Malloy, Katy Matthews, Alejandro Medrano, Antonio Mercado, Teresa Millard, Yvette Milner, Donald Milner, Theresa Moczygemba, Rodolfo Monsevalles, Ashley Montoya, William Monty, Roger Moralez, Shlonda Morgan, Michelle Morlock, Traci Morrison, Danielle Muesse-Caples, Debbie Mullins, Russell Mullins, Laura Musgrove, Teri Nail, Sharon Nix, Daisy Palomo, Bobbye Patton, Dominic Perez, Deborah Petrosky, Joan Phillips, Deborah Pleasant, Betty Plunkett, Steve Pokluda, Darla Purcell, Abigail Ramford, Rebecca Reeves, Michael Renteria, Desirie Ries, Dawn Riley, Brooke Roberts, Cristela Rocha, Eliseo Rodriguez, Judith Rodriguez, Larry Rojas, Eugenia Rolfe, Barbara Ruiz, Delia Salcido, Gayle Sampley, Danielle Sanders, Gary Schepf, Jayne Serna, Meliss Serpas, Christy Shelley, Kristin Shelton, Eduardo Sierra, Gloria

continued from page 19

How do you define and measure success for yourself and your students?

The concept of success cannot merely be limited to numerical scores on multiple-choice standardized tests. While these numbers can offer valuable data when comparing students, campuses, and districts, they do not complete the concept of success in education. True success for myself and my students is the creation and sustaining of an insatiable thirst for knowledge.

I measure this desire for more learning and knowledge by the actions of my students. Are they asking questions? What kind of questions are they asking? Are they offering their

Silva, Bess Simple, Maria Slette, Shelia Slider, Wendy Smith, Christie Smith, Rhonda Smith, Samuel Spurlock, Becky Spurlock, Patricia Startz, Stephanie Stoebe, Elizabeth Sunderland, Michael Sweet, Jane Sykes, Judi Thomas, Maria Ines Trevino, Norma Vega, Cynthia Veselka, Greg Vidal, Ron Walcik, Melissa Walcik, Eileen Walcik, Kelley Walker, Sarah Walters, Leslie Ward, Stacey Ward, Virginia Welch, Katherine Whitbeck, Jettie Whitlock, Shane Whitten, Richard Wiggins, Kathy Wiggins, David Williams, Stephanie Willis, Susan Wilson, Kathie Wilson, Belinda Wolf, Lori Wolf, Audree Wood, Sylvia Zamora, Robert Zamora ATPE’S TOP RECRUITER ATPE’s recruitment challenge, One New = $10 for You, is designed to encourage new member recruitment by recognizing and rewarding successful recruiters.

Mauro Sierra, La Joya ATPE ALAFAIR HAMMETT MEDIA AWARDS Named for ATPE’s first state president, this award recognizes individual local media reporters for their outstanding support and coverage of public education. The 2020 recipient is: Eva-Marie Ayala, The Dallas Morning News STAFF SERVICE AWARDS Congratulations to the following staff members honored during the summit for their 95 years of combined service.

5 years of service Michael Cowan Kelly Greer 15 years of service Judd Gibson Jennifer Mitchell Javier Ybarra 20 years of service Donna Derryberry Carolyn Jenkins

own ideas or solutions? Are they making connections with the content outside the boundaries of the classroom by bringing in items or telling stories from home? Are shy students volunteering to lead? Are strugglers taking risks? Do students share their passions? When the answers to these questions is yes, then I consider myself a successful educator with successful students.

Ultimately, I desire for my students to develop a deep lifelong love of learning that will fuel them into achieving outside the realm of their current situations, no matter how difficult.

The deeper the knowledge a person possesses, the more questions develop, the more empowered a person becomes.

ATPE NEWS 39

In the face of uncertainty, ATPE stands by you The Texas public education community faces its greatest challenge yet during the 2020-21 school year. We don’t know how COVID-19 will impact instruction and campus life in the months to come.

But we do know Texas educators will rise to the challenge—and that ATPE stands by you, each and every day.

Make sure your membership is renewed for the 2020-21 school year to ensure uninterrupted access to: •L egal resources* to protect your career, including up to $8 million in professional liability insurance; extensive employment rights defense insurance that’s guaranteed, win or lose; and access to a team of staff attorneys who may help eligible members with jobrelated legal concerns • Advocacy in Austin and D.C. from a team of experienced professional lobbyists dedicated to fighting for Texas educators’ rights •P rofessional learning and leadership opportunities, including 24/7 access to 80+ hours of online continuing professional education (CPE) •E xclusive discounts on school and office supplies, prescriptions, degree programs, online shopping, and more

Text ATPE to 38470 to receive a link to the membership application.

Pay dues via credit card or bank draft to enjoy savings on your annual membership.

Visit atpe.org/join-2020 to renew today.

*Eligibility, terms, conditions, and limitations apply. Visit atpe.org/protection to view important disclosures and complete details of the insurance policy. Staff attorney services are provided separate from the Educators Professional Liability Insurance Program.

