Maine Educator Winter 2021

Educator MAIN

School Nurse STRUGGLE STRUGGLE

“We are frequently yelled at. Sworn at. Insulted.”

The daily life of a school nurse during the pandemic.

1How To Erase Your Student Debt

Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program Overhauled Saving MEA Members Tens of Thousands of Dollars

The Maine Education Association and the National Education Association advocated for an overhaul of the broken Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. Our advocacy has paid off and members are already saving money with their loan forgiveness that was previously denied but is now being granted. The change comes after the US Department of Education announced temporary overhauls to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.

The new changes might help erase your student loan debt if:

• You have federal student loans AND you work full-time for a school district, or institution of higher education AND

• You have Direct Loans OR You consolidate into the Direct Loan Program by Oct. 31, 2022

Temporary Changes to PSLF

• FFEL and Perkins loans payments are now eligible and count towards the required 120 payments

• Previous payments outside of income-driven repayment now count towards the required 120 payments

• Previous late payments and partial payments now count towards the required 120 payments

• Payments made prior to consolidation will now be eligible towards the required 120 payments

How to apply for Loan Forgiveness

1. Go to studentaid.gov/ pslf, login with your Federal Student Aid ID (or create one if you do not have one) and make sure your contact information is up to date so the U.S. Department of Education can communicate directly with you.

2. If you have a Direct Loan, have made 120 payments, and have applied for PSLF, you should receive automatic forgiveness soon.

3. If you have a Direct Loan, have made 120 payments, and have NOT applied for PSLF, you need to apply for PSLF right away.

4. If you have a FFEL or Perkins loan, you need to consolidate into a Direct Loan, then apply for PSLF.

5. You must apply before October 31, 2022.

Why did the PSLF program change?

PSLF was created in 2007 to forgive the federal student debt of public employees, including teachers, faculty, and education support professionals, who provide 10 years of service and make 120 monthly payments on their student loans.

However, when the first borrowers became eligible for forgiveness, more than 90% of applications were denied because the program had too many technicalities and many loan servicers misled borrowers about the rules. The Biden Administration’s overhaul of the program fixes some of the technicalities and will mean debt forgiveness right away for tens of thousands of public service workers and eventual forgiveness for many more. Eventually, hundreds of thousands of educators could become eligible for loan forgiveness over the next year.

The changes to PSLF will exist only until October 31, 2022, so apply for forgiveness immediately.

For more information, go to studentaid.gov

President's Letter

Grace Leavitt - Winter 2021

Persistence

The timeline for producing the Maine Educator is determined in advance, and I set my own deadline for submitting the President’s Letter well before the actual time our Communications Department absolutely must have it, just to be sure I get it done on time (not that I am known for punctuality—I seem to have adopted a habit of having a ‘grace period’ at times—but when my being late means holding up someone else, I make an extra effort to stray from my customary behavior).

Writing the President’s Letter for this issue, however, has proved to be even more difficult than the last. I struggled then due to the unexpected increase in challenges that were hitting as the school year began. I literally am writing this letter just a day before the deadline. In ‘normal’ times, the message would be about reflecting on the past year and looking forward to what the New Year will bring. But this year is so far from ‘normal’, that just won’t do. How do I find the right message to our hardworking, exhausted members that will acknowledge all they are dealing with while also somehow lifting up their spirits? I’ve been saying ‘Stay strong’ and ‘Hang in there’. But with the frustrations around the continuing pandemic-- quarantines, stress, workload, angry people at school board meetings, unruly behavior, new variants of COVID-- I keep thinking, how do we cope when too often we may feel like we’re at the end of our rope? How do we somehow still hold on to hope, hope for things to be better in the New Year?

I shared my difficulty in coming up with what to write in a conversation with my husband, who remarked that something he has admired about me is my persistence, that I just don’t give up. His comment got me to thinking—persistent? I always thought I was just plain stubborn, even ornery! But maybe in that orneriness there really is a persistence to carry on, even through a global pandemic. I am sure that is what each of you also must have—whether you were born with it or have developed it because of the nature of the work we do working with and for students.

Coincidentally a recent article in Ed Week caught my eye, “The SEL Skills That May Matter Most for Academic Success: Curiosity and Persistence”1. The article is about a recent study conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), “Beyond Academic Learning: First Results From the Survey of Social and Emotional Skills”2.

I know some of you are “SELed out”, having had training on teaching social/emotional skills to students, and you already know how important such skills are for students to learn and

reach their potential. But it does seem persistence is more important now than ever—and especially for us—the adults! The various teacher evaluation frameworks include the word ‘persistent’ or a similar characteristic--tenacious, determined, relentless even! For those not involved in classroom instruction, I’ve heard some may not view themselves as ‘educators’—but believe me, you are! Whether transporting students or providing them with meals or whatever your role is, in all your interactions with students, you are also instructing students in many various ways, and you are essential to our students’ education; you also must have, or have developed, persistence as a characteristic.

You are also likely tired of hearing about ‘self-care’—but, since I am ornery—or stubborn—or persistent and relentless—I am going to end this message with urging you to be sure that you all do take care of yourselves and engage in whatever form of self-care—safe and healthy, of course! —not only over the upcoming break, but in the months to come. Please do whatever might help you to continue to be persistent. We need you— your colleagues, our students, our communities—we need you to carry on so that we will get through these most challenging times. We will persist!

Stay strong! And hang in there! And reach out to MEA, and to me, any time! We are here for you!

In solidarity, Grace

Grace Leavitt, President Maine Education Association

207-622-4418 x 2200

1“The SEL Skills That May Matter Most for Academic Success: Curiosity and Persistence”, Ed Week, Oct. 29, 2021, by Sarah D. Sparks

2”Beyond Academic Learning: First Results from the Survey of Social and Emotional Skills”, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi. org/10.1787/92a11084-en

From MEA's Executive Director

and ongoing communication channels, balancing the need for information against information overload. We surveyed our members and conducted focus groups to learn what our members and potential members needed and wanted from their union. MEA evolved to begin to meet those needs to be responsive to current members and attractive to potential members alike.

It’s That Time of Year

It is only natural at the end of anything, particularly a calendar year, to take stock of what you have accomplished and what lies ahead. Given the trying times we still find ourselves in, this is especially true this year.

For me personally, a lot has happened…

I became a resident of Maine in January when I moved to South Portland in the middle of a pandemic. One of my first memories is that of standing in line outside the DMV to obtain my Maine driver’s license/Real ID which made me somewhat official albeit still “from away”.

Wicked has become part of my vocabulary in a way I couldn’t have imagined before moving here.

I learned that sailing along the beautiful Maine coast can be the cure for almost anything that ails you if you let it.

I learned to appreciate that there is joy in the Maine landscape and coast. I took a trip up Mt. Battie and took in the amazing vistas that present themselves to those who make the journey.

And lastly, I have learned that the things you may have thought you wanted, you don’t really want at all, and if you are open to it, the life you were truly meant to live will find you.

I am looking forward to what 2022 will bring – hopefully the end of a pandemic, a return to the new normal, and a refreshed look at priorities and life.

