MAINE
Educator Special Edition 2020 www.maineea.org @maineea
Inspring Supporting
From a Distance
Inside Look COVID-19 SPECIAL EDITION Volume 80, Number 6
Share Your Story
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Resources 7 Teaching During COVID-19
8 Practical Ideas to Reach Students
16 Virtual Classroom Management
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From MEA 4 The Learning Space
5 Editor’s Note
6 President’s Letter
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PE/Health Teacher Tips on Staying Active and Healthy During School Closures
Share Your Story
How Innovative Educators Are Engaging Students Online
MEA Pre-Retirement Seminars
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CONTENTS 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 12 13 14 15 16 18 20 22 24 25 26 28 30 31 32
The Learning Space Editor's Note President's Letter Teaching During COVID-19 Practical Ideas to Reach Students Develop Your Own Hazmat Suit Success at Home Securing Your Zoom Classroom Share Your Story Be A Star! Video Editing Apps Virtual Classroom Management School Funding - What Happens Now? PE/Health Teacher Tips on Staying Active and Healthy During School Closures Five Apps To Redefine Your Math Class Message from MainePERS Visiting Florida From Dirigo Elementary School Create Your Own Virtual Field Trips With These Free Travel Resources How Innovative Educators Are Engaging Students Online MEABT Virgin Pulse Emotional Health For You MEA Pre-Retirement Seminars
Editorial Staff Managing Editor Editor Layout Design
Paula Voelker Giovanna Bechard Shawn Berry
Leadership President Vice President Treasurer
Grace Leavitt Jesse Hargrove Beth French
Board of Directors District A District B District C District D District E District F District G District H District I District J District K District L District M District O District P Disrtict R District ESP Student MEA
Robert "Bo" Zabierek Suzen Polk-Hoffses Mallory Cook Cedena McAvoy Ken Williams Janice Murphy Nancy Mitchell Dennis Boyd Rebecca Cole Amy O'Brien-Brown Bob McCully Janet Howe-Kuech Donna Longley Lisa Leduc Neil Greenberg Gary McGrane Gerry French Carson Hope
Maine Educator (ISSN #1069-1235) is published by: Maine Education Association 35 Community Drive, Augusta, ME 04330-8005 207-622-4418; fax 207-623-2129 POSTMASTER: send address changes to: Maine Educator 35 Community Drive, Augusta, Maine 043308005 Non-Profit US Postage paid at Augusta, Maine and additional mailing offices. For advertising rates and information please contact: Shawn Berry 35 Community Dr., Augusta, ME 04330 207-622-4418 ext. 2206 On the cover: Images from videos and photos posted to social media
and shared with MEA
COVID-19 Special Edition • www.maineea.org
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MEA is pleased to announce its sponsorship of Maine Public’s new initiative called The Learning Space. In an effort to reach students who may not be connected via the internet, Maine Public will air educational programming for students in grades 3 through 5 on television. Maine Public reaches a statewide audience through television and will broadcast lessons developed by dedicated educators from across Maine. Many MEA members have been gracious to help with this effort, creating original video lessons to provide exceptional learning opportunities for Maine students.
The Learning Space Broadcast Mondays through Fridays Maine Public Television 12:30 pm
The Learning Space is possible due to collaboration with the following organizations: MEA: Maine Education Association | MSTOYA: Maine State Teachers of the Year Association | MSMA: Maine School Management Association | MCLA: Maine Curriculum Leaders Association | NBCTs of Maine: National Board Certified Teachers of Maine | MPA: Maine Principal’s Association | MADSEC: Maine Administration of Services for Children with Disabilities 4
Maine Educator • COVID-19 Special Edition
April
FROM THE EDITOR
“ Clinging to Normal I wasn’t expecting there to be another issue of the Maine Educator so soon. However, like all of you, so much of what you’re doing day-to-day wasn’t expected. I cling to anything that seems “normal” now-the silly things like Wheel of Fortune being on at 7pm every night. I watched this show every day with my mom and sister growing up and continue to watch it to this day. As a life-long fan, and someone who was lucky enough to appear on the show in January as a contestant, I try and tune in to feel that normalcy in my life. But the reality is-with so much that isn’t “normal,” I felt like MEA had to try and do as much as possible to support its members during this time, and get you as much information as possible to help you day to day. That’s why this special issue of the Maine Educator focuses mostly on professional development issues-navigating the world of remote teaching and learning. Things like virtual classroom management, the best apps to help create videos and uploads, securing your virtual classroom and more. We’ve also included some information about bargaining and the impact of a permanent salary freeze versus a freeze that bounces back to your original pay prior to COVID-19. These are important differences and should be studied.
2020
I wanted to take a minute to personally thank all members who have helped put this issue together. Your willingness to share what you’re learning with MEA so we can reach a broad network of members has truly made this issue possible-thank you.
“Resign yourself to the fact that there will be curriculum you don’t cover. These kids are learning a lifetime of resiliency skills in a month and are forcefully learning how to best communicate while in isolation and balancing family, friends, learning, boredom, depression... you name it. Just move forward and get a little better each week.” If you need help, reach out to MEA. We are here to support you-just don’t expect me to answer back between the hours of 7-7:30-I’ll be watching the Wheel. (Joking, of course-we’re always here for you!)
I wanted to take a minute to personally thank all the members who have helped put this issue together. Your willingness to share what you’re learning with MEA so we can reach a broad network of members has truly made this issue possible-thank you. While it’s always nice to share the stories of success, because they’re uplifting and they get us through the difficult days, we understand this time is challenging. Perspective is key. I encourage you to take the advice of this educator who shared her feelings about teaching during this time:
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA Giovanna Bechard Editor editor@maineea.org
COVID-19 Special Edition • www.maineea.org
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MEA PRESIDENT'S LETTER
How Do You Spell Support? “M-E-A , of course!”
S
Thank you for ALL that YOU continue to do— please know that what you have been doing is remarkable, and that it is appreciated!
"
ince early March when we first got wind of what was possibly in store for Maine educators and students, your Maine Education Association has been hard at work on many fronts doing all we can to support you in these incredibly troubled and troubling times. We were all suddenly thrown into an angry sea of the unknown, and anxiety, fear, stress mounted with each passing day. We worked to connect with and check in with our members, to find answers to the many questions that arose, to advocate for fair treatment, and to provide resources to help our students continue to learn and our educators to be able to support their learning in this uncharted landscape. Many of you have let us know that all of this has made you realize more than ever just how much you value your membership and our Association.
what the re-opening of our schools and campuses might look like and what will need to happen to provide safe learning and working environments for everyone.
Things seem to have stabilized somewhat—for now, at least--but we know there is still a need for ongoing support in many areas and for professional development. This edition of the Maine Educator is focused on helping to provide just that. Know also that MEA is planning to continue offering webinars and we will of course keep supporting you in every way possible as we all begin to consider
In Unity,
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Maine Educator • COVID-19 Special Edition
Both the MEA and the NEA will also keep advocating for the state and federal resources that we know will be needed as the economy struggles and our schools and students and members need ever greater support going forward. Thank you for ALL that YOU continue to do—please know that what you have been doing is remarkable, and that it is appreciated! Stay tuned, stay in touch, stay safe and stay well.
Grace Leavitt President gleavitt@maineea.org
Teaching During COVID-19
ADVICE FROM HEATHER WHITAKER, MAINE 2020 TEACHER OF THE YEAR
2020 Maine Teacher of the Year, Heather Whitaker from Gorham Middle School, is working to help close the digital divide during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whitaker was a key panelist during a recent MEA webinar on this topic and offered the following guidance to MEA members. • • • • •
• • • •
•
ACADEMIC STRATEGIES
Basic needs and relationships over everything else: “Maslow before Bloom” AND “Grace over Grades are #1” Safety and well-being check-ins are more important than academic demands Differentiation is key Zoom, Google Meet, texting, phone calls… all excellent tools, but we need to monitor frequency, access, and mandating presence
• • • • •
FINDING BALANCE
Maintain office hours and set your own schedule. Hold yourself accountable! Self-care and family-care is #1 (put on your oxygen mask first,) Create a Self-Care Plan You too are experiencing stress- we need to give ourselves grace. MDOE Office Hours-The Maine Department of Education is offering content specific meetings to help support educators. Article: A Trauma-Informed Approach to Teaching Through Coronavirus Follow uplifting and positive people on Twitter, Facebook, etc. (mine is Michael McKnight right now)
SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING
Students are CURRENTLY experiencing multiple ACEs- access and use your school social workers and school counselors Many families are overwhelmed; we do not truly know what is going on at home Brain development does not match the high demand of executive functioning skills for online learning- let alone emergency learning during a global emergency Supports received at school are no longer available to the same extent as given in school; social work, school counselors, special education, Title I, supported study halls, hands-on learning, extensive individualized support, etc. 2x10 strategy (spend two minutes a day-from a distance-for ten days with a student you need to reach) and other “oldies” ARE STILL “goodies” COVID-19 Special Edition • www.maineea.org
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Practical Ideas to REACH Students As you all work to both reach students and keep them engaged, MEA’s Maine Educator reached out to our members to learn more about what techniques are working. Below are the ideas from educators in Gorham and MSAD 6.
Meghan O’Neil 4th Grade Teacher Social Emotional Schedule Two whole class morning meetings and one small group meeting are held to check-in on students and provide them time to socialize. “My goal is to make sure the connections I’ve built with my students and the connections they’ve built with each other continue to thrive because it is the connectedness that we all need to survive,” says O’Neil.
Academics Schedule O’Neil says the class is moving slowly with a goal of maintaining skills, following this schedule:
Neile Nelson
• • • • •
High School Math teacher, 130 Students
Sarah Rubin and Sherry Coyne 7th Grade Integrated Project-Based Team
Schedule • • • •
Sunday Night: Nelson records herself teaching two twentyminute lessons. Monday Morning at 8am: Nelson publishes the first video, with half of the assignment for the week. Wednesday: The second video is posted, along with the other half of the assignment. Friday: Assignment is due by 1pm.
One math skill a week via two mini lessons Two brief writing lessons Daily reading Optional enrichment Drive-by students’ home
This team’s focus centers on equity and trauma-informed approaches plus the unique developmental needs of middle school students. The team created a web-based menu of options for students to choose from to complete enrichment.
Throughout the week: Nelson offers office hours and support (see below).
• •
The schedule is the same each week and is working. Nelson reports that every student checks-in every week. Early on, Nelson did have to reach out more frequently, but now the routine is set, students know what to expect and reach out as required.
•
Direct skills across all contents Free choice (virtual tours of aquarium, language Duolingo lessons) Home Activities-anchored in what can happen at home, students can explore their own interests, showcase their hobbies and earn credit for at-home responsibilities like helping a younger sibling.
Office Hours
Nelson offers office hours through Zoom and help sessions to support students as they work on their assignments.
Check-In With Students
Each student is required to check-in at some point, either at a help session or via email.
Report With Parents
Nelson sends a weekly summary email to all parents keeping the lines of communication open. 8
Maine Educator • COVID-19 Special Edition
Lenny Holmes
Director of Alternative Education Holmes is conducting socially distanced wellness checks to the homes of students who have been largely absent from check-ins and academic tasks.
Develop Your Own Hazmat Suit
Created By: Heather Whitaker, Maine 2020 Teacher of the Year, Gorham Middle School based off information from Commissioner Pender Makin and social workers, Brooke Proulx and Jennifer Baker We are all in the “people work” business. Yes, it is very rewarding, and we MUST acknowledge that we are faced every day with challenging situations that can be personally triggering and lead to compassion fatigue. We also know that our most challenging students are the ones that learn our triggers the fastest and it is part of their trauma profile to “push” our buttons. One thing we CAN DO to prepare ourselves emotionally is reflect on what WE bring into the classroom and the strategies that work best for us so we respond to our students instead of reacting in a triggered state of mind.
Identify the experiences, behaviors and/or situations that are most challenging.
Recognize the changes in your body when triggered by these things or the external stressors you have in your life.
Be aware of external stressors that might be affecting your ability to stay calm on the job.
What strategies, mantras, quotes, etc. can you call upon IN THE MOMENT, so that you respond to your most struggling students versus reacting. WHAT IS YOUR HAZMAT SUIT?
COVID-19 Special Edition • www.maineea.org
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SUCCESS at Home
So much great learning is happening at home, thanks to all your efforts. It’s not easy, but your work is helping students learn and grow. Home Garden Middle School student Sydnie Adams misses the school garden so much that she and her family decided to build their own raised beds at home with the help of her father, Chris Adams. Teacher Heather Whitaker is supporting their efforts by filming educational videos so they can plant virtually, alongside her at school!
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Maine Educator • COVID-19 Special Edition
3-D Printing At Home Alt Ed student Brendan Anctil is a “3D Printing Ninja.” Created and organized by Technology Integrator, Terri Dawson, this program sent home 3D printers with participating students in grades 5-10. Students are printing surgical ear mask protectors. These connectors take the pressure off the back of the ear for someone who has to wear a mask for an extended period of time and students are making them at home!
Have photos and stories you want to share? Send them in to
maineea.org/covid-19-share-your-story/
COVID-19 Special Edition • www.maineea.org
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SECURING YOUR ZOOM CLASSROOM SECURITY OPTIONS DURING CLASS
LOCK IT UP Once your Zoom session starts, you can lock it so no one else can join. To lock: Click on the participants at the bottom of your Zoom window and in the pop-up click the button that says Lock Meeting.
SECURITY OPTIONS WHEN SCHEDULING A CLASS Require Registration: Shows an educator the emails of everyone in the classroom Random Meeting ID: Random IDs are less likely to be shared multiple times Password Protect: Create a password and share with students via school email Allow Authenticated Users To Join: Check this box so only those signed into Zoom accounts have access Disable Join Before Host: Students can't join the class before the educator does
Disable Video: Turn off a student’s video or screen sharing so there are no inappropriate items shared. Mute Students: Mute/unmute individual students or all of them at once. You can also mute them all at once when they join.
REMOVE A PARTICIPANT If someone who’s not meant to be there somehow manages to join your virtual classroom, you can easily remove them from the Participants menu. Hover over the name, and the Remove option (among other options) will pop up. Click to remove the person and they will not be allowed back in. You must set this as a feature in advane, if is off by default. The setting is under "In Meeting (Basic)" settings of your account.
CONTROL THE CHAT Educators can close the in-class chat so students can’t privately message other students. Zoom recommends controlling chat access in the in-meeting toolbar controls (rather than shutting it altogether.)
CONTROL SCREEN SHARING Zoom released an update to the default screen sharing settings for Education accounts, to increase security and privacy. This update changed the default sharing setting to “Host Only” at the account level. Hosts can still allow participants to share their screen during a meeting and edit their default settings. Click on Advanced Sharing Options, the All Participants and the options become available.
FOR MORE COVID-19 RESOURCES: MAINEEA.ORG/CORONAVIRUS
IMPORTANT RECOMMENDATION FOR TEACHERS
Educators: MEA encourages you NOT to post pictures of your virtual class on social media or elsewhere online. The same rules that would apply to your regular classroom apply here as well. Please remember it is crucial to protect the personal privacy of your students while conducting any kind of virtual teaching and learning.
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Maine Educator • COVID-19 Special Edition
SHARE Your Story As Maine and the country grapple with the impact of COVID-19, our members are looking for help and hope. How have you and your fellow MEA members come together to uplift one another and/or help students? Share your story with MEA! We’d love to see pictures and/or video of what you’re doing. How are you connecting? Do you have a message you want to share? MEA wants to hear it and share it as the Association works to ensure everyone sees how hard you’re working during this time. Please type your story in the form below-there’s also space to upload pictures or video. By submitting your story, you give the Maine Education Association permission to use your story publicly.
CLICK HERE TO SHARE YOUR STORY
TIPS TO MAKE A SHORT VIDEO
You don’t need a professional camera, your phone will work just fine.
Remember to shoot horizontal (turn your phone sideways).
Find a quiet spot to film your video. Don’t shoot outside if it is windy.
HERE’S AN EXAMPLE
#inthistogether WATCH: There is no distance that will disconnect us from our students and our school community. We’re in this together. #WeAreMEA Posted by Maine Education Association on Thursday, April 9, 2020
COVID-19 Special Edition • www.maineea.org
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Be a Star!| How to start your own private channel for your students YouTube has more than 2 billion users! That’s billion with a “b.” While the social media platform is full of videos to entertain, from the popular trick-shot guys known as Dude Perfect, to videos on how to make masks or fix an electrical socket, YouTube has it and more. Now, with educators teaching from their homes, many are looking for ways to connect with their students. Creating video lessons to enhance learning is one more way to engage. But where to put all those lessons? How about a personal, YouTube channel? Creating videos and posting to a YouTube Channel has several benefits including allowing students to view the content at their own pace.
corner for your gmail icon) Click the three-line menu icon in the top left corner to open the navigation panel on the left side of the screen and select "Settings." A new option in the middle of your screen will pop up-click "create a new channel.” Now, you have a channel of your own. Make sure to choose a name that reflects what you’re doing-for example, “Mrs. Smith’s 4th grade class.”
Without an Existing Google Account
If you don’t have a Gmail account, take a minute and set up a free Gmail then follow the steps above.
Securing Your Channel
Benefits of Video Lessons Personalized Feedback
While you can’t be there for your students, you can still provide one-on-one lessons for them, via video. If you have a student struggling with a particular math problem, walk them through it with a video. Personalized feedback with a video can be very helpful in connecting with a student from afar.
Support Visual Learners
For those who need to see things in order to understand, a video can help connect the dots. For younger kids maybe it’s a video of you cooking something while you explain math concepts like halves and wholes and for older students perhaps it’s a video explaining 3-D concepts in math or a lab lesson. Be creative!
Keep Students Engaged
Don’t just use video yourself, ask your students to get in on the action! Have them create videos of themselves reading or explaining concepts so you can see if they’re understanding the material. This gives students, of all ages, a meaningful way to demonstrate knowledge in a way they’ll enjoy-many kids have their own YouTube Channel already so why not let them tap into that skill for education purposes.
How to Create a YouTube Channel
With Existing Google Account
Log into your Google (Gmail account) in your browser. Open a new tab and go to YouTube.com. You should see you’re now logged in to YouTube as well through your Gmail. (look in the top right 14
Maine Educator • COVID-19 Special Edition
Having a channel on a massive world-wide platform doesn’t mean everyone will have access to your videos. You can make your YouTube channel private, allowing only people you invite to the channel to view your videos. Once signed in to your YouTube account, click on the channel name you want to make private. In the channel Settings, under Privacy, there is an option to make the channel videos private. Select the box and save the changes. The channel videos are now private unless you go back in and change that same setting back to public.
Inviting Your Students to See Your Videos
You’re thinking, if my video is private, how will anyone see it? It’s simple, you can invite your students into your virtual lesson with a URL for the video. You then share that URL in an email or in a virtual classroom space. You must have the URL to view the video, so your uploaded videos can’t be found online by random people. To capture the viewable URL that invitees can open without problems, click “Share” under the video and copy the URL that is displayed there. Maine Education Association SUBSCRIBE
Video Editing Apps While YouTube features some basic video editing features, particularly for those just starting out with video, there are some additional apps that can help up your video game. Here's a list of the top video editing apps to help get your creative juices flowing.
Adobe Premiere Rush (iOS/Android – FREE) Arrange video, audio, graphics and photos by dragging and dropping. Simple to use tools let you adjust audio, enhance color, and add titles, transitions, voiceovers and more.
Splice (iOS/Android – FREE) Add some music to your video with Splice. This app allows you to automatically sync your video to the beat of the music. With just a few taps you’ll be able to add transitions, slow motion effects and more to create videos your students will love to watch or create.
iMovie (iOS – FREE) Apple designed the iMovie app to be simple to use, so anyone can create a video in just a few easy steps. Included are 14 different Hollywood-style trailers, templates to match a variety of genres, and 10 creative video filters to add a cinematic touch.
LumaFusion (iOS – $29.99) LumaFusion is for serious video editing and comes with a cost. This robust video editor features multitrack editing and a modular user interface like the professional desktop app Final Cut Pro. With the fee for the app, you get more than a free app, which is expected, including a substantial selection of side effects, transitions, titles, color correct and more.
COVID-19 Special Edition • www.maineea.org
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Virtual Classroom Management When it comes to virtual teaching and learning, classroom management may look a little, or a whole lot, differently. Maine Educator compiled some resources to help support you during this time.
Digital Resources
Timer If you’re in need of a timer as students work, Online Clock includes digital timers, countdown clocks, sounds and more. You can pull the timer up on your screen and share your screen as students work so they can see the clock too.
Online Classroom Practice
Establish a Routine The same way you have routines in your physical classroom, you should set routines and norms in your virtual classroom as well. Keeping a process of how class will operate will help students behave in a way that will allow you to teach and other students to learn. The same rules that would apply to your physical classroom should apply to this virtual learning as well. Have a routine for the beginning of your class and the end of class. For example, take two minutes and allow each student to say hello to each other in the beginning of the lesson and at the end of the lesson reserve another minute to allow for virtual hugs. These are visual and auditory cues for students that teaching will begin after everyone says hello and it will end when virtual hugs are complete.
Noise Control Virtual classrooms can be noisy, but you can set a visual noise level for your students. Bouncy Balls uses the increased agitation of multicolored and sized objects to indicate sound level. When the system detects noise, the feature you choose, emojis, bubbles or another option, will jump with the sound. You can control the tool’s sensitivity as well. 16
Maine Educator • COVID-19 Special Edition
Remove Distractions Be clear that during virtual lessons all other devices, like cell phones or tablets, should be off and put away. For younger students, make sure they know to put away toys or crayons or other items that can take their attention away from you while you’re teaching.
Be Clear About Chat Features While it is easy to turn off the chat in a tool like Zoom, you may need to keep it on to allow for students to academically interact or ask questions. Be very clear with students that the chat feature is for academic purposes only and if you are made aware of anything inappropriate occurring in the chat, or bullying, take action immediately. Keep a close eye on student behavior and if you notice a student acting differently, or withdrawing from participation, reach out to that student’s parent or guardian as he/ she may have received an unsettling private message that you could not see. Chats in classroom streams must also be closely monitored and clear guidelines for classroom streams should be set immediately.
Dress Code Everyday can’t be pajama day. If you want to ensure your students take their work seriously, you need to act as if you are in school and in a physical classroom. This means you need to wear appropriate clothing as well. Sure, you can dress down a bit, but make sure what you are wearing is still professional. Set the proper example and students will follow.
Raising Your Hand Develop a system where students understand how to raise their hand. Some of the tools you may be using, like Zoom, have this feature built in. Be consistent and make sure students understand they need to wait to be called on, just as if they were inside the school building.
Engage Everyone It’s harder to get students to engage when you’re not physically together. This is where your encouragement comes into play. While you’re teaching, ask students to participate and ask questions. Keep track of the ones who answer the most and remember to invite the ones who don’t to participate in the next lesson. Those students who don’t speak up during the virtual classroom may need to have further contact via email, text or phone call.
COVID-19 Special Edition • www.maineea.org
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School FundingWhat Happens Now? In addition to figuring out how to continue to educate, support and function during this time you may also be asking some economic questions: Is my job secure in the future? What about the school budget-will there be enough money to continue to pay us? Will we have to take cuts or furloughs? How will this impact my retirement? These are all very real and important questions to ask during this time. MEA is here to support you as you prepare for the future. One of the most important things to remember during this time is there is still so much uncertainty, and all the answers may not be available right now. Patience is going to be crucial. In addition, the role of your local association will be key in dealing with any proposed changes to financial elements of your collective bargaining agreement. Any rollbacks or monetary concessions should be temporary, if they happen at all. What if we are asked to take pay cuts or furloughs? MEA understands districts may face difficult decisions, and the Association is willing to assist during this time. However, the Association strongly believes cuts to staff will cause significant harm to the students we serve. Local Associations should work with the district to review school budgets to explore all possibilities for how districts can weather this crisis. Maintain existing collective bargaining agreements and resist attempts to reduce or rollback their terms. Be deliberate and patient. Agreements concerning school budgets do not need to be made until State authorities have made final decisions about the State budget, including any changes to federal funding that may apply. What happens to your pay and benefits should not be a decision based on a “what-if” scenario. What if a furlough or pay cut is inevitable, and negotiations have failed to produce any other options? If you do agree to rollback terms of the collective bargaining agreement, it is very difficult to regain those benefits unless you structure the agreement to include snap-back and sunset provisions-meaning at a certain point in time the rollback is eliminated. (see full definition in side bar) Please note: any rollbacks can have an impact on your retirement, so please make sure retirement issues are addressed in any agreement. What about my retirement? What information is there from MainePers? MainePers is offering support during this time, including information about market volatility and your retirement and more. Please see page 24 for more information from MainePers and your retirement. Remember, rollbacks could have an impact on your retirement and should be addressed in any agreement reached between the local association and the district.
What is the impact of a pay freeze? If concessions are necessary, how those concessions are made will be crucial to your long-term income. On the next page is a chart that illustrates what a one-year step freeze could look like compared to a one-year step freeze with a snapback provision. A snapback provision place a time limit on a roll-back agreement. For illustrative purposes, this hypothetical salary scale starts at $35,000 and calls for a freeze in steps three and four of the pay scale, highlighted in yellow. The green illustrates a pay increase, even with the freeze and the red indicates where the pay decreases permanently throughout the rest of the scale due to the lack of the snapback provision. Please note: any rollbacks can have an impact on your retirement, so please make sure retirement issues are addressed in any agreement. We are not currently negotiating a contract. Does any of this apply to our local association? Yes and no. You do not, and should not, agree to open your contract. However, if changes need to be made, you can create what is known as a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that deals with the COVID-19 pandemic. The contents of the MOU would only be valid during the timeframe cited in the document.
Bargaining Success During COVID-19 The MSAD #49 EA organized the Educational Technician III’s in their district last spring. The group reached an agreement for their first 3-year contract. These employees will now have a contract that protects their wages and benefits, provides just cause for discipline, recognizes seniority and many other benefits. Now Ed Tech III’s in MSAD #49 have a contract that is in line with Ed Tech I’s and II’s in the district as well as teachers.
Definition of Common Bargaining Terms • • • • • • •
• •
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Maine Educator • COVID-19 Special Edition
Attrition – A loss of personnel due to employees’ voluntary choices, such as retirement or resignation. Freeze – A decision to hold some element of wages, salaries or benefits at existing levels. Furlough Days – A furlough day occurs when employees do not work on a day when they would otherwise normally be scheduled to work and are not paid for the day. Layoffs – Termination of an employee due to changes in local conditions, such as elimination of positions or program or financial reasons. Reopener – When the bargaining agent and the employer agree to open the collective bargaining agreement prior to expiration. Roll Backs – Reductions in agreed upon wage, salary or benefit terms. Roll-Over Agreement – When the parties agree to continue the terms of the current CBA for a newly negotiated duration (usually 1 year), with or without a cost of living increase or other minor modifications. Snap-Back Provision – Agreed upon terms that places a time limit on a roll-back agreement. Sunset Provision – Agreed upon terms that place clear time-limits (beginning and end) for a temporary change(s) in compensation or working conditions.
IMPACT OF A ONE-YEAR STEP FREEZE WITH SNAP-BACK
IMPACT OF A ONE-YEAR STEP FREEZE
-2.5% This illustrates the ongoing impact of a step freeze to the earnings of a teacher. The actual loss will be higher as cost-ofliving increases will be added to the scale over the course of a teacher’s career that are not reflected.
Year
Progression with Freeze
Normal Progression
Progression with Freeze & Snap-Back
1
$35,000
$35,000
$35,000
2
$36,050
$36,050
$36,050
3
$37,132
$37,132
$37,132
4
$37,132
$38,245
$37,132
5
$38,245
$39,393
$39,393
6
$39,393
$40,575
$40,575
7
$40,575
$41,792
$41,792
8
$41,792
$43,046
$43,046
9
$43,046
$44,337
$44,337
10
$44,337
$45,667
$45,667
11
$45,667
$47,037
$47,037
12
$47,037
$48,448
$48,448
13
$48,448
$49,902
$49,902
14
$49,902
$51,399
$51,399
15
$51,399
$52,941
$52,941
16
$52,941
$54,529
$54,529
17
$54,529
$56,165
$56,165
18
$56,165
$57,850
$57,850
19
$57,850
$59,585
$59,585
20
$59,585
$61,373
$61,373
21
$61,373
$63,214
$63,214
22
$63,214
$65,110
$65,110
23
$65,110
$67,064
$67,064
24
$67,064
$69,076
$69,076
25
$69,076
$71,148
$71,148
26
$71,148
$71,148
$71,148
$1,313,206
$1,347,222
$1,346,108
-0.1% This illustrates the impact to the earnings of a teacher of a step freeze when there is a snap-back provision. The loss is mitigated by limiting it to just the year of the revenue issue. An example of a snap-back provision is the teacher receives a step on the last day of the contract year in the year of the freeze so the normal progression is returned for the following year.
COVID-19 Special Edition • www.maineea.org
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PE/Health Teacher Tips on Staying Active and Healthy During School Closures By: Giovanna Bechard and Cindy Long Stress and anxiety have spiked as cases of COVID-19 surge but there are ways to maintain a sense of control and calm in an uncontrollable, uncertain time – keep social distancing practices, get lots of rest and stay physically active, health experts advise. It’s the last part – staying active and getting enough exercise – that many people struggle with, especially with kids at home.
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Some things to consider would be ‘consistency over perfection’ when it comes to exercise, many people think that they have to be perfect with diet and exercise, when it is not the case. Just being consistent will help your health.”
“Some things to consider would be "consistency over perfection" when it comes to exercise, many people think that they have to be perfect with diet and exercise, when it is not the case. Just being consistent will help your health, said Cheryl Lambert a Health teacher in Yarmouth who is working to keep her students and her family active. Lambert knows how hard keeping an exercise routine is in these circumstances, especially as many are trying to both work and parent at the same time. She’s in that boat too, with three young kids at home. Exercise, Lambert says helps. Physical activity can ease stress and anxiety, improve sleep, and boost immunity – all of which are needed to cope with the pandemic. Lambert says to 20
Maine Educator • COVID-19 Special Edition
make things easier, form an accountability/support group to keep you motivated to move. “I have a group of 4 friends, and we text each other every time we complete a workout and cheer each other on. We haven't worked out together in a while, but it just helps to have the support and know someone is pumped that you completed something for your health. We started out sharing those results and now we share our life. It has been great,” added Lambert, Yarmouth EA. Some of the easiest things to do for exercise is to simply get outside and get some fresh air. If you have kids, take a family walk or go for a hike. Make it a game – run for 30 seconds, walk for 30, and set a place or landmark in the distance to race to. Go for a bike ride and try to spot what neighbors have put in their windows, like teddy bears, hearts, and rainbows.
Some of the easiest things to do for exercise are to simply get outside and get some fresh air.
If the weather doesn’t cooperate, take the activity inside. Iowa physical education teacher Erika Mundt sent her high school PE students a body weight workout to follow three days a week and encourages them to use MyFitnessPal to log their movement and diet. Body weight workouts can be done by anyone of any age and are an easy way to keep muscles strong – pushups, sit ups, and squats are the basics, but there are lots of different exercises to try that work your muscles in your arms, back, legs and abdominals. Go for three sets of 15 and work up from there. “Ultimately, we want our students and their families to understand the need to move daily,” she says. “We want to encourage healthy
“ Ultimately we want our students and their families to understand the need to move daily. We want to encourage healthy living as much as possible.
living as much as possible. There are many PE teachers sharing ways to move on Twitter and other social media platforms.” Blake White, an elementary PE teacher in Lake George, New York, said teachers can use live video to connect with students with programs like Zoom, which offers 40 minutes free – just enough time for a workout. “When we did our live presentation last week,” White told the Post Star, “we set up an obstacle course and we challenged the kids to come up with their own obstacle course, videotape themselves running through it and send it back to us. The PE teachers also asked the kids to think of an exercise for each letter of the alphabet or invent a new exercise. “It’s just to keep them active and in school mode,” White said. “The objective may change, but it’s good to know they’re engaged and active.”
Tips from PE teachers around the country to stay active • Set a goal of 30 minutes of vigorous exercise a day, 60 minutes for kids. Break time into blocks of 15 minutes four times a day or 30 minutes twice a day. • Make it a routine at the same time in your daily schedule. If it’s a habit it will stick. • Get outside whenever possible. • Ask your kids to teach you a skill they learned in PE at school • Learn a new skill each day and make up new exercises to add. • Take advantage of online resources like GoNoodle and Cosmic Kids Yoga – they’re fun and family friendly. • Have a KidsBop dance party. Let older kids create playlists for a family dance party. • Get out jump ropes, balls, raquets and other sports equipment and play a classic game or make up a new one. • Tap into social media and ask for recommendations from friends and neighbors to stay active and de-stress.
COVID-19 Special Edition • www.maineea.org
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Five APPS to Redefine your Math Class (Tip: these work for other subjects, too!)
BY BRYAN DROST, NEATODAY.ORG “These kids hate math.” As I was working with a struggling teacher this past week, this jarring phrase came out. It is this type of comment that made last Tuesday a two-shower day: I always take one in the morning and then, every so often, I need a second to get rid of the (emotional as well as physical) filth. In a follow-up conversation, I learned that this particular teacher was having difficulty moving from a sage-on-the-stage mentality (where teachers focus primarily on lecturing and imparting knowledge) to a facilitator of learning. It is this facilitation that not only motivates but also helps all students master challenging standards. Although I knew that, in the short time I had to work with this educator, I would not be able to solve all of the mathematical woes with which she was struggling, I did know that she was capable and that she could use APPS to help design, develop, and assess learning experiences to redefine her classroom to become a student-centered one focused on the expectations of the Standards. Before I shared some of my favorite APPS with her, I explained to her that it wasn’t enough for me to just teach her these: she had to learn to fish as well so that she could find her own resources in the future. As we worked together, I shared with her my version of the acronym APPS for technology integration within the classroom: how will an application help students Acquire meaningful content standards; how will an application help students Progress through meaningful feedback; how will an application measure Proficiency of student learning, and how will an application Support the student in learning content. 22
Maine Educator • COVID-19 Special Edition
Using APPS, the five digital tools that I shared with her and will outline below, can redefine a classroom as they can be used to facilitate higher order learning activities that encourage selfdirected learning and ongoing assessment. Although this post is tied to math, many of these tools are applicable for usage in all kinds of different content areas. Whether you are tech-savvy or not, all of these free tools are simple to use and require limited know-how. Just in case you want some additional guidance, however, you can find instructions in both written and video form for each of these tech resources at the following link: https://goo. gl/UVv3Ta.
EDpuzzle EDpuzzle is a great tool that allows you to help students process content through video. Simply find a Youtube video on a topic of your choice; copy and paste the link into the system, and then embed questions on the video that students answer. The teacher receives responses and then knows where to plan activities to help students improve their mathematical understandings. Students can complete the video task independently or it can be done simultaneously as a whole class. Here’s one activity you can try with EDpuzzle: Give students a link to an EDpuzzle you have created and have them complete the video activity for homework. Then, in class the next day, create several areas where students can work based on the data you have received. One area might be teacher-based direct instruction for students who are really struggling with the concept; another area might be an opportunity to work collaboratively with peers
on challenging problems, and a third area might require students to create problems that show depth of understanding. Want to increase the caliber a bit with this tool? You could even have students create an EDpuzzle to share with their peers. This not only ensures creativity, but also gives you a great formative assessment: the questions that students embed into the activity really help reinforce their understanding of various topics and help you, as a classroom teacher, figure out what they understand and don’t.
Recap With Recap, teachers provide students with a task and then students record a video response. The teacher receives responses and can provide feedback to students on their video as well as share exemplar videos with students in the class. By using this tool, you can really help students talk about their mathematical understanding. Here’s one activity you can do with this tool: give students various problems and have them record a video explaining how to solve the problem while using diagrams or other manipulatives to show how they solved the problem. Share the responses out with the class. Have students review them to critique the reasoning of other students as well as determine the most precise ways of solving the problems.
ActivePrompt ActivePrompt is a website that looks like it came from the late 1990s. However, its simplicity and its versatility make it a mustuse in the math classroom. Load an image, either a screenshot or one you’ve created, into the system. Give students the link and poll them to see where their thinking is. If, for example, you want students to predict where the y-intercept is on a graph, you could upload an image of the graph, have them drag their dots, and then display the information. You’ll know very quickly who understands and who does not.
GeoGebra No math tech discussion would be complete without mentioning this tool. GeoGebra is an application that helps students understand math concepts by solving problems and checking solutions. (It can be web-based or app-based.) You can use it for everything from statistics to algebra. It creates a visual representation for just about anything you can think of. Use it as a dynamic worksheet where students can complete their own investigation, as a modeling tool to aid in direct instruction, or even as an authoring tool to create interactive materials for students to explore.
students compete to solve them. (This is a great interactive way to help students work on mathematical fluency at the elementary grades.) Here’s how it works: you’ll first create a new Quizlet deck–in one column, type the problem and then, in the second, place the answer. Click Quizlet Live when you are ready to play and give students the game PIN. Students will be placed on random teams: everybody gets the same question, but amongst the team there is only one correct answer. The team has to communicate in order to solve the problems appropriately without making a mistake, or be forced to go back to Start on the game board. Great for fluency as well as determining what types of problems students are struggling with as at the end of the game, Quizlet Live allows you to see commonly confused items that you can then review as a class.
These APPS really take learning to the next level—they transform classrooms into student-centered ones where all students can experience success. These APPS really take learning to the next level—they transform classrooms into student-centered ones where all students can experience success. Remember my struggling math teacher from the beginning of this post? Three days after working with her, I received the following e-mail: “Dear Bryan, It worked. They got the math, and they thought it was fun.” Through the use of APPS, I know that you, like this teacher, will be able to motivate your students and create that student-centered classroom that is key to all students mastering standards.
QuizletLive Quizlet is a study tool system designed to practice vocabulary, but it can also be used to help students practice fluency. Released in April of 2016, the new Quizlet Live upped the ante and has students compete against other teams to show their knowledge of terms. While it can be used to develop students’ math vocabulary, teachers can also load problems into the system and have
COVID-19 Special Edition • www.maineea.org
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A Message from
Thank you for your patience as we do our part to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Our offices will remain closed to the public through May 15th, or earlier if circumstances allow. The best way to get an answer to your question is to send an email to info@mainepers.org. Please include your name and phone number, but do not include your Social Security number in your message. If you are unable to email, please call us at 207512-3100 and leave your name, phone number and a very brief message. Shorter messages allow more members to leave messages in our inbox and help us to respond more efficiently to member and retiree needs. Thank you so much for your patience and assistance.
Does the Market Volatility Change My Retirement Check? Your monthly retirement payment does not change with market volatility. Your benefit is fixed when you retire and is increased after that by cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs). The way your COLA works depends on which MainePERS defined benefit retirement plan you are in. More information on how your COLA works can be found here. MainePERS defined benefit plans are pre-funded. That is, money is set aside in a trust fund today to pay your benefit in the future. Currently, all of the pension plans MainePERS administers are prefunded at 82% or higher, which place our plans as some of best funded public plans in the country. While we are always working toward having our plans 100% funded, market ups and downs do change the pre-funding level of the plans. Market downturns such as the one we are currently experiencing do not change our ability to pay your retirement benefits. Your benefits will continue to be paid. Market gains and losses do affect your 457, 403b or other defined contribution plan balances. We encourage you to seek the assistance of a professional advisor before withdrawing funds or changing your asset allocation in your defined contribution plan in a market loss situation. If you are a participant in one of our MaineSTART defined contribution plans, please submit any questions to info@mainepers.org.
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Maine Educator • COVID-19 Special Edition
Tax Filing Deadlines Extended The State of Maine and the federal government have both extended tax filing deadlines to July 15, 2020. Please call 512-3100 if you have not received your 1099 and we will reissue it to you. We have found people may have confused our 1099 for junk mail, so please watch your mail carefully for a perforated document that states “Important Tax Information” if you have asked us to reissue your 1099.
Federal Stimulus Program MainePERS retirees are eligible for federal stimulus program rebates. Anyone who files a tax return will get a payment automatically if eligible based on income. All non-filers are strongly encouraged to use the IRS new web tool instead of waiting: https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/economic-impact-payments.
Visit mainepers.org for more information
Visiting Florida from Dirigo Elementary
Submitted by Bethany Meehan-Poulin, Dirigo Elementary School I just wanted to share some distance learning fun! My 4/5th grade resource room took a virtual field trip to Clearwater, FL to visit the dolphin, Winter. We used one of Scholastic's virtual links. The students had a great time! We even included a photo of one of our actual RSU 56 bus drivers on our "s-cool" bus. I sent home a field trip permission slip. Want to visit the dolphin in Florida? Check it out here! Do you have a positive story to share during this time? Tell us about it! Share your story here.
Dirigo Elementary School
FIELD TRIP PERMISSION FORM Your child will be attending a field trip to: The Clearwater Marine Aquarium in FLORIDA!!!! Date: Thursday, Apr. 16th Time: 8:30am From the comfort of your own Location: home ☺ Students will attend a Google Hangouts class where we will be “traveling” to Trip Details: Clearwater, FL to meet Winter, a very special dolphin. Ms. Poulin and Mrs. Bri are attending. If you have any questions, please Staff attending: contact us through the Facebook page messenger or email. Students may bring a snack but no Notes: electronics are allowed, other than their computer of course! Please “return” this permission slip by: Monday, April 13th (Not really, this is just for your information!) I give permission for my child, _____________________________, to attend the field trip to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium on April 16th.
No signature needed ☺ (Parent/Guardian Signature)
(Date) COVID-19 Special Edition • www.maineea.org
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Create Your Own Virtual Field Trips With These Free Travel Resources If you’re looking for a way to take your students somewhere outside their quarantined homes, or teach about something outside the average curriculum, look no further than these virtual field trips. There’s an escape for any subject you can think of! NEA Member Benefits compiled the virtual lesson plans below-take a look and happy virtual travels.
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Arts
The largest art museum in the U.S.—The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City—is home to paintings and sculptures from many notable European artists, as well as an extensive collection of American and modern art. The Met’s lesson plans help educators integrate learning about works of art, and fun, interactive programs are great for kids of all ages and their parents and caregivers. The Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., is home to one of the largest and most inclusive collections of American art in the world. Stroll through its online gallery collections. While you’ll have to wait to run up the famed Philadelphia Museum of Art stairs like Rocky did, you can explore the museum’s collection online. You can also access many teacher resources and lesson plans.
History
The nonprofit Civil War Trust has free battle app visitor guides available to tour some of the most notable sites, such as Gettysburg, where Abraham Lincoln gave his memorable Gettysburg Address, as well as Antietam, Appomattox and Richmond. The National Park Service offers a host of Civil War teacher resources. The museum offers a variety of engaging resources and activities. The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) displays almost 7,000 instruments from more than 200 countries. Sample the world of music remotely with MIM’s Educator Resources. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville holds the world’s largest repository of country music artifacts. The organization’s Digital Resource Portal for teachers includes curriculum materials with supports such as PowerPoints, worksheets, videos, biographies, teaching tips and more.
Maine Educator • COVID-19 Special Edition
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Natural Wonders and Wildlife
In Kentucky’s Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, a full moon, a clear night and the mists of a waterfall combine to create a “rainbow” in the night. Teach your kids how to make a rainbow with a fun physics lesson. The South Dakota peak of Mount Rushmore incorporates the faces of our four most influential presidential leaders: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. The Mount Rushmore National Memorial offers a variety of lesson plans covering topics such as math, literacy and social studies. The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum teaches visitors about Kennedy’s life, legacy and leadership. The library has extensive curricular resources, as well as materials on civic education and the Civil Rights era.
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Chattanooga, Tennessee’s Ruby Falls, located in the deepest commercial cave in America, is the largest underground waterfall in the country. Ruby Falls has curricula that includes how to build a stalactite. Rock City, accessible by the world’s steepest passenger railway, has curriculum that teaches geology and botany. The American Museum of Natural History shares how to make “Creatures of Light,” similar to the bioluminescent glow of life on land (fireflies and glowworms) and in water (deep-sea anglerfish and vampire squid). The Smithsonian-affiliated Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana, has several learning videos and other teaching materials online to bring science and history to life.
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Science
Benjamin Franklin contributed a tremendous amount of innovation to our country as a Founding Father, inventor, musician, writer and more. Explore his life through lesson plans from PBS. The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation began as the father of the assembly line’s personal collection of historic objects, which Ford started collecting in 1906. It is now home to a number of important historical collections such as Thomas Edison’s laboratory and the Wright Brothers’ bicycle shop. The museum offers a rich database of educational resources that help educators provide engaging interactive educational programs. Students can explore the science of aerodynamics, learn about the cultural history surrounding aviation, test their knowledge of geography and more through the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum’s interactive activities.
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Sports
Celebrate the greatest baseball teams in history with resources from The National Baseball Hall of Fame to teach children about the history of the game. The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s teacher activity guides include hundreds of interdisciplinary classroom exercises aligned with common core/national standards of education in language arts, science, family and consumer sciences, social studies, visual art, technology, physical education and mathematics. Discover how hockey can be used as a tool to captivate students through the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Education Program. Available in three levels—Junior, Intermediate and Senior–the curriculum is created by teachers, for teachers.
Don’t see your favorite attraction listed here? Most have online teacher resources. Visit the attraction’s website and look for a Learn tab on the menu bar.
Click here for all the links to explore these field trips & lesson plans!
COVID-19 Special Edition • www.maineea.org
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From there, the magic began. “My motivation was to get them into another world of focus and concentration, to be proud of what they’re doing, and still learn and have fun in the midst of something we can’t comprehend,” says the art teacher of 24 years. Students have submitted artwork by the dozens, and their work is “sensational,” Corcoran shares.
How Innovative Educators Are Engaging Students Online BY BRENDA ÁLVAREZ, NEA TODAY
When governors and state superintendents closed schools because of the coronavirus, it took teachers and faculty a matter of days—and in many cases a few hours—to move their classes online. Despite the differences between online learning and faceto-face learning, the level of commitment and creativity from educators is stronger than ever. Cecily Corcoran, a middle school art teacher from Arlington Public Schools in Virginia, was ahead of the online learning game because she made it her personal goal earlier in the school year to update her materials and transition them onto Canvas, an online learning management platform. “I wanted students to access what I had taught in case they had missed a lesson,” says Corcoran. Once her school closed, she went into overdrive and created 60 video tutorials of under 10 minutes in length. Additionally, before her students went home, she supplied them with basic art supplies: pencils, sharpeners, erasers, and paper to make sure learning was “equitable from the beginning.” 28
Maine Educator • COVID-19 Special Edition
“I couldn’t just sit here and enjoy this alone so I got back on Twitter and Instagram and told them I would share their work. They got really excited.”
A Focus on Health
Jillian Nemeth, a health and physical education teacher also in Arlington, Va., sent her students on a window scavenger hunt in their neighborhood. Students created a sign that said: “SMS (Swanson Middle School) Strong,” and were asked to put it in a window that faces the street. The goal was to see how many “SMS Strong” signs they could spot. Nemeth connected this activity to a previous lesson on the health triangle, with each side representing a different type of health: physical, mental, and social. “All 3 of these sides are interrelated,” she says, “and the three sides need to be balanced to accomplish true ‘health.’ If one side of the triangle is emphasized too much—or not enough—the other sides will change. This leads to an imbalance.” How can this scavenger hunt help balance our health triangles? Nemeth explained that going on walks or runs around the neighborhood, while maintaining social distancing, is one way to help with physical health. Part of mental health is based on how well students relate to others, while social health is focused on seeking and lending support to others. The “SMS Strong” signs? They were meant to give students a sense of unity and community during these difficult times of social distancing. “I believe now, more than ever, our students need us, the health and PE teachers. We have the ability to pass along coping strategies that we all need right now, kids and adults. We have the platform right now to really highlight life skills they can implement in their lives at this very moment,” Nemeth explains.
‘It’s Difficult…But There’s No Better Option’
Jim Parry is a coordinator for a program called REACH (Relationships, Education, Accountability, Character, and Hard work) at Stewartville Middle and High School in Stewartville, Minn. While he uses various tools to connect with students, including
Schoology and YouTube, Parry’s class centers on the character and emotional wellbeing of students. A lesson, for example, is placed on Schoology and is accompanied by a video. These videos are intended to help Parry connect with students on a human level. Students are asked to play the video, write a reflection, and complete a list of items to help keep them on track. And the videos, says Parry, are his way to ensure students get face time with him. “Right now, a lot of students have other responsibilities: work, taking care of siblings or extended siblings. I’m not guaranteed face-to-face time so the next best thing was for me to put as many videos as I can for them to watch and re-watch and share with family and friends about the characteristics that make us really good people.” Parry adds, “Doing things online is difficult. When you’re not in front of students, it’s hard to pick up on small queues or their energy. It’s hard to respond in a way that’s loving and supporting. But for me, there is no better option than putting together these videos and cheering up as many people as possible and doing my best to get face time online with my students.”
Good Old-Fashion Social Media
Julie Beaver is a high school math teacher at Zimmerman Middle/High School for Minnesota’s eighth largest school district (Independent School District 728) and uses Google Meets as her main point of contact with students. With good parameters and guidelines previously in place by the school district, Beaver has set times to meet with students online, but they can also check in with her in the morning or afternoon. Additionally, she’s found that students who would normally stay quiet in class are “coming to the Google Meets and asking good questions and some of my students are getting differentiated instruction in a smaller group setting.” But one of Beaver’s favorite points of contact with students is through social media, which has seen a lot of student traffic. Every day is something different, from the Joke of the Day to the Song of the Day. Motivational messages get pushed out on Mondays while Pits and Peaks get shared on Fridays. To promote reading, one teacher posts himself reading to his dog.
“The kids love it,” says Beaver. “We’re putting things on Instagram Stories and Twitter that the students can engage with and we have so much positive feedback on how they still feel connected with us even if we’re not face to face.” Check out Zimmerman Middle/High School on Twitter and Instagram.
On College Campuses
On community college and university campuses, it’s hard to imagine how faculty in laboratory classes or fields that require face-to-face collaboration—say, chamber music—or hands-on instruction, like nursing or respiratory therapy, can move to virtual learning. But NEA’s higher-education members are meeting the challenge. At the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla., associate professor (and local union president) Kally Malcolm-Bjorklund is teaching two photography courses this semester—one on blackand-white photography, where students have been producing silver gelatin prints in a traditional darkroom, and the other on lighting, which typically takes place in an on-campus, professional studio with strobe lights and 20-foot ceilings. “I view what’s going on as ‘crisis teaching,’” says Malcolm-Bjorklund. To meet the new challenge of learning through a pandemic, her darkroom class has switched to digital photography, and is focusing less on technical skills and more on ideas like tonality or contrast. Students in her lighting class are working on independent projects that might focus on natural light or other sources. Something has been lost, she acknowledges, but “we’re keeping our chin up.” Her colleagues in the biology department, John Hatle and Charles Brian Coughlin, are teaching physiology labs—where future nurses or community health workers learn about anatomy, histology, organ systems and more. “We suspected we were going to be shut down,” recalls Hatle. “So, we checked out blood pressure cuffs, checked out stethoscopes, had them all write down their home addresses on envelopes and then we bought urine test strips, stuffed them into the envelopes, and mailed them off.” Their students are still able to collect experimental data—on themselves—and then share it via a Google sheet. “Of course, there are gaps, but I think this is a model that students can still learn from,” says Hatle.
The Human Connection
Educators and faculty members from around the country have connected with students in authentic and supportive ways—and continue to show the value they bring to the entire school community.
While many have found success online, Virginia’s Cecily Corcoran makes a salient point: “Online is supplemental…it’s the human connection that’s fundamental to teaching students.” COVID-19 Special Edition • www.maineea.org
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Virgin Pulse: A New Wellness Program Coming 7/1/2020
Get rewarded for building a better you!
You can earn up to $250 in additional incentives for participating!
Small steps lead to big changes.
Virgin Pulse is coming to MEA Benefits Trust to help you make small, everyday changes to your wellbeing that are focused on the areas you want to improve the most. When you stick to our program, you’ll build heathy habits, have fun with coworkers, and experience the lifelong rewards of health and wellbeing. Plus – you can earn up to $250 in additional incentives for participating!
Who’s eligible to participate?
Beginning on July 1st, 2020, employees, retirees, spouses/domestic partners and dependents age 18-26 covered under the MEABT health insurance plan will be invited to enroll in the Virgin Pulse platform. Once you’re logged in, you’ll be able to access a full range of tools and fun activities to help you be the best you, and to earn your incentives for the healthy choices you make along the way!
Can’t wait to get started?! Virgin Pulse will
officially launch on July 1st, 2020! Keep an eye out for more information in the next couple of months with specific details about enrollment, rewards and your access to all the amazing tools and programs Virgin Pulse has to offer. 30
Maine Educator • COVID-19 Special Edition
What’s new with Virgin Pulse? Glad you asked! Virgin Pulse is a platform offering tools and ideas to help you improve all areas of your life. From physical health and activity, to mental wellness and stress reduction, Virgin Pulse will be your partner as you define your unique journey toward health and overall wellbeing. Here are a few of the awesome features coming your way with Virgin Pulse: • Up for a challenge? Virgin Pulse offers a range of ways to challenge your coworkers, family and friends in a little healthy competition. Rally your coworkers for the latest step challenge or gather a small group of coworkers or friends and challenge one another to adopt a new healthy habit. Post comments in the challenge chat to share tips and encouragement!
• Everything’s better with friends! Add your work friends so you can encourage, motivate and challenge one another! Create groups within the platform to connect with others on common interests or goals. • Want to play a game? Virgin Pulse’s “gamification” model makes it easy to track progress and see your success as you earn points toward levels and incentives. With over a hundred different points-earning activities you can define what wellness means to you and earn your incentive with your choice of healthy behaviors! • Focus on what matters to YOU. As you interact with the platform (selecting your interests, choosing your sleep and nutrition type, and completing the health assessment), Virgin Pulse will use the information gathered to customize the content so that you’re only seeing information you want to see. Everyone’s path to wellness is unique, and as we get to know you, we want to make sure we’re providing content, information and tools that matter to you to help you along your journey.
Get the support you need by calling your MAP toll-free number. 855-686-5615 anthemeap.com
Your Member Assistance Program (MAP) offers tips to cope with anxiety and stress during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak As news of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) evolves, you may find yourself growing increasingly anxious or stressed. If so, you are not alone. Your MAP is here to provide you and your household members support. Here are a few tips to help cope from Dr. Jessica Chaudhary, one of Anthem’s medical directors: • Be vigilant, take precautions, and maintain perspective to reduce any undue stress. • Stay calm and carry on. Maintain a routine and continue your normal daily activities, but be sure to practice prevention where you can. • Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer when washing isn’t an option. • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. • Avoid close contact with people who are sick. • Stay home when you’re sick. That includes staying home from work, school, errands and travel. • Cover a cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. • If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow, not your hands. • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces, such as phones, keyboards and doorknobs. • Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, drink a lot of fluids and eat nutritious food. • Stick to reputable sites for your information. Try to limit contact with sources that tend to fuel your worry. Avoid using the internet to search your symptoms, and do not panic at the first sign of illness. Speak to your primary care doctor if you have any questions. • Use coping skills. Try and focus on relaxing more. You can exercise, practice yoga, meditate, use deep breathing techniques or talk to a friend or a therapist. • Stay informed. Get information from reliable sources like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the World Health Organization (WHO). It’s important to limit the time you spend reading or listening to the news. If you feel like the news is becoming repetitive, it might be a sign that you are oversaturating yourself. • Be prepared. It’s okay to make sure you have enough bottled water, toilet paper, nonperishable food and any necessary medicines. However, if you find that you are buying large quantities of supplies and you are starting to run out of storage room, you may be overpreparing due to panic. • Ask for help. Monitor yourself, your emotions and your internal responses. If you feel like you cannot stop worrying, or if you notice any of the concerning behaviors mentioned above, seek help. Your MAP can connect you to a therapist and other resources that can help you.
COVID-19 Special Edition • www.maineea.org
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Pre-Retirement Seminars
Sign up at Maineea.org
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Retired educators are an important part of the Maine Education Association. As you prepare to leave your active life in your school, MEA wants to ensure you’re ready for the transition. Pre-Retirement seminars are available to assist you every step of the way, and they’re free for members! Save the dates for a future seminar. Registration will be available soon, but book early—dates fill up fast.
DATE
DAY
LOCATION
TIME
9/23/20
Wednesday
Ellsworth Area
4:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M.
9/30/20
Wednesday
Auburn Area
4:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M.
10/7/20
Wednesday
Rockland Area
4:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M.
10/14/20
Wednesday
Kennebunk Area
4:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M.
10/20/20
Tuesday
Skowhegan Area
4:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M.
10/TBA/20
Saturday
Caribou Area
9:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.
10/28/20
Wednesday
Make-Up Date
4:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M.
3/10/21
Wednesday
Waterville Area
4:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M.
3/17/21
Wednesday
Topsham Area
4:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M.
3/20/21
Saturday
Machias Area
10:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M.
3/24/21
Wednesday
South Portland Area
4:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M.
3/31/21
Wednesday
Bangor Area
4:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M.
4/7/21
Wednesday
Make-Up Date
4:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M.
Maine Educator • COVID-19 Special Edition