Use this side to join by

CHECK

2020–21 ATPE Membership Application

Installment payments & auto-renew available for credit card/bank draft at atpe.org STEP 1

MM

Personal Information

Name (first, middle, last)

Last 4 digits of SSN

ATPE member ID (optional)

Male

Birthdate (MM/DD/YY)

ISD

Female

Campus

Cell phone (required)

Home phone (optional)

Personal email (required) Campus email (optional)

Employee ID number

Mailing address State

City ZIP

Recruited by Print: First Name

STEP 2

Membership Category (select one) & Invest in Education

DESIGNATED ATPE REPS Received Date

See below for category descriptions.

Student Teacher, College Student, and Public members may join online at atpe.org. 2020-21 Professional, Associate, and Administrator memberships will not be accepted after Jan. 31, 2021. FirstTime Professional memberships will not be accepted after Oct. 31, 2020.

Last Name

Professional (teacher, counselor, etc.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . $139 $175 First-Time Professional (never been a professional member) . $110

Print Name

Associate (para-educator, aide, support staff, etc.) . . . . . . $80 $90 Signature

Administrator (principal, superintendent, etc.) . . . . . . . . . . . $225 Retired . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$10 OPTIONAL: Invest in Education ATPE Local Unit Dues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ Support ATPE in your local school district.

ATPE-PAC Suggested Donation . . . . . . . . . . . . $ Make a voluntary donation to our political action committee.

Yes, contact me about becoming a volunteer!

How to Submit Your Application

12

TOTAL $

Mail your completed application and check to: ATPE | 305 E. Huntland Dr., Ste. 300 | Austin, TX 78752

ATPE membership year begins 8/1/20 & ends 7/31/21. Some benefits’ effective dates may not match effective membership dates. Visit atpe.org for disclosure details/limitations. I understand that ATPE may contact me via information provided on this application, including email and text, to communicate about my benefits/account. ATPE dues are not deductible as charitable contributions for income tax purposes but may be deductible as misc. itemized deductions, subject to IRS restrictions. Approx. 94% of your dues dollar is considered deductible; 5.6% is used for lobbying activities and is therefore not deductible.

Or hand-deliver it to an authorized ATPE representative. Faxed or scanned applications are not accepted.

ATPE MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES You must join in the appropriate insured category in order to qualify for the Educators Professional Liability Insurance Policy. ATPE reserves the right to determine eligibility for the appropriate membership category. Commissioned peace officers are eligible for public membership only. Professional, First-Time Professional, Associate, and Administrator membership is open to persons employed in Texas by a public school district, institution of higher education, Regional Education Service Center, State Board for Educator Certification, or the Texas Education Agency. If you have a question about the eligibility of job descriptions not listed below, call (800) 777-2873.

INSURED CATEGORIES Professional Member First-Time Professional Member (Rate available only through 10/31/20) Athletic Director/Coordinator Athletic Trainer At-Risk Coordinator Audiologist Band/Choral Director Business Manager Coach Counselor

Curriculum Director Dean of Instruction Department Head/Chair Diagnostician Instructional Officer Intern Teacher IT Director/Coordinator Librarian Nurse (RN) Parent/Community Coordinator Assistant Principal Regional Service Center Staff School Psychologist/Associate

UNINSURED CATEGORIES Social Worker Teacher Therapist/Pathologist University Professor Visiting Teacher Administrator Member Educators who are employed in Texas by a public school district as a principal, assistant/deputy/ area superintendent, or superintendent, and whose position requires certification

by the State Board for Educator Certification Associate Member Aide to position in Professional category Alternative Center Aide Bus Driver Cafeteria Worker Clerk–General Computer Programmer/Entry Custodial Worker Deaf Interpreter

Educational Aide/Technician Maintenance Worker Nurse (LVN) Regional Service Center Aide Secretary Security Guard (Unarmed) Substitute Teacher

Join online at atpe.org

Student Teacher Member

Public Member

Student teacher in Texas

Friend of public education

College Student Member Non-teaching college student Retired Member Retired former school employee

Use this side to join by

PAYROLL DEDUCTION

2020–21 ATPE Membership Application

 Save when you pay by credit card, bank draft, or check! See reverse.

STEP 1

MM

Personal Information

Name (first, middle, last)

Last 4 digits of SSN

ATPE member ID (optional)

Male

Birthdate (MM/DD/YY)

ISD

Female

Campus

Cell phone (required)

Home phone (optional)

Personal email (required) Campus email (optional)

Employee ID number

Mailing address State

City ZIP

Recruited by Print: First Name

STEP 2

Membership Category (select one) & Invest in Education

Student Teacher, College Student, and Public members may join online at atpe.org.

Associate (para-educator, aide, support staff, etc.) . . . . . . . . . . $90 Administrator (principal, superintendent, etc.) . . . . . . . . . . . $225 Retired . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$10 OPTIONAL: Invest in Education ATPE Local Unit Dues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ ATPE-PAC Suggested Donation . . . . . . . . . . . . $

Yes, contact me about becoming a volunteer!

Received Date Print Name Signature

ATPE membership year begins 8/1/20 & ends 7/31/21. Some benefits’ effective dates may not match effective membership dates. Visit atpe.org for disclosure details/limitations. I understand that ATPE may contact me via information provided on this application, including email and text, to communicate about my benefits/account. ATPE dues are not deductible as charitable contributions for income tax purposes but may be deductible as misc. itemized deductions, subject to IRS restrictions. Approx. 94% of your dues dollar is considered deductible; 5.6% is used for lobbying activities and is therefore not deductible.

Support ATPE in your local school district.

Make a voluntary donation to our political action committee.

STEP 3

DESIGNATED ATPE REPS

Professional (teacher, counselor, etc.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $175 First-Time Professional (never been a professional member) . $110

You must join in the appropriate insured category to qualify for the Educators Professional Liability Insurance Policy. See reverse for category descriptions.

Last Name

12

TOTAL $

Payroll Deduction Authorization

2020–21 Professional, Associate, and Administrator memberships will not be accepted after Jan. 31, 2021.* First-Time Professional memberships will not be accepted after Oct. 31, 2020.

I authorize ISD to deduct membership dues and donations. I further authorize ATPE to notify the ISD of changes in the amount of my annual dues and the ISD to deduct the new amounts. If my employment with the ISD ends, I authorize any unpaid balance to be deducted from my final check. This authorization for deductions is effective until I give notice to the ISD that I want to revoke it.

Total Amount $ I get paid

Total # of Deductions

Monthly

Last 4 digits of SSN

Bi-weekly

Date

I wish to cancel deduction of membership dues for: TX AFT

TCTA

TSTA

UEA

Other

Employee ID

Printed Name Signature

*ISD payroll offices may stop accepting payroll authorizations before Jan. 31, 2021.

How to Submit Your Application

Mail the entire application to: ATPE | 305 E. Huntland Dr., Ste. 300 | Austin, TX 78752

Or hand-deliver it to an authorized ATPE representative. Faxed or scanned applications are not accepted.

BRAIN BREAK

Indoor Plants for Any Classroom

Words by Michael Spurlin • Illustrations by Dillon Nelson Studies have shown that adding plants to your workplace carries multiple benefits for mental and physical health. Plants can help reduce stress while boosting productivity and creativity, and some varieties even help purify the air. Educators work busy schedules that leave little time to tend to a large “garden” in the classroom. Fortunately, even keeping a few, small plants can be beneficial. Below are a variety of indoor plants that can survive with minimum effort.

Cacti

Succulents

Pothos Plants

Snake Plants

These popular plants are famous for their ability to grow almost anywhere with little care or attention. Choose from more than 2,000 varieties, many of which are small and can fit in tight spaces. Cacti only need watering once every two or three weeks.

However, they typically need a lot of sunlight, so you will want to place them near a window.

Much like cacti, these popular plants come in numerous varieties and can thrive inside a classroom with minor maintenance. These waxy plants actually store water in their thick leaves, so they only typically require weekly watering. They also grow well with low sunlight or indoor lighting, making them ideal to place on a desk.

Pothos plants are some of the most popular office plants in the world.

They grow quickly and require little sunlight, making them the perfect plant to live on shelves and filing cabinets. Their bright green leaves are easy to trim and add a touch of color to any workspace. Only water when the soil begins to dry out.

Snake plants are hard to kill, require little sunlight, and grow well at room temperature. You also only need to water every few days. Additionally, these plants can help keep you and your workspace healthy: They can help purify the air by removing toxins and producing oxygen.

Spider Plants

Lucky Bamboo

Z Z Plant

Artificial Plant

Spider plants require minimal upkeep and can be grown in partial light and shade. Plus, they can subsist one to two days without water. They also help filter pollutants from the air.

Finally, they are easy to propagate— if you wanted to share the plant with a colleague, simply pinch off small sections and place in fresh soil.

This indoor plant isn’t technically bamboo, but rather a member of the lily family. Popular for its attractiveness and ability to easily grow indoors without a lot of light, it typically does not need to be watered but more than once a week. Lucky bamboo can also grow without soil when submerged in water, such as in a vase or dish. If you grow it this way, make sure the water level doesn’t sink below the stems or it will die.

These plants are growing in popularity. They thrive in bright light but will also do just fine in lower light environments. As a succulent, you only need to water it every two to three weeks. Its bright green, laddered leaves make this plant a pleasing addition to any desk.

If any of the other plants seem like too much work, don’t worry. Get yourself some affordable, artificial or replica plants. It is a stress-free way to brighten up a workspace.

ATPE NEWS 43

Association of Texas Professional Educators 305 E. Huntland Dr., Ste. 300 Austin, TX 78752-3792

Literacy is the key to all learning The literacy skills students develop greatly impact their ability to thrive in school and beyond.

Written by acclaimed experts and master practitioners, the Every Teacher Is a Literacy Teacher series details how educators can work collaboratively to promote literacy growth across disciplines and grade bands.

ORDER TODAY

ATPE NEWS 44 SolutionTree.com/EveryTeacherSeries

800.733.6786