The Advocate November, 2010

The

Advocate The official publication of the Knox County Education Association

November, 2010 Volume XXIV Issue 3

KCEA Officers President Jessica Holman Vice-President Sherry Morgan Secretary Jennifer Owen Treasurer Tanya T. Coats

Executive Board Representatives Support Personnel Open Seat High Schools Emily Dalton Lisa Thomas Middle Schools Karen Peterman Kim Waller Elementary Schools Judy Barnes Kelly Keen Heather Wallace Joan Washington Alternative Schools Amy Arnold Administration Dr. Rodney Russell Minority Member at Large Benny Perry Parliamentarian Paula Brown

TEA / NEA TEA East TN Minority Tanya T. Coats TEA East TN Administrator Carmelita Perry TEA Board, District 4 Jessica Holman TEA-FCPE, District 4 Bill Bell NEA Resolutions Committee Anthony Hancock

TEA Staff Uniserv Director Jim Petrie Administrative Assistant Abbie Hoover

Federal, State, & Local Politics: The Plan for Educational Failure Bill Bell, KCEA Legislative Contact Team After scores of years of neglect, the American public education system – the backbone of democracy – has finally been given a degree of importance in the eyes of elected officials and, therefore, in the consciousness of the average American citizen.

This elevation of education in the American culture provides an unprecedented opportunity to make it possible for every student to receive a quality education – something never before attempted.

Unfortunately, this golden opportunity is slipping away at a blinding rate of speed.

Though some elected officials – certainly not all – have been well intentioned, most of their efforts to improve the level of education for the majority of young Americans – despite what the general public have been told – have been misguided and have fallen far short of stated goals. Frankly, many have actually been detrimental to children, educators, and the general public. And, no amount of teacher bashing will solve this problem.

Educators know what needs to be done; we know what works – and what doesn’t. And, we know that real improvement to education cannot be done “on the cheap”.

Unfortunately, too many elected officials, convinced that they know what they are doing and that we do not, are blindly leading the country to a dead-end – producing an entire population who can take tests well, but lack the ability to think rationally.

Ashley Kear is a Milken Award Winner!

The Milken Educator Award provides public recognition and an unrestricted financial award of $25,000 to elementary and secondary school teachers, principals, and other education professionals who are furthering excellence in education. Each year, newly selected recipients are taken completely by surprise at school-wide assemblies. With an entourage of media and distinguished officials, a Foundation representative or the state chief of education typically notifies the recipient.

Miss Kear’s award was announced in a surprise assembly in the Dogwood Elementary School gymnasium on October 4th.

During the presentation, Lowell Milken, chairman and co-founder of the Milken Family Foundation, said "Our society's most important profession is teaching - as it informs all others, We created the Milken Educator Awards to proclaim, in a very public way, that greatness in education must be recognized and rewarded.”

The Milken Educator Award's visibility and reputation results in new opportunities for educators to improve education at local, state and national levels. New recipients join the Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 2,400 distinguished educators, plus other exemplary educators and business leaders from across the country, whose expertise serves as a valuable resource to fellow educators, legislators, school boards and others shaping the future of education.

Congratulations, Ashley!

This year, we will continue our efforts to convince elected officials that charter schools, vouchers, and test-score teacher evaluations will not achieve the goals they say they want to accomplish. We will be asked to communicate with our elected officials in order to convince them that, to effectively improve education, such things as smaller classes, alternative courses of study, and salary levels that will attract and maintain quality people to the teaching profession are the directions in which federal, state, and local government should be going.

When asked to send a message to a member of Congress, State Legislature, or a local elected official, please do so. Our elected officials certainly need our help – whether they realize it or not.

From left to right: Milken Family Foundation Chairman and CoFounder Lowell Milken, Milken Educator Award recipient Ashley Kear (TN '10), Dogwood Elementary Principal Lana SheltonLowe and District Superintendent Dr. James P. McIntyre, Jr. Photo courtesy of the Milken Family Foundation

THE ADVOCATE

Election 2010: Friends of Public Education Candidate Recommendations Explained As we prepare for the 2010 elections, we as educators must do our homework by being informed about each candidate’s positions that affect public education in Tennessee, such as funding, vouchers, class size, assessments and evaluations, among others. You can find out which candidates have passed our test and earned the recommendation of TEA by reviewing pages 8-10 of the October issue of teach or by visiting the Member Center section of www.teateachers.org.

First-time visitors will need their member ID number, found on the mailing label of teach magazine, to log in.

The federal and state candidates presented in this special section are true friends of public education. They are recommended by both the TEA and NEA Funds for Children and Public Education (TEA-FCPE and NEA-FCPE).

The candidate recommendation process for national office includes several steps that involve local, state and national political action units (local PACE, TEA-FCPE, NEA-FCPE), as well as concurrence by TEA and NEA governing bodies.

No dues dollars are used to support candidates.

Before they receive our endorsement, candidates for state and national office are interviewed on education issues and usually asked to complete written questionnaires. Every TEA member has the opportunity—through their locally affiliated FCPE unit—to give input into the Association’s candidate recommendation process at every level.

Recommendations are based on candidate support for, and commitment to, education issues supported by the Association. Our inclusive, transparent, bi-partisan recommendation process starts with our members at the grassroots, not from the top down. Always the determining factor is the candidate’s support for education, not his or her party label.

The candidates listed in this report have committed themselves to key Association issues. They need your support to make that commitment count. What happens to you and your students in 2011 and beyond will depend on your choices.

Additional information is available in the Member Center at www.teateachers.org.

NOVEMBER, 2010

‘I Can Do It!’ Training Dates Set Sign Up Now to Sharpen Your Skills For all new and nearly new Tennessee’s teachers, TEA is offering the popular “I Can Do It!” classroom management training on two Saturdays during the 2010-2011 school year, once each semester: October 30, 2010, and February 26, 2011.

With classroom management and student discipline topping the list of the most pressing problems new teachers face, TEA’s New Teacher Committee hosts the “I Can Do It!” training annually at the TEA office in Nashville.

Designed to assist teachers in their first three years of teaching, the training provides both a knowledge base and specific strategies to strengthen and maintain teachers’ classroom management skills.

Past participants in “I Can Do It!” offer high praise for this dynamic training, which is presented by accomplished teachers and TEA staff: • “It was wonderful. Thank you for making it real and showing you care. We are not alone!”

• “Thank you for giving me some fresh ideas when I am frustrated and tired of teaching.”

• “The presenters were real teachers and allowed lots of group discussion so many ideas could be shared.”

Registration for the new teacher conferences can be done by mail or online. A $50 registration fee, payable in advance, secures a spot in the training. The fee will be refunded the day of the training to TEA members who attend. If a registered participant does not attend or is not a TEA member by the date of the conference, the fee will not be refunded.

More details and registration information can be found online at www.teateachers.org by clicking on the New Teacher button on the right side of the home page.

Interesting fact about October 2010: This October had 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays, all in 1 month. It happens once in 823 years.

THE ADVOCATE

NOVEMBER, 2010

Fall Membership Meeting Notes The KCEA Fall General Membership Meeting was held at Bearden High School on Thursday, September 30th.

Gavin Luter, Education Project Coordinator for the United Way of Greater Knoxville addressed the membership regarding the community’s role in supporting teachers.

KCEA President, Jessica Holman, introduced the panel members for the Teacher Evaluation Advisory Committee presentation and the microphone was then turned over to Carol Schmoock, TEA Assistant Executive Director for Program Services.

Carol Schmoock gave a brief overview and update of the work of the First To The Top Advisory Committee. The full policy recommendations may be accessed online at: http://tn.gov/firsttothetop/programs-committee.html The First To The Top site is a dedicated site for for information and updates. In addition to viewing the committee plans and recommendations, you can also sign up to receive updates as soon as they are available. The main page is: http://tn.gov/firsttothetop/

The Teacher Evaluation Advisory Council was created by the Tennessee General Assembly as part of the Tennessee First to the Top Act of 2010. The committee will create a new, annual, teacher and principal evaluation framework to be recommended to the State Board of Education in November 2010.

Mike Edwards, President and CEO of the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce pointed out that “There are mountains of questions that need to be tackled.”

Representative Harry Brooks asked teachers to contact the committee with their ideas and suggestions concerning the evaluation process: “If, at any time, any teacher has an idea of how to improve the evaluation process, the committee wants to hear from you.” “We seek out educators to be involved in every phase of the evaluation process.”

The law states that by July, 2011, there will be an evaluation process in place. If you would like to be involved in shaping the evaluation process, or you have questions, please contact Carol Schmoock at AskTEA@tea.nea.org.

Questions? Ask TEA If you or your colleagues have questions about Tennessee’s Race to the Top application, the Tennessee First to the Top Act or the work of the evaluation advisory committee, the most direct route to get them answered by TEA is to e-mail them to AskTEA@tea.nea.org. We’ll do our best to keep you informed.

TEA Members in the News Oak Ridge Physics Teacher Wins Presidential Award

Anderson County Bridge Named After TEA Member

Congratulations to Peggy Bertrand, a physics teacher at Oak Ridge High School and Oak Ridge EA member, who won the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

When Richard Noe (TEA-Retired) fell 100 feet from a bridge he was helping construct, his life changed forever.

Now, 38 years later, that same bridge is named in his honor.

The award includes a citation signed by President Barack Obama and $10,000 from the National Science Foundation to be used at the recipient's discretion. Bertrand was selected by a panel of scientists, mathematicians and educators following an initial selection process at the state level.

The Knoxville News-Sentinel reports that a request to name the bridge in Noe's honor came from the Lake City Council and the Anderson County Commission, which both passed resolutions in support, but since the bridge is part of the interstate system, the dedication required passage of a bill in the Tennessee Legislature.

THE ADVOCATE

NOVEMBER, 2010

National Board Certification Renewal Seminar to be Held in Kentucky Any National Board-certified teacher in the eighth year of his or her certificate period is eligible to start the renewal process. Although TEA does not currently offer renewal assistance, TEA members may attend a National Board Certificate renewal seminar in Kentucky at no cost.

KEA has two scheduled seminars: October 30, 2010, in Louisville, Ky., and November 20, 2010, in Lexington. If you are interested in registering for a renewal seminar, please contact Susan Dalton in the TEA’s Instruction and Professional Development Division: sdalton@tea.nea.org.

Horace Mann, Lincoln Presidential Library Offer Scholarships to Educators

Calendar of Events October 30 October 31 November 1 November 2 November 3 November 6-7 November 7 November 8 November 11 November 14-20 November 17 November 22 November 25

I Can Do It! Workshop Halloween School Board Meeting Election Day School Board Meeting TEA Bargaining Conference, Murfreesboro Daylight savings time ends KCEA Executive Board Meeting. 4:30PM Veterans Day American Education Week ESP Day KCEA Representative Mtg. Thanksgiving

Milken Educator Award Information

For the sixth consecutive year, Horace Mann Educators Corporation and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library (ALPL) have partnered to form the Horace Mann-Abraham Lincoln Fellowship, a program designed to help educators teach American history to school-age children.

For more information about the Milken Educator Award, the Milken Family Foundation, please visit the Milken Family Foundation website: http://www.mff.org/

The fellowship program will offer 50 teachers the chance to study the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. It includes round-trip transportation to Springfield, Ill., lodging and most meals. While K-12 educators are eligible to apply, the curriculum is targeted to teachers of grades 4-12.

Interested teachers are encouraged to contact their local Horace Mann agent, visit the Horace Mann home page at www.horacemann.com or the ALPL home page at www.alplm.org. The application deadline is January 3, 2011.

The 50 winning fellows will be announced on May 1, 2011.

“Horace Mann believes that this partnership is an extension of our strong commitments to the education community and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library,” said Lou Lower, Horace Mann president and chief executive officer.

Our Mission To promote quality education in Knox County, the Knox County Education Association will provide a support system that guarantees the opportunity for professional growth, secures and improves benefits, and protects the rights of educators of Knox County.

Ashley Kear hangs her Milken Educator Awards check in her fourthgrade classroom so the entire class can share in her recognition.

Photo: Courtesy of the Milken Family Foundation

Contact KCEA 2 4 11 M a g n o l i a Ave .

Kn o xvi l l e , TN 3 7 9 1 7 Office: 865.522.9793 Cell: 865.660.0822 Fax: 865.522.9866

http://KCEAinTouch.org For past issues of The Advocate, full size photos, updated calendars, & additional information, please visit the KCEA website.