Student Education Association of Nebraska - November 2011
SEAN Executive Team Takes on Chicago
On the
Cover...
Executive Team members of the Student Education Association of Nebraska (SEAN) represented our state at the annual National Education Association-Student Leadership Conference (NEA-SLC) in Chicago, IL June 2011. Part of the responsibilities of being a state officer is to attend this conference and bring the benefits of the professional development seminars and Outreach to Teach experience back to Nebraska. If you would like to be part of the SEAN Executive Team, elections are held annually at the SEAN Delegate Assembly in the spring. Next year’s NEA-SLC will be in Washington, D.C. (more details on page 6)
UniServ Directors Gary Osborn Mike Wiesen
Student Education Association of Nebraska 605 S. 14th Street Suite 200 Lincoln, NE 68508-2742 http://nsea.org/members/sean/index.htm (800) 742-0047 (402) 475-7611 Volume 2, Issue 1
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Associate Staff Tamra Mick
2011-2012 SEAN Executive Team: President-Patrick White seanpres@nsea.org Vice-President-Megan Brown megan.brown0914@gmail.com Secretary-Jill Kimbrough kimbroughjm@lopers.unk.edu Underclass Representative-Ryan Evans ryan_e500@hotmail.com Western Region Representative-Breanna Wolfe wolfebr@lopers.unk.edu Southeast Region Representative-Devin Garcia skbshooter@gmail.com Northeast Region Representative-Matt Meyer
xmattmeyerx@gmail.com Metro Region Representative-vacant
stories fire s’mores leadership fearfriends Fireflie stories
bunk be S E A N Leadership Retreat snack jokes The annual SEAN Leadership Retreat was held again at Camp Carol Joy Holling near Ashland, NE. Local SEAN leaders from across the state challenged their fears and developed trust in their fellow members September 23rd and 24th as they navigated indoor/outdoor obstacle courses and the infamous zip-line. The retreat was an opportunity for the SEAN Executive Team to meet with local leaders. It also provided a platform for ideas to be discussed regarding membership drives, member engagement and future events.
Communication is crucial for the success of SEAN and its local affiliates. Building relationships at events like the leadership retreat facilitate efficient communication among local and state membership. Consequently, both state and local leaders are more informed and able to actively participate in all facets of the organization.
Jill Kimbrough conquered the pole and gets ready to take her leap of faith.
t-shirts
trus trust zip-line trust Fireflies scents obstaclecourseretre
conquer Devin Garcia and Rae Carbaugh pose for a picture with Megan Brown as she waits her turn for the zip-line.
Andrea Hoffman and Ryan Evans hug it out before PSEA members head back for their homecoming. (photo courtesy: Andrea Hoffman)
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Wesleyan Student Education Association The Nebraska Wesleyan Univeristy SEAN chapter recently sponsored an Education Policy Panel. The informative panel was assembled to reach members and help them understand “How No Child Left Behind Affects You.” This panel spoke on current trends in education policy at the federal and state levels, how laws affect teachers, and ways to become involved. Those in attendence were Gov. Dave Heinemann’s wife, First Lady Sally Ganem, Sen. Greg Adams and Lorraine Chang. Kudos to our Wesleyan chapter for sponsoring such an awesome event! Issues such as the profound impact of NCLB can be overwhelming and sometimes the consequences are not fully grasped by members during their education classes. This chapter’s leadership is as follows: Co-Presidents: Kelli Raile and Melissa Sorensen President-Elect: Jenna Country Chapter Advisor: Dr. Mike McDonald (photocourtesy:http://www.nebrwesleyan.edu/) (information courtesy: Tessa Christiansen)
Peru Student Education Association
The Peru Student Education Association (PSEA) splashed into the year with a Water Balloon Warrior Contest. Members met at the intramural field and the best-dressed warrior, Ali Umland, won a Casey’s $20 gift card. After the fight members were invited to an ice-cream social where they celebrated their victory and were provided information about upcoming PSEA and SEAN events along with the group’s weekly meeting time. Since then, PSEA has begun its monthly Reading Buddies Program. Members donate their time to read to children, ages 1 to 4 years. Currently, PSEA is planning a local 8 to Great seminar to encourage positive changes in campus leadership. In conjunction with Read Across America, PSEA is hosting its annual Scholastic Book Fair. All the proceeds from the book fair go to creating PSEA’s annual Dr. Seuss Birthday Bash, which hosts more than 1,500 students who come to see the skit and participate in Dr. Seuss stations. PSEA’s Executive Team is as follows: President, Megan Brown; Vice-President, Rae Carbaugh; Secretary, Ali Umland; Treasurer, Devin Garcia; Historian, Tiffany Streator; Media-Officer, Angela Zarybnicky. The PSEA advisor is Dr. Judith Ruskamp. Find PSEA on facebook. Search Peru Sean. Contact PSEA at mypsea@hotmail.com.
SEAN advising member Lisa Vanderhoof is reading “Panda in the Park” to Lucy and Ryan Evans stockspiles Christopher at the Peru Daycare as part of the monthly PSEA some water balloons. Reading Buddies Program.
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PSEA Secretary Ali Umland and member Carrie Vanderbeek stand soaked after the waterballoon fight waiting for ice-cream.
Campus Spotlight Does your chapter want the spotlight? If you have information about your SEAN chapter and its recent events, please send documents to Megan Brown at megan.brown0914@gmail.com.
SEAN - University of Nebraska Lincoln
SEAN UNL has kicked the year off with enthusiasm! They had meetings on September 1st and then October 13th, where they informed members about international teaching opportunities available for education majors at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. November 3rd, SEAN UNL sponsored their 2011 Student Teacher Panel, which has become very popular as it is a great asset for future student teachers. The last meeting this semester for SEAN UNL will be December 1st, 2011 in 53 Henzlik Hall.
SEAN UNL Secretary Brock Renzy and Co-Membership Chairpersons Jenna Langemeier and Melissa Panning meeting new freshmen and transfer students at the CEHS Fall Kick-Off. (photo courtesy: Dr. Lopez)
President Jenny Rockwell, President-Elect Kari Atkins, and Membership CoChiarperson, Jenna Langemeier model the new SEAN UNL shirts that they sold at the October 13th meeting. (photo courtesy: Dr. Lopez)
This chapter has continued to set large and small goals regarding membership recruitment and engagement. They have continued to provide quality events and opportunities for its members, and consequently their chapter is increasing accordingly! Congratulations to this chapter’s success and we look forward to the impact it will continue to make on the UNL campus and with its members. SEAN UNL’s leadership is as follows: President: Jenny Rockwell President-Elect: Kari Atkins Secretary: Brock Renzy Treasurer: Abby Gabel Membership Co-Chairs: Jenna Langemeier and Melissa Panning Chapter Advisors are Dr. Bill Lopez and Ms. Tina Hille. Find SEAN UNL on facebook at: www.facebook.com/sean.unl November 2011 - SEAN Scene - p. 5
National Education Association
2011 Student Leadership Conference The National Education Association - Student Leadership Conference (NEA-SLC) was held in Chicago, IL June 27th – June 30th. SEAN Executive Team Members spent lots of quality time together at the 2011 NEA-SLC ‘Bright Lights – Big Leaders’. This year’s sessions took place on Wednesday and focused on providing skills and knowledge to attendees that promote membership engagement, recruitment and retention. Breakout sessions included: Who Doesn’t Like Money?; Shake Your Movie Maker!; Make Your Meeting Shine; Carpe (L-R): Breanna Wolfe, Jill Kimbrough, Megan Brown, Devin Garcia, Matt Meyer, Diem; and Member Benefits. Patrick White, Ryan Evans and Nick Miller walked to AT&T Plaza in Millennium At the Shake Your Movie Maker Park to get a picture at the “Cloud Gate” sculpture. session, attendees got the chance to make a 30 second advertisement that they think would attract new members. Check out http://www. youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD 815EBAFFD444D89 to see the videos groups came up with. You will see our President, Patrick White, in See the Difference! Be the Difference! SEAN’s Northeast Region Representative, Matt Meyer and Western Region Representative, Breanna Wolfe are featured in Do You Have Friends with Benefits? (L-R): Ryan Evans, Devin Garcia, Megan Brown, Jill Kimbrough, Gary Osborn, These videos are definitely worth Patrick White, Breanna Wolfe and Nick Miller indulge in some great Italian food. taking a look at! At the end of each NEA-SLC, the awards ceremony Local Newsletter Award and SEAN’s Vice-President, takes place. State award winners from across the nation Megan Brown, was awarded the Jeffrey “J.D.” Miller are sent to compete against each other. The NEA-SP Outstanding Underclassman Award. If you would like Chair, Organizational Specialist, and Senior Program more information on awards and how to apply contact Assistant judge applicants to choose the winner. This Awards Committee Chair, Megan Brown at megan. year, SEAN’s affiliate the Peru Student Education brown0914@gmail.com. Association was awarded the Outstanding p. 6 - SEAN Scene - November 2011
National Education Association
1 5 t h A n n u a l O u t re a c h t o Te a c h
Believe it or not, this is a cake!
Back Row (L-R): Nick Miller, Devin Garcia, Ryan Evans, Matt Meyer, Patrick White Front Row (L-R): Megan Brown, Breanna Wolfe, Jill Kimbrough SLC attendees helped rejuvenate Charles Dawes Elementary School.
The second day of every NEASLC is dedicated to the Outreach to Teach (OTT). Student and retired members ride buses out to a school near the SLC location that is in need of some tender loving care. Outreach to Teach celebrated its 15th year this summer at Charles Dawes Elementary School in Evanston, IL. Nearly 400 NEA volunteers donated their time and
services to repair and refresh the school. On November 19, SEAN will be sponsoring its own Outreach to Teach at Howard Elementary School in Grand Island, NE. We already have over 80 attendees committed to help rejuvenate this elementary school! As teacher-candidates, we know that caring for our students doesn’t just turn off when the bell
In celebration OTT’s 15th year, a local celebrity cake decorater donated his services to create this amazing cake.
rings. SEAN members are entering the field of education because we care about the welfare of students and genuinely want to give them the greatest opportunities to succeed. This characteristic of teachers is embodied in SEAN’s annual Outreach to Teach project. If you would like to be involved register at: http://nsea.org/members/ sean/2011Outreach.htm.
Do you want some g r e e n ? NEA CLASS and SOAR grant applications are due November 30th Locals can apply for up to $1,000 through the CLASS grant, which is intended for community outreach efforts. Locals can also apply for up to $2,000 through the SOAR grant, which is meant for membership recruitment and involvement. SEAN/NSEA-Retired Scholarship The NSEA-Retired Board of Directors contributes $3,000 annually each September to the SEAN-NSEA Retired Scholarship Foundation. This contribution shall fund up to three $1,000 scholarships, awarded to the most qualified of the applications received and selected by the SEAN-NSEA Retired Selection Committee. Applications must be sent by regular mail to the Tamra Mick, NSEA, 605 South 14th Street, Lincoln, NE 68508. Applications must be postmarked no later than March 1 of each year. November 2011 - SEAN Scene - p. 7
White
The and of Collective Bargaining Basic Facts
Yo u S h o u l d Kn o w
Teachers across the country are losing their rights. Wisconsin repealed final and binding interest arbitration. Michigan removed “reasonable and just cause” as the standard for discharge. Performance-based pay based on standardized tests is used to determine all of Ohio teachers’ salaries and 50% of Florida teachers’ salaries. Reduction in salaries and change in working conditions can take place without negotiations in Idaho and bargaining on issues such as class size and lesson planning is illegal. Nevada added mandatory reopeners during economic hardships. New Jersey teachers are required to contribute a minimum of 1.5% of their salary with a range of 3 to 35% of their premium. Tennessee has taken away all bargaining rights from teachers. Why should collective bargaining matter to you? When you become a teacher you will be directly affected by collective bargaining. Things like your salary, health insurance benefits, number of sick days, retirement, amount of planning time, etc. will be annually negotiated by your school’s NSEA bargaining team. NSEA membership is crucial for you to be involved with decisions made regarding your salary and benefits. Advocacy is vital to keep our union strong and ensure the protection of teachers’ rights. The world of collective bargaining is changing. Seniority and tenure are becoming worthless in several states. How teachers are held accountable and evaluated is changing. The burdens of healthcare coverage are being pushed onto teachers’ cut salaries as mandated by new legislation and lack of collective bargaining rights. Nebraska’s LB 397 has been instrumental in changing the way Nebraska teachers collectively bargain. This piece of legislation has been less onerous in comparison to action taken in other states. The massive efforts made by NSEA members to preserve our collective bargaining rights when LB 397 was being negotiated, ensured that changes were minimal.
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SEAN Vice-President, Megan Brown, and PSEA Vice-President, Rae Carbaugh, represented student members at the 2011 Collective Bargaining Conference in Grand Island, NE. This year’s conference hosted an impressive 270 members, being the highest member attendance in recent years. NSEA members flocked to this conference to GET THE FACTS about the new frontier of collective bargaining not only for Nebraskan teachers, but also for our fellow NEA members from across the nation. Shades of gray regarding collective bargaining have made it a mystifying concept for many teacher-candidates and new teachers. So here it is, in black and white, five basic facts you should know about collective bargaining and impact LB 397 has made on the collective bargaining process for teachers.
“Locals and affiliates advocate to respond to the past, deal with the present, and look to the future.” Bill Raabe, NEA Director of Collective Bargaining and Member Advocacy, 2011
2011 Enacted State Legislation Limiting Scope of Bargaining for K-12 Educators
ID
WI
NH MA
MI OH
NV
IL
IN
NJ
(photo courtesy: Bill Raabe) TN
FL
NEA COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AND MEMBER ADVOCACY (MAP CURRENT AS OF AUGUST 2011)
2011 State law limiting scope of education employee bargaining (12)
You NEED to Know About
The most major change that LB 397 has enforced is the implementation of a collective bargaining calendar and an extra level of mediation before a school can enter into the CIR. All bargaining agreements continue until the CIR. Array analysis is defined. There is a statutory order of at least four meetings before a settlement.
November 2011 - SEAN Scene - p. 9
Take a s t e p towards leadership. Be on a
SEAN Committee
SEAN has three committees that need members: Membership Committee, Awards Committee and Bylaws Committee. Recently, the three committees have consisted of only SEAN Executive Team members; however, it is important that local members become involved for the committees to be diverse and accurately represent SEAN as a whole. If you would like to be part of a SEAN committee, contact the committee chair or Tamra Mick at tamra.mick@nsea.org. The SEAN Awards Committee meets the night before SEAN Delegate Assembly to choose the winners of state awards. The Awards Committee (formerly the Chapter of Excellence committee) is responsible for reviewing the awards applications each year and making suggestions for
The SEAN Bylaws Committee meets the night before SEAN Delegate Assembly. This committee reviews the SEAN Bylaws and Resolutions each year and makes suggestions for changes to bring forth to the Delegate Assembly. The committee will also review any Bylaws and/or Resolutions
The SEAN Membership Committee works throughout the year to support membership growth and engagement across the state. The Membership Committee is responsible for looking at new ways to increase and retain membership within the organization. The
Awards
Committee
Bylaws
Committee
Membership
Committee
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change in the applications to be presented. The committee also serves as the judging panel for the several awards SEAN gives out at Delegate Assembly. If you would like to be part of this committee, contact the Awards Committee Chair, Vice President Megan Brown, at megan.brown0914@gmail.com.
changes that are proposed by the Nebraska student members. If you would like to be part of the SEAN Bylaws Committee, contact Tamra Mick at, tamra.mick@nsea.org.
committee is also responsible for making suggestions to improve membership programs already in place. If you would like to be part of the Membership Committee, contact the Membership Committee Chair, SEAN President Patrick White, at seanpres@nsea.org.
Meet Your New SEAN Executive Team
Patrick White President
Megan Brown Vice-President
Ryan Evans Underclass Representative Back Row (L-R): Breanna Wolfe, Ryan Evans, Devin Garcia, Matt Meyer Front Row (L-R): Megan Brown, Patrick White, Jill Kimbrough
Jill Kimbrough Secretary Outreach to Teach Chair
Devin Garcia Southeast Region Representative Schools Represented: Doane College, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Peru State College, University of Nebraska at Lincoln
2011 - 2012 SEAN Executive Team At the 2011 SEAN Delegate Assembly, elections took place to determine the new SEAN Executive Team. Check out who is representing you! College of Saint Mary, Creighton University, Grace University, and University of Nebraska at Omaha are in the Metro Region. The Metro Region Representative position is still vacant. If interested, contact Tamra Mick at tamra.mick@nsea.org.
Breanna Wolfe Western Region Representative Schools Represented: Chadron State College, Hastings College, Mid-Plains Community College, University of Nebraska at Kearney, Western Nebraska Community College, York College
Matt Meyer Northeast Region Representative Schools Represented: Midland Lutheran University, Northeast Community College, Wayne State College
November 2011 - SEAN Scene - p. 11
Heat
Turning Up the
Last year SEAN put its focus on membership and set a goal of increasing our numbers to 1,500 members. Unfortunately, SEAN did not meet its goal and fell short of the magic number by a handful of members. We are taking a lesson from T.H. Palmer’s Teacher Manual, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again.” Just like teaching in the classroom, if a student doesn’t understand a concept, the teacher analyzes data, synthesizes the information with previous knowledge, and creates a systematic plan that is implemented to help the student succeed. SEAN is maintaining our 1,500 goal, but after looking at what approaches were ineffective last year, we understand that the only way to increase membership is to motivate and be supportive of our local chapters. The potential power locals have is extraordinary. If a chapter is united in purpose and motivation, its influence on campus and across the state can be significant. Members make our organization work. Without passionate locals that want to make a difference, SEAN is nothing. We already have 1,130 members, making us only 370 members away from reaching our goal! The SEAN Executive Team is aware of chapters that have established membership goals for this year and we are extremely excited to see your enthusiasm. We challenge you to help SEAN meet its goal and go even beyond. It is imperative that we not only reach our goal, but engage our members
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on Membership
to become active. Leaders need to share their desire to strengthen our organization and help members to become personally invested in our missions: Teacher Quality, Political Action, and Community Outreach. Meeting our membership goal + engaging members to become active = a unified SEAN that can truly make a difference.
Membership 1,500
1,130 1,000
500
0
Thermometer
Calendar Events
of
November
Fall Conference & Outreach to Teach
November 18, 2011 - November 19, 2011 Friday Evening - Fairfield Inn & Suites - 805 Allen Drive, Grand Island, NE 68803 Saturday - Howard Elementary School - 502 West 9th Street, Grand Island, NE 68801
Spring Conference
February
February 24, 2012 - February 25, 2012 York College - 1125 E 8th S York, Nebraska 68467
SEAN Delegate Assembly
March
March 31, 2012 NSEA Building - 605 South 14th Street, Lincoln, NE 68508
NSEA Delegate Assembly
April
April 20, 2012 - April 21, 2012 Embassy Suites, LaVista - 12520 Westport Parkway, La Vista, NE 68128
(If you wish to be a student delegate to the NSEA Delegate Assembly, voting will take place at the SEAN Delegate Assembly. Six student delegates are chosen to attend.)
June
NEA Student Leadership Conference TBA Washington, D.C.
(All SEAN Executive Team members attend the NEA-SLC. If you want to become part of the SEAN Executive Team, voting will take place at the SEAN Delegate Assembly.)
NEA Representative Assembly June 30, 2012 - July 5, 2012 Washington, D.C.
(If you wish to be a student delegate to the NEA Representative Assembly, voting will take place electronically via SurveyMonkey. Three student delegates are chosen to attend.)
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