For MEA, a lot has happened as well. As when the pandemic started, MEA pivoted how we support members and met a variety of member needs through virtual and in person (as appropriate) meetings, conferences, and events.

MEA stayed connected to our members through numerous new

MEA advocated for following the recommended CDC guidelines to keep both educators and students in school and for keeping educator voices at the table when decisions around Covid protocols and policies were decided and implemented.

MEA celebrated significant and numerous legislative wins this past year, moving the needle on multiple issues that affect our members, including a long-fought battle about planning time and full 55% state funding for public education. The summary of those wins can be found on the MEA website.

MEA’s membership remained vibrant. Our membership numbers stayed steady, and we were one of a small number of states that did not lose membership during this crisis. Leaders and staff kept MEA visible and relevant despite the challenges. We are stronger together and keeping a robust membership is key to maintaining our influence both locally and statewide.

As the 2022 year unveils, MEA will move our mission and values forward and will implement the Board’s adopted three strategic foci: membership growth, racial and social justice, and local capacity/member engagement. Stay tuned for opportunities to move this work in your local.

MEA is also looking forward to how we continue to support our members in this everchanging environment and look forward to staying connected to all of you to help emerge successfully from this moment in history. We know each of you is struggling in different ways as this pandemic creeps on, and we will look for new ways to provide much needed emotional and professional support.

So as the calendar pages turn, here’s hoping that the new year brings continued resiliency and strength for us all.

Stay safe. Stay well.

Rachelle Johnson MEA Executive Director

Rachelle Johnson

Career Earnings Data

As part of MEA’s continued commitment to educate its members on issues that impact their work and life, MEA’s Director of Collective Bargaining and Research compiled the follow data regarding salaries, in particular, career earnings in Maine. Career Earnings is a strength-of-scale measure. The name is a bit of a misnomer as it does not equate to actual career earnings, which should be higher. The measure allows for an apples-to-apples comparison between scales. The Career Earnings measure takes into account the beginning salary, the top salary, how long it takes to get from the beginning to the end, and what the Step increments and Lane increments are between the beginning and end of the scale. A 30-year “career” is used, allowing movement from the beginning to the end of most scales. Data collected is based off of current, settled contracts in the MEA database as of November 15th. If a district is not listed it means MEA does not have a current contract for that district.

Career Earning Summary

6 Five Town CSD $75,609 $1,897,391

7 RSU 28, Camden $75,609 $1,897,391

8 AOS 98 - Edgecomb $69,837 $1,871,925

9 Scarborough $74,034 $1,866,782

10 RSU 35, Eliot $70,343 $1,855,090

11 South Portland $68,718 $1,850,611

12 RSU 75, Topsham $70,600 $1,842,600

13 RSU 21, Kennebunk $75,515 $1,842,365

14 Bangor $73,127 $1,833,676

15 West Bath $76,130 $1,826,280

16 Flagstaff RSU $76,900 $1,822,700

17 Gorham $69,834 $1,818,498

18 RSU 35, Eliot $62,537 $1,812,310

19 RSU 01, Bath $76,466 $1,810,198

20 RSU 51, Cumberland $73,483 $1,786,183

21 RSU 86, Fort Fairfield $69,800 $1,786,100

22 AOS 98Georgetown $72,061 $1,782,126

23 Brunswick $74,466 $1,778,284

24 AOS 98 - Southport $69,572 $1,774,374

25 AOS 93 - Bristol $66,410 $1,761,017

26 RSU 05, Freeport $67,044 $1,756,037

27 Biddeford $66,870 $1,751,626

28 Kittery $65,028 $1,751,147

29 RSU 88, Van Buren $67,430 $1,749,030 30 Westbrook $74,619 $1,747,471 31 RSU 56 - Dixfield $68,331 $1,743,703 32 RSU 10, Rumford $68,331 $1,743,703 33 RSU 39, Caribou $68,331 $1,743,302 34 Limestone Community School $68,331 $1,743,302 35 Brewer $68,349 $1,741,547 36 St. George $68,877 $1,729,442

62 RSU 23, Old Orchard Beach $62,281 $1,649,716 63 AOS 92 - Vassalboro $67,143 $1,649,705 64 AOS 91 - Trenton $65,700 $1,649,600 65 AOS 91 - Southwest Harbor $65,700 $1,649,600 66 AOS 91 - Mt Desert CSD $65,700 $1,649,600 67 AOS 91 - Tremont $65,700 $1,649,600 68 AOS 91 - Bar Harbor $65,700 $1,649,600 69 AOS 91 - Mt Desert Elem $65,700 $1,649,600 70 Dayton $63,569 $1,648,342 71 RSU 83, Bingham $62,800 $1,647,520 72 Knox Region 8 $65,540 $1,645,046 73 Auburn $61,031 $1,641,606 74 Lewiston $63,888 $1,640,760 75 RSU 29, Houlton $66,000 $1,638,750 76 RSU 42, Mars Hill $62,160 $1,638,360 77 Portland $64,315 $1,638,085 78 RSU 60, Berwick $63,914 $1,632,626 79 RSU 40, Waldoboro $66,282 $1,627,940 80 RSU 73, JayLivermore $63,350 $1,609,729 81 AOS 77 - Alexander $59,200 $1,605,300 82 AOS 77 - RSU 85, Lubec $59,200 $1,605,300 83 Baxter Educators’ Association $61,543 $1,601,650 84 RSU 20, Searsport $60,783 $1,599,839 85 RSU 06, Buxton $61,763 $1,599,238 86 AOS 77 - Perry $59,600 $1,594,300 87 RSU 11, Gardiner $63,611 $1,593,232 88 RSU 82, Jackman $62,178 $1,592,006 89 RSU 04, Sabattus $60,136 $1,586,600 90 AOS 77 - Eastport $57,600 $1,579,700 91 AOS 92 - Winslow $73,720 $1,578,682 92 RSU 19, Newport $65,537 $1,570,961 93 AOS 90 - Baileyville $64,963 $1,569,116 94 RSU 22, Hampden $66,424 $1,563,033 95 Hermon $63,152 $1,556,616 96 Fryeburg Academy $60,250 $1,554,500 97 RSU 49, Fairfield $67,000 $1,550,000 98 RSU 59, Madison $64,036 $1,548,769 99 AOS 93 - Nobleboro $57,464 $1,546,296 100 Foxcroft Academy $61,706 $1,544,088 101 RSU 18, Oakland $68,400 $1,543,212 102 RSU 44, Bethel $61,898 $1,541,691 103 Lisbon $65,507 $1,539,825 104 Milford $64,831 $1,538,986 105 RSU 54, Skowhegan $67,210 $1,537,530 106 AOS 94 - SAD 46, Dexter $65,171 $1,536,527 107 Augusta $67,866 $1,536,165 108 RSU 12, Windsor $64,951 $1,535,245 109 RSU 33, St. Agatha $60,214 $1,532,496 110 Greenbush $57,935 $1,527,817 111 RSU 16, Poland $60,900 $1,526,041 112 RSU 17, Paris $59,468 $1,521,540

RSU 53, Pittsfield $61,169 $1,521,432

Wiscasset $70,248 $1,520,112

RSU 78, Rangeley $61,931 $1,517,531

RSU 02, Hallowell $61,973 $1,515,459

Hope $59,691 $1,511,829

AOS 93 - Jefferson $61,020 $1,511,356

RSU 58, Phillips $62,285 $1,509,700

Appleton $60,216 $1,508,353

Otis $57,309 $1,507,980

Waldo Region 7 $54,149 $1,504,704

Woodland $53,808 $1,503,608

Athens $55,793 $1,502,150

RSU 64, Corinth $60,863 $1,495,156

127 East Range CSD $56,500 $1,491,000 128 RSU 03, Unity $57,550 $1,489,200 129 RSU 72, Fryeburg $58,751 $1,488,261

Surry $56,616 $1,486,228

RSU 38, Maranacook $64,038 $1,486,188

RSU 61, Bridgton $52,464 $1,477,033

Calais $61,516 $1,475,615

RSU 14, Windham $55,412 $1,473,871

RSU 74, Anson $55,412 $1,473,871

Fayette $57,826 $1,472,183

137 Orrington $55,306 $1,466,802

138 Lamoine $56,058 $1,463,127

139 AOS 92 - Waterville $71,353 $1,461,790

140 Winthrop $59,691 $1,459,274

141 RSU 41, Milo $61,433 $1,457,892

142 RSU 55, Porter $59,950 $1,444,400

143 Southern Penobscot Region 4 $57,100 $1,442,800

144 RSU 89, Patten $60,680 $1,437,813

145 Ellsworth $56,167 $1,427,305

146 East Millinocket $59,360 $1,413,091

147 RSU 25, Bucksport $59,439 $1,409,251

148 RSU 70, Hodgdon $57,675 $1,408,550

149 RSU 68, DoverFoxcroft $60,496 $1,403,930

150 RSU 79, Presque Isle $63,982 $1,401,536

151 Washington Academy $56,600 $1,398,975

152 Hancock $51,350 $1,393,500 153 Deer Isle-Stonington CSD $53,000 $1,390,895 154 RSU 50, Southern Aroostook $57,200 $1,390,500 155 AOS 90 - Princeton $55,650 $1,388,700 156 Moosabec CSD $52,094 $1,383,520 157 Cherryfield $52,600 $1,375,600 158 RSU 31, Howland $58,000 $1,375,500 159 AOS 94 - Harmony $48,469 $1,367,444 160 Medway $50,988 $1,361,285

RSU 63, Holden $49,750 $1,360,250

$1,353,000

$1,343,029

$1,337,267

$1,333,500

$1,660,183

RSU 71, Belfast $63,935 $1,657,331

RSU 24, Sullivan $57,153 $1,491,081

RSU 35, Eliot $77,377 $2,040,690

RSU 51, Cumberland $82,565 $2,007,140 10 Five Town CSD $79,162 $2,004,053 11 RSU 28, Camden $79,162 $2,004,053 12 AOS 98 - Southport $78,269 $1,996,485 13 RSU 35, Eliot Nurses $68,791 $1,993,880 14 Bangor: 2020-2021 $79,093 $1,983,284 15 RSU 75, Topsham $75,100 $1,977,600 16 RSU 21, Kennebunk $80,415 $1,975,365

17 Flagstaff RSU, Eustis $82,668 $1,958,772

18 AOS 98 - Edgecomb $72,923 $1,954,672

19 Thornton Academy $75,896 $1,952,425

20 RSU 05, Freeport $75,851 $1,944,705

21 Gorham $73,959 $1,942,261

22 West Bath $80,061 $1,939,136

23 RSU 01, Bath $80,414 $1,920,562 24 Brewer $74,501 $1,899,289 25 Brunswick $78,512 $1,897,341 26 Biddeford $72,443 $1,889,088 27 Kittery $70,601 $1,882,006

28 RSU 56 - Dixfield $73,455 $1,874,591

29 RSU 10, Rumford $73,455 $1,874,591 30 RSU 88, Van Buren $72,150 $1,865,190 31 RSU 86, Fort Fairfield $72,300 $1,861,100 32 Greenville $73,317 $1,855,345 33 Westbrook $78,178 $1,854,261 34 RSU 83, Bingham $70,562 $1,851,152 35 AOS 93 - Bristol $69,745 $1,849,457 36 AOS 98Georgetown $74,165 $1,845,532 37 AOS 93 - South Bristol $70,029 $1,833,446 38 RSU 39, Caribou $71,747 $1,830,560 39 Limestone Community School $71,747 $1,830,560

64 RSU 23, Old Orchard Beach $65,498 $1,746,210 65 Lewiston $67,936 $1,744,720 66 RSU 08, Vinalhaven $71,500 $1,744,612 67 RSU 61, Bridgton $65,128 $1,739,456 68 AOS 91 - Trenton $68,450 $1,732,100 69 AOS 91 - Southwest Harbor $68,450 $1,732,100 70 AOS 91 - Mt Desert CSD $68,450 $1,732,100

71 AOS 91 - Tremont $68,450 $1,732,100 72 AOS 91 - Bar Harbor $68,450 $1,732,100 73 AOS 91 - Mt Desert Elem $68,450 $1,732,100 74 RSU 40, Waldoboro $70,319 $1,727,086 75 RSU 26, Orono $75,150 $1,726,750 76 AOS 94 - Harmony $68,087 $1,724,769 77 Lisbon $73,368 $1,724,601 78 RSU 60, Berwick $66,909 $1,722,476 79 Glenburn $69,025 $1,722,400 80 RSU 71, Belfast $65,862 $1,716,999 81 Dayton $65,531 $1,712,090 82 AOS 92 - Vassalboro $69,143 $1,708,858 83 RSU 29, Houlton $68,000 $1,698,750 84 RSU 02, Hallowell $69,463 $1,698,629 85 RSU 06, Buxton $64,808 $1,696,318 86 AOS 93 - Jefferson $68,321 $1,692,201 87 RSU 73, JayLivermore $66,431 $1,687,230 88 Athens $62,489 $1,682,420 89 RSU 11, Gardiner $67,200 $1,681,600 90 RSU 82, Jackman $64,982 $1,676,118 91 RSU 22, Hampden $70,903 $1,670,604 92 AOS 90 - Baileyville $68,288 $1,669,054 93 RSU 20, Searsport $63,066 $1,668,337 94 RSU 19, Newport $68,687 $1,665,916 95 AOS 77 - Alexander $61,200 $1,665,700 96 AOS 77 - RSU 85, Lubec $61,200 $1,665,300 97 AOS 92 - Winslow $77,461 $1,658,803 98 RSU 53, Pittsfield $65,784 $1,658,752 99 RSU 14, Windham $66,825 $1,656,173 100 Foxcroft Academy $66,178 $1,655,984 101 RSU 58, Phillips $68,291 $1,655,366 102 RSU 74, Anson $66,825 $1,653,457 103 RSU 33, St. Agatha $64,214 $1,650,720 104 RSU 49, Fairfield $70,000 $1,650,000 105 AOS 94 - SAD 46, Dexter $68,921 $1,649,033 106 AOS 77 - Eastport $59,800 $1,645,288 107 Fryeburg Academy $63,250 $1,644,500 108 Augusta $72,607 $1,643,312 109 AOS 77 - Perry $61,100 $1,639,300 110 RSU 59, Madison $67,036 $1,638,769 111 RSU 54, Skowhegan $70,410 $1,634,530 112 AOS 93 - Nobleboro $60,701 $1,634,122 113 RSU 44, Bethel $65,161 $1,629,254 114 RSU 12, Windsor $68,000 $1,626,746 115 East Range CSD $61,000 $1,626,000 116 RSU 78, Rangeley $65,518 $1,625,152 117 Baxter Educators’ Association $62,315 $1,624,825 118 Hermon $65,293 $1,617,744

131 RSU 24, Sullivan $60,350 $1,568,143 132 Waldo Region 7 $56,253 $1,567,521 133 Calais $64,592 $1,567,122 134 Greenbush $59,235 $1,566,815 135 Surry $59,673 $1,559,494 136 RSU 64, Corinth $62,863 $1,555,156 137 RSU 38, Maranacook $66,038 $1,546,009

138 Winthrop $62,491 $1,543,274

139 AOS 92 - Waterville $75,182 $1,540,161

140 Woodland $55,008 $1,540,151

141 RSU 89, Patten $63,680 $1,527,813

142 RSU 25, Bucksport $63,753 $1,521,451 143 RSU 41, Milo $63,433 $1,517,892

144 Southern Penobscot Region 4 $60,600 $1,516,400

145 Fayette $59,326 $1,516,165

146 RSU 68, DoverFoxcroft $64,878 $1,505,657

147 Ellsworth $58,667 $1,504,826

148 RSU 55, Porter $61,750 $1,498,400

149 Deer Isle-Stonington CSD $56,696 $1,484,834

150 Hancock $54,350 $1,482,000

151 RSU 50, Southern Aroostook $60,200 $1,480,000

152 RSU 70, Hodgdon $59,775 $1,471,550

153 AOS 90 - Princeton $58,350 $1,469,700

154 Washington Academy $58,600 $1,458,975

155 Castine $52,510 $1,458,423

156 RSU 79, Presque Isle $65,836 $1,457,156

157 Brooksville $51,872 $1,455,983

158 Brooklin $54,503 $1,452,090

159 East Millinocket $60,560 $1,450,292

160 RSU 31, Howland $60,000 $1,435,500

161 RSU 84, Danforth $55,461 $1,420,830

162 Moosabec CSD $53,194 $1,416,220

163 Medway $52,588 $1,409,285

164 Cherryfield $53,700 $1,408,600

165 RSU 63, Holden $51,250 $1,405,500

166 RSU 37, Harrington $54,717 $1,404,103 167 RSU 87, Carmel $52,603 $1,394,019 168 RSU 67, Lincoln $62,000 $1,380,000

AOS 77 - Pembroke $54,665 $1,378,950

Millinocke $59,500 $1,378,500

Penobscot $48,250 $1,347,750

Members-Only Website

MEA offers a lot of valuable information for its members and wants you to have access to this in an easy way. You will now be able to access key pieces of informationthink collective bargaining guidance, salary data, legal guidance and more-online with your Individual ID. Log in at maineea.org to unlock your members-only information.

Back for 2022! Back for 2022!

Maine Educator Magazine Cover: "What I Love About Maine" Cover Contest

The Maine Educator will feature a cover designed by a Maine public school student depicting the theme “What I Love About Maine.” Submissions can be any form of art and should be 8.5” by 11” or able to be photographed. Please advise students that the magazine title will be across the top and 2.5” high. The artist will want to make sure there is nothing important to the piece at the top, as it may be obscured by the title. Entries must include the name of the student, the school, and the submitting teacher’s name and email.

WHO: Grades K-4, 5-8, 9-12 –Based on entries, an indeterminate number of finalists will be selected, with one overall winner chosen from the finalists to have their work on the cover of the magazine.

HOW: Submit artwork to Giovanna Bechard via email at contest@maineea.org

DEADLINE: April 29, 2022

"My Hero Works at School" Essay Contest

The MEA is pleased to join with the Portland Sea Dogs for its 6th annual "My Hero Works at School" essay contest. Students are encouraged to write a short essay, no more than 300 words, about their school hero. Two winners will be selected and receive tickets to a 2022 Sea Dogs game for themselves, their family and their school hero. Entries must include the name of the student, the school, the submitting educator's name and email and the name and email of the school hero, if different than the submitting educator.

WHO: Grades All public school elementary and middle school students

HOW: Submit essays to Giovanna Bechard via email at contest@maineea.org

DEADLINE: April 29, 2022

Photo is from June 2019

Building Stronger Local Associations

Increasing power and leadership skills among the membership

Finding Members to Participate

Building strong local associations with an organizing culture is key to our Union’s success.

A culture of organizing is one that promotes deep member engagement, leadership development, and collective action. At its core, organizing means facilitating collective action among a group and empowering others to take on leadership roles.

Effective organizing results in increased membership growth and more member engagement, expanding leadership, and real wins on the policies and practices that impact our members, our schools, our students, and our communities. That’s why MEA continues to train its members on these key issues, including at our recent Fall Conference where members shared and learned ideas from each other.

“Our local association showed our superintendent we had power very early on by showing him we were organized. We went to school board meetings, had #RedforEd events, and because we showed up and acted we have built relationships, and the district administration knows we have a system in place. We have been able to make sure our local is part of the decision-making process through labor management meetings,” said Beth French, teacher, local leader and Treasurer of the MEA.

Building that power in a local comes with a leadership structure that incorporates instead of alienates members. Instead of a topdown style, MEA trains members to use a “snowflake” approach where multiple members work together to take on an issue they collectively need to focus on rather than one person wielding all the control.

“It has to be the members that are driving what the issue is going to be and what the tactics are because then they will feel more connected. We want to build structures that are inclusive, provide space for everyone, and create a transition plan in leadership in the local,” said Krystyna Dzialo, MEA’s Deputy Executive Director.

In many locals the same few people do “all the things” -which is both unsustainable and ineffective. The highest functioning local associations have the most power and influence and they also have the most members engaged and involved. Being engaged and involved does not mean you have to give up all your time to the union—and finding people to help is easier than you may think. The best way to find people who are ready to step up is to simply ask. But who do you ask? Look around your buildings and talk to people. Ask some simple questions of your colleagues: Who do you trust and respect? When you need to know something, who do you go to, other than an existing building rep or local leader? Who takes the initiative? Is communication flowing? It is likely the same few names will percolate to the top, and now you’ve found people who would make good leaders in your “snowflake” model. They don’t need to hold official positions, because always remember leaders don’t need titles, they just need followers.

Increasing your engagement will increase your power. Increasing your power will increase your membership. Increasing your membership will increase your overall voice in decisions in your district and jobs. Engagement matters and is directly connected to your Union’s ability to have the greatest impact on your members’ lives.

For help on how to build a unique organizing plan for your local to help increase your power, contact your MEA Representative who can work with you to develop a unique organizing plan for your local.

What is Power?

“Power, properly understood, is the ability to achieve purpose. It is the strength required to bring about social, political or economic changes. In this sense power is not only desirable but necessary in order to implement the demands of love and justice. One of the greatest problems of history is that the concept of love and power are usually contrasted as polar opposites.”

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Handling Parent and Community Hostility

As COVID cases rise, and the stress of the pandemic continues, many teachers, education support professionals, faculty, principals and administrators have received letters, complaints, or been harassed by parents or vocal community members.

For the sake of our students, an educators’ job must be to calm the storm and bring balance to the angry rhetoric that is brought to schools and, in some cases, impacting local decisions about how to best educate Maine students.

To help bring balance and ensure members stay within the law, MEA’s General Counsel compiled the following guidelines to help manage these difficult situations.

COVID Related Hostility Towards Educators

As school boards around the state continue to enforce and sometimes change policies around COVID-19 and our schools, hostility around varying policies in some places has boiled over.

MEA recommends that teachers and ESPs who receive a hostile email, social media posting, or are physically confronted with COVID-19 or any issue do the following:

• De-escalate a physical interaction or encounter as much as possible by politely referring them to a building administrator.

• Take a copy of the email/letter/posting to your immediate supervisor as documentation. This is vital in showing the seriousness of your complaint and can be used in a district’s response to the parent or guardian.

• Ensure the administration is doing its job of protecting staff and students; ask what the district’s plan and policies are for reacting to threats and what public safety measures it has in place at school, on-campus events, or School Board meetings. Make sure the district has updated its written anti-bullying policy to include educators and employees.

• Do not reply to angry emails or social media posts without consulting with your administration and Union representative.

• Avoid commenting on any social media posts that deal with school related issues

• Notify your Union representative immediately of the situation. It is important your Union knows of the situation so it can provide you with the best support and protection, if necessary.

Attacks on Individuals regarding Curriculum Issues

When it comes to attacks on individuals or groups of members and their ability to do their job for students, MEA will defend our members under their collective bargaining agreements and, when necessary, in a court of law.

If members of the community send letters, emails, verbal demands for copies of curriculum, or there are allegations against educators for doing their jobs, MEA believes these items should be addressed by principals and other administrators rather than individual educators. The same principle is true if this type of attack or questioning occurs on social media-these should be addressed by administration and not the individual.

MEA advises members to notify your local association immediately of any of these actions by parents or community members allowing the local association to notify the administration. MEA believes the local association should strongly recommend, at a minimum, a written response from the administration be sent and followed up with a conversation if necessary.

Support Available

MEA Legal Services is ready for any job-related legal issues that arise. We will use all means necessary to protect members who are threatened for doing their jobs and standing up for safety and/or honesty in education. Requests for legal support should initiate through MEA UniServ directors. If you have any further questions, please contact your MEA UniServ Director.

Contact your MEA Field Representative using the MEA App or scan this QR Code:

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EDUCATORS’ RIGHTS AND THE FIRST AMENDMENT

Curriculum, particularly in subjects such as History and English Language Arts, naturally touches upon topics including race and diversity that are to be taught in an age- appropriate manner.

Students must have the tools to understand and investigate different perspectives.

Students should graduate from school ready to engage with others and thrive as respectful, informed, and productive citizens.

School districts routinely promote inclusiveness and equity and celebrate diversity to make all students feel welcome and included in their educational environment.

This approach is appropriate and is in keeping with guidance from the State Department of Education that all students should feel valued, included, and supported regardless of race. However, it is important to remember there are lines in what is appropriate to say inside your school, outside your school and what can potentially be held against you and affect your employment.

Teachers or other educators who want to speak out publicly on their school district’s policy or curriculum with respect to race, diversity, equity, or inclusion should be aware that their First Amendment rights may be limited.

• The Supreme Court has found that a public employee speaking about a matter of public concern has first amendment protections. However, that speech is curtailed when public employees make statements pursuant to their official duties.

• Also importantly, if a teacher in a particular school district speaks against their district’s plan or district operations and disrupts the educational environment, they may not

be entitled to First Amendment protection and could face potential discipline.

• There are safer ways to speak out publicly including working with your local union and/or MEA who may be able to help get the message across through protected, concerted action.

A few notes regarding free speech and social media considerations for school employees:

1. There is no absolute right of free speech for anyone!

2. Further, free speech rights are much stricter even more limited for educators and other public employees. A district can restrict some speech in order to ensure it fulfills its duty of educating children safely.

3. Speech for educators and public employees that is NOT protected includes:

• Speech related to and in the course of your employment/job

• Off-duty speech that causes a substantial adverse impact on your students, the District, or your standing in the classroom.

• Speech that is obscene, defamatory, or threatening.

If you have questions about this topic, please reach out to your MEA Field Representative. It is always the intention of MEA to ensure members understand their rights and support them in their profession.

Contact your MEA Field Representative using the MEA App or scan this QR Code:

Inclusive at Hermon High School

The Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) at Hermon High School received a grant from MEA’s Human and Civil Rights & Social Justice Committee. With that funding, the GSA club audited the library’s LGBTQIA+ books and ordered books to be more inclusive of the LGBTQIA+ community in the school. The addition to the school library resulted in materials that students and staff say improved the school community.

Books

As the Hermon High School’s Library Media Specialist, what did you notice when compiling the lists of LGBTQIA+ books during the start of the audit process?

I noticed that the library subject fields had antiquated terms for LGBTQIA+. For example, transgender was not a subject heading for a few older books. The subject heading was entitled "transexual." This helped me bring our catalog up to date and become more inclusive.

Also, I realized that we were missing a lot. I had prided myself on being inclusive, yet I had no book on Asexuality, Demisexuality, and Gender Fluidity. The students also noticed that I did not have a book on Intersexuality. I am glad that they woke me up. Also, their display included the many flags of LGBTQIA+, and I am so grateful to the students. I learned so much.

-Library Media Specialist

How are students responding to the display in the library? Are the books moving?

The books are moving. One book, How to Be Ace: A Memoir of Growing Up Asexual has moved the most. This display has been the single most popular display in my 10 years here.

-Library Media Specialist

Which books, and why?

Hermon High School’s librarian pulled lists of books in the library catalogue based on different keywords for example, asexuality, gay, bisexual, lesbian, and transexual.

It has allowed other students to experience the culture of LGBTQIA+ where they otherwise couldn't at home, and hopefully has helped students questioning their identity to be more comfortable or understand more about themselves.

-High School Student

The LGBTQIA+ book section in our library helps us feel safe at school. As queer kids, we hear homophobic jokes and passive aggressive comments almost daily. To be able to see all the rainbows and acceptance right when we walk in the door, it lets us know that this is a place where we don’t have to hide, because we will not be met with harm if we are ourselves.

- High School Student

Having the LGBTQIA+ section in the library brings awareness to the LGBTQIA+ community and it makes us more seen in the school, and people can get educated on the LGBTQIA+ community. -High School Student

The display makes educational and non-educational LGBTQIA+ stuff more accessible to my friends. - High School Student Reading these books about different orientations and identities has helped me learn more about myself. -High School Student

Members of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance club were given these lists and conducted research on the representation of that identity in the text. From there, the staff and students determined gaps in identities and representations. Students then conducted research on texts that would be more inclusive. The students were responsible for choosing each text and worked with the librarian to order books that would be most inclusive and useful for the high school.

To see the full list of books ordered by Hermon High School's Gender and Sexuality Alliance, visit maineea.org/maine-educator

What impact has the new LGBTQIA+ book section in the library had on you or other members of the school community?

School Nurse STRUGGLE STRUGGLE

The requirements for public school nurses have expanded to levels likely no one could have ever imagined due to the pandemic. Contact tracing, quarantines, pool testing, and vaccines have been added to the pre-pandemic duties including medication dispensing, belly aches, playground mishaps and more. What makes matters worse, the nursing shortages, like in other education fields, mean fewer nurses for a much sicker student population.

From September 2021 through the first week of November, the CDC reported 7,428 positive and probable COVID cases in children ages 5-19. Compare that to a similar timeframe last year-and include all of November-and the CDC reported 1,135 cases in that same age group. The 6,000 plus more cases of school-aged children this school year has put a massive strain on the entire public school system, particularly those responsible for taking care of the students and staff in our schools-our school nurses.

"We are frequently yelled at. Sworn at. Insulted."

The daily life of a school nurse during the pandemic

“

I have 20 years of nursing experience -hospital pediatrics; labor and delivery; community health center; camp nursing; and now school nursing. Being a school nurse during COVID is the most difficult out of all the nursing jobs I have ever held."

– Western Maine School Nurse

School Safety Measures and Administration Support are Critical

Our school district in Western Maine has had no evidence of school-based transmission. We do enforce universal masking and assigned seating (when possible). Students are taught to frequently sanitize their hands. Parents are taught to notify the school if their student has COVID-like symptoms so nursing staff can educate them around the protocol for returning to school. We are frequently yelled at, sworn at, insulted, and hung up on by parents and guardians who are just as frustrated about this pandemic as we are. The extra work (mountains of it) and responsibility is nearly impossible to maintain at the current pace. On top of my job as a school nurse in an elementary school, I am the District Nurse Coordinator and for a yearly stipend I help figure out the nursing budget, coordinate team meetings, and act as liaison between our team and the district’s physician consultant. COVID has added so much more to that position.

We are fortunate in our district to have the support of our administration and building administrators. We are fortunate to be paid for our hours worked outside of contracted hours--many school nurses in Maine do the extra work for free. The DOE has provided nurse liaisons to answer questions regarding all things COVID via phone call or email. It is nearly impossible to reach them, and some are covering as many as three counties worth of school districts.

If the mask mandate is done away with, there will be an increase in COVID cases which will create more worry for parents, staff, and students alike. It will also increase the amount of work that school nurses and administrators are required to do whenever a positive case pops up. Often, we have several cases per day, scattered throughout the district, that we hear about. All hands are on deck for these situations, but we cannot abandon our other responsibilities. We are burnt out, mentally exhausted, emotionally drained and constantly worried about our students and staff, not to mention our own families, who miss out on time with us as we contact trace on weekends and in the evenings.

- Western Maine School Nurse

– Western Maine School Nurse

Dealing with Angry Families Who Insult and Threaten

You know who is taking the brunt of parent abuse-school nurses! We are the ones who speak to parents about quarantine their kids, and many are burned out and not happy when that happens! Despite nurses following MDOE and Maine CDC guidelines, parents argue, insult, name call and threaten school nurses every day! Even some teachers are annoyed when we tell them we need seating charts and bus seating charts when they want to attend field trips! Guess what, we're still in a pandemic! It’s exhausting and we don’t get a break-contact tracing evenings and weekends!

-

Southern Maine School Nurse

Nurse Log: Minute by Minute Reality for a Maine School Nurse

Tuesday (Pool Testing)

Arrival at School-9:59 AM

Check my mailbox-plan to read and file paperwork a bit later this morning.

Start setting up for pool testing: number the tubes, email lists of students to teachers so they know who to send down when I call their classroom. I test approximately 100 students and staff during the day between the hours of 9:30am and 2pm.

While I do this, I monitor 2 students with Type 1 Diabetes, neither of whom are independent with their care (between these two wonderful students I make anywhere from 10-20 trips up and down the stairs per day); take phone calls from other district nurses; talk with teachers and my building administrator as they check in with various issues; dispense medication.

Call parents whose students have been called out ill for the day to discuss protocol

10 AM-2 PM

I received news that a student has tested positive for COVID-19. The contact tracing process begins as I continue to do pool testing. Teachers are contacted and asked for lists of where the student was and who they were sitting with; bus schedules are received from the Transportation Department; a detailed phone interview is done with parents to determine dates of testing and last date in school for student and any siblings. Principal and

The following excerpts are the personal views of several Maine school nurses; Maine Educator has kept their identity private, at each nurse's request as they all feared speaking out could impact their daily lives.

“We are burnt out, mentally exhausted, emotionally drained and constantly worried about our students and staff, not to mention our own families..."

district administrator are notified. Other nurses are notified and a spreadsheet for working on contact tracing is created and shared with them. Case is reported via website to the Maine DOE. Close contact calls are made, questions are answered for each parent. I work with the front office staff to coordinate dismissal for close contacts. Their names are entered on the spreadsheet for tracking students who are out of school for something COVID related.

2 PM

Pool testing is finally done and entered in the lab’s system, boxed up, and given to a courier to be brought to the lab.

Last few close contact calls are made.

Emails are sent to teachers whose students will be out of school as they quarantine.

2:30 PM

I eat lunch, only interrupted twice.

3:00 PM

Students are dismissed from school. I finish the official DOE Close Contact Template and email it to the appropriate person.

Check emails one more time and answer urgent ones.

Wednesday

8:40 AM

Walk in to check my mailbox-1.5-inch-thick pile of COVID results, doctor’s notes to enter into one of the myriad spreadsheets (added to yesterday’s pile because I couldn’t get to it due to pool testing and contact tracing a COVID positive case in our school building). I use these spreadsheets this year to track who is out ill, who may return, who needs to be checked on via phone call, and whose COVID test results are pending.

Check voicemail and return phone calls.

Check email and respond to urgent messages.

Turn on iPods for tracking blood sugars in students with Type 1 Diabetes.

Meeting with Administrator

Look at my notes from office visits yesterday and try to chart one or two of them before a meeting with a district administrator regarding the new immunization law. During this meeting two students come to see me for various health reasons, and a parent drops off an emergency medication for their student-I have to remind her that I need an order from the child’s PCP in order to administer this medication in school. Back to the meeting with the administrator.

Student Glucose Checks

Run upstairs to check on a student with T1D whose blood glucose level is too high. Calculate insulin dosage and administer via pump. Notify parents via text message. Thirty minutes later, for the same student, give insulin for a snack time.

Run downstairs to check on the other T1D and check in with his teacher, who is trained to help manage multiple glucose checks and insulin dosing.

Check Students Showing COVID Symptoms & Address Pool Testing Questions

Back to my office. See two students for COVID-like symptoms. One is sent home, meaning I have to go over the protocol for returning to school with their parent or guardian. Some get angry, most are very understanding. Today’s parent is the latter.

Take a phone call from another nurse in the district about some Pool Testing results. Troubleshoot an issue with a nurse from a different school in the district.

Speak briefly with the building principal about Pool Testing and feedback received from parents about the process.

Address Mental Health Concerns

Receive medication refill from a parent who is concerned about their child’s mental health. Email to school counselor and school LCSW asking if they can check in with student.

Check-in on Diabetic Student

Walk upstairs to see the younger student with Type 1 Diabetes-help them count carbohydrates they want to eat at lunch and then calculate insulin. Today, their blood glucose was too low for insulin delivery. Student needed a fast-acting source of glucose, so they had some juice. Notified parent via text message. Continued to monitor the student's blood sugar and gave insulin via pump on the way out to the student’s recess time. Update parent again via text.

Talk to Maine CDC Investigator

Return to the health office. Answer phone call from Maine CDC case investigator with questions about a positive COVID case in this school which occurred over a week ago.

More COVID Duties & Questions

Order masks and gloves from Central Supply for two schools in the district.

Call from Assistant Principal at high school seeking clarification on policy for when a student should be sent home ill (COVID vs. Non-COVID policies).

Medication, Glucose and Playground Needs

Dispense medications for a few students (all due at the same time).

Head down the hall to complete carbohydrate count and insulin calculation for 5th grader who is not able to do that on his own at this time.

Dispense medication for a student.

Tend to several students with playground injuries (mostly minor today).

Check in with a younger student with T1D when they return

from recess.

Bathroom and Snack Break

Use the bathroom for the first time since waking up. Eat a quick snack at my desk--first time having eaten since 7:30 this morning. Despite being on the teacher’s contract, my school nurse colleagues, and I don’t have a regular, 20-minute, studentfree lunch. It’s actually quite rare. Neither do we have a prep period every day. There is always someone or something that needs our attention.

Update COVID Spreadsheet

Update COVID tracking spreadsheet to cross out names of students who are out of quarantine and can return to school and add names of students who were called out with illness who need to test or be seen by their PCP in order to return to school.

Try and Catch Up on Items Not Yet Done

Email staff regarding flu vaccine opportunities in the community.

Chart medications that have been given today.

Reply to emails from staff in my building, as well as staff in other parts of the district.

Final Check on one of the Diabetic Students

Check on the older student with T1D and calculate carbohydrates and insulin for his snack.

See Students with Non-COVID Complaints

Chart recess health office visits. See a student about a sore tooth, another who needs a snack, and another who has a belly ache.

Attend COVID Meetings & Check the Pool Results

Log into Zoom meeting (office hours), held weekly, by the School Nurse Consultant at the Maine DOE. This is where school nurses from around the state receive updates on COVID practices and other policy changes. We can also ask questions and get clarification on issues happening in our schools.

Attend a meeting to give consultation on COVID safety guidelines for an after-school activities club.

Check for Pool Testing results (fingers always crossed that they come back negative).

It’s now 4:45, well past my contracted end time. As I walk out the door, I throw a glance over my shoulder at the now 2-inch pile of paperwork yet to be charted and filed.

-Western Maine School Nurse

What’s Needed to Keep Schools Open

School nurses do not simply put on bandages and give out ice packs as some might think. School nurses wear many hats and are responsible for the health and safety of the entire school community; this includes the students, staff and their families as well. During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, school nurses are being pulled in many different directions. One of the biggest struggles for me is I am unable to see my “regular” students. These are the students who come to see me every day, sometimes multiple times, for various needs. Now a significant part of the school nurse’s role is to help students feel listened to, cared for, welcomed and safe. No longer is my primary role attending to a student’s physical needs. Mental health concerns have become much more prevalent in school-aged children.

The biggest thing my school needs from the community to keep our school open and safe is to keep children home when they are sick. As a working parent myself, I do understand the hardship this can be on families. There are many students in my school with chronic health conditions who are not eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19. As a community, we must work together to keep the students in our school safe and healthy.

- Mid-Coast School Nurse

Increased Duties and Frustrations of the School Nurse

The biggest thing

school needs from the community to keep our school open and safe is to keep children home when they are sick." – Mid-Coast School Nurse

On top of the traditional duties of a school nurse, one Bangor area nurse highlighted what has been added to their plates.

• Contact trace a lot! In the month of September, we had over 380 encounters for contact tracing purposes

• Monitor our students who are and aren't vaccinated

• Monitor and manage students who are pool testing positives

“

my

Continued:

Increased Duties and Frustrations of the School Nurse

• Become masters of complex algorithms that change weekly and sometimes daily

• Meticulously go through our students' school days when there is a positive case and investigate student movements which can take HOURS

• Deal with angry parents who feel we are punishing their families

• Conduct mandated screenings for grades Pre K, K, 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9

• Manage chronic health conditions

• Participate in IEPs and 504s

• Develop individual health plans for students

• Educate staff about the health conditions of students, provide yearly training, and update for any changes in a student's health condition

• Supporting mental health issues and crisis events

• Notify parents of illness, injury, and vaccine requirements

• Multiple phone calls a day regarding absences, and followup for illness and testing

We have multiple phone calls from the CDC asking for the same information sent to the DOE because they do not share info. We are working weekends, holidays, and after hours. We have no lunch breaks. While the administration staff is supportive, we are told that the processes won't change.

- Bangor Area School Nurse

Live Chat

MEA Support For School Nurses

In various local associations around the state, MEA has been able to negotiate additional benefits for school nurses. In some cases, like in Augusta, nurses received an extra $3,500 for this school year. In other districts, nurses carefully document their hours worked, including weekends and nights and get paid their hourly per diem rate. Some local associations, with the help of MEA, were able to negotiate additional time off—for example, a workshop day or an additional day off before vacation. These days are paid days and nurses do not lose leave time. MEA understands the additional stressors on nurses and MEA UniServ Directors continue to work with local associations to find ways to compensate them for their additional time and effort.

Live chat is available, Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. when MEA offices are open.

It has never been easier to get in touch with MEA! MEA now has a live chat feature where you can talk directly with an MEA staff member on your phone or your computer. This live chat function is available during office hours. Reach out anytime you need us… we are just a few clicks of your keyboard away.

Four Principles for Using SEL in the Classroom

Try these creative ways to work social and emotional learning into your lessons.

By: James Paterson, edited by Giovanna Bechard

Continuing to focus on student mental health is necessary as we work through the third school year during a pandemic. Adjustments to academic and emotional issues are needed throughout the year to ensure students’ needs are met. Experts recommend continuing to incorporate social and emotional learning (SEL) in your lessons.

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), defines SEL as building skills to develop healthy identities; manage emotions; achieve personal and collective goals; feel and show empathy for others; establish and maintain supportive relationships; and make responsible and caring decisions. And a CASEL survey found that most teachers believe SEL boosts academic performance and prepares students for college, careers, and civic engagement.

Here are four essential components for integrating SEL into academics and examples for how they can be used in classrooms:

1Fostering Academic Mindsets

Helping students adapt a growth mindset is key to this process, Schu says. The goal, she explains, is for students to understand “who they are as learners so they can improve with effort and new strategies, and [that they] know struggle is part of the process.” Students should feel they belong, that they can succeed, and that their work has value, she adds.

To accomplish this, try to communicate high expectations for students by asking them about their thinking, sharing exemplary work, using specific feedback to drive improvement, and communicating that mistakes are an important part of learning.

“How teachers communicate the meaning of setbacks, struggle, and failure is critical to students’ mindsets,” the CASEL guidance notes.

Aligning SEL and Academic Objectives

SEL can help foster learning. One objective of the Common Core, for example, is for students to be able to “construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.” To include SEL in this learning, help students anticipate how others will hear their arguments and teach active listening skills, so they can understand other perspectives. Both of these approaches involve social awareness and relationship skills, which are key SEL goals.

SEL is particularly helpful in explaining challenging ideas and tasks, or in lessons that involve understanding decisions or relationships—such as why characters in history or fiction may have acted a certain way.

Using interactive instructional practices and structures to promote SEL

Class discussions and group learning can enhance SEL understanding and competence. Try some of these activities to introduce SEL skill-building into your practice:

• Journal writing. Ask students to write down a response to a prompt that uses an SEL skill, such as: When did you see someone empathize or understand the feelings of another person this week? Or, what is one thing your team can do differently next time to achieve your goals?

• Class meetings. Encourage participation, and focus on solving problems and creating a positive climate, with everyone contributing.

• Collaborative problem-solving. Have students work together on a project, puzzle, or problem. If appropriate to the grade level, examine the process that worked best for decisionmaking and problem-solving.

• Goals and progress. Encourage students to set goals for the day, week, quarter, or year. Focus on successes and setbacks, the reasons for them, and the value of the process more than the outcome.

Want to know more about SEL?

Visit the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) at casel.org. Sign up for NEA’s courses on using SEL in the classroom, at nea.org/SEL.

Emotional Intelligence

Take time to explain the emotions that you or a student are feeling. Name the feelings and explain why they are valuable and how they can be channeled.

Student Behaviors & Conflict Resolution

Navigating a difficult year where norms need reteaching

The last time a 7th grader had a full, normal school year they were in 4th grade. Current 2nd graders have never had a “normal” school year. The return to full-time, in-person learning has been a struggle for some of these students who lack the proper behavior skills for their ages, as they have not had the routine of proper classroom behavior for several school years. The adjustment continues to be a struggle, as students come to school with increased trauma needing support and conflict resolution skills. Here are some ways to help your students as you continue to navigate the school year.

USING A TRAUMA LENS

Approaching Issues Using a Trauma Lens

When dealing with student behaviors it is important to ask yourself the following questions: Why did the student act this way? What lessons do you want to teach at this moment? How can I best teach this lesson? Understanding student behaviors, encouraging resilience, repairing harm, and handling challenges are all part of supporting students in need and properly navigating difficult behaviors in your classroom. To change your approach, alter your views when considering why a student is behaving in a particular way.

TRADITIONAL VIEW TRAUMA INFORMED VIEW

Student has anger management problems

Students has ADHD; is destructive and uncontrollable

Student is choosing to act out

Student is non-responsive

Student needs consequences or medication

Student is using non-adaptive responses to get needs met

Student has difficulty self-regulating; student was triggered

Student lacks the necessary skills

Student doesn't trust adults; student has negative view of the world

Student needs to develop self-regulation skills and develop trusting relationships

“”

Disruptive behavior should be seen as an opportunity to understand where the behavior came from, help the child to recognize their emotions and help the child develop strategies for resilience.

From Discipline to Management

While dealing with a conflict or difficult behavior it may seem easier to enforce discipline to get back to your planned lesson more quickly. However, it is important to shift gears from a discipline mindset to one of management.

Disruptive behavior should be seen as an opportunity to understand where the behavior came from, help the child to recognize their emotions and help the child develop strategies for resilience.

To develop those strategies, focus on the essentials of trauma informed care including:

1. Connect: Focus on relationships

2. Protect: Promote safety and trustworthiness

3. Respect: Engage in choice and collaboration

4. Redirect: Teach and reinforce skill building and competence

Student Relationships and Skills to Navigate Situations

A child who feels their school and classroom are safe places has better opportunities to grow and learn both as students and people. To foster a cohesive, safe, and peaceful classroom environment your students need to feel comfortable with not just you, the educator, but also each other. Creating cooperative teams, study buddies, or unique activities to help students understand each other’s backgrounds and ideals can help. Try these activities to both help everyone learn about each other and help create a safe, open space for discussion and conflict resolution.

Brown Bag Biographies

Send each student home with a brown paper bag and ask them to bring back small items in the bag that reflect their interests and personalities. This “show and tell” lets students take turns explaining their items, while getting to know each other better, fostering more respect between each student.

Restorative Circles

A group activity that helps students process their thoughts and feelings. Talking sticks can also help facilitate this process.

Guided Questions

These questions help to bring out the emotions and reasons that went into the student’s behavior, such as what were you thinking at the time, what have you thought about since, what do you think you need to do to make things right?

Peer-led Mediation

These trained peer leaders are students who then serve as impartial mediators.

These approaches, among others, help get to the root cause of student behavior. Plus, students learn accountability and how to navigate situations without resorting to name calling or violence. Students can also grow socially and emotionally.

DISCIPLINE TRAPS IN THE CLASSROOM

Discipline becomes consequence based rather than teaching based

If we are disciplining, we can't be warm and nurturing

We confuse consistency with rigidity

We talk too much

We don't focus enough on the "why" behind the behavior

We don't focus on how we say what we say

We communicate that students shouldn't experience big or negative feelings

We overreact

We don't repair

We lay down the law in an emotional moment and then realize we overreacted

We forget students may need our help in making good choices and calming down

We discipline in front of others, not privately

Maine Educator gathered information for this article from a professional learning module available to members called Strategies for Building Resilience: Creating a Trauma Responsive Culture Within Your Classroom created by the Delaware State Education Association. The entire training and many others are available as micro-credentials on our website. Scan this QR code for more information. maineea.org/micro-credentials/

It’s easy to fall into discipline traps that you’ve used in the past. Do your best to avoid these pitfalls as you work to manage your classrooms and the behaviors in them.

Creating Responsible Digital Citizens

By: Andrew Kozlowsky NEA MEMBER, ADVANCED Placement U.S. History and Modern World History Teacher

So much of student’s lives are wrapped up in digital platforms, whether it’s for school or more often in their personal lives, children and teenagers are influenced by the internet and social media. The recent Tik Tok challenges that infiltrated schools, damaged bathrooms, and caused injuries to educators highlight the greater need to educate students to be responsible digital citizens.

As educators, we bear the responsibility for making sure our students know how to distinguish reliable information they see on the Web from misinformation. Below are some suggestions on how you can incorporate this learning into your everyday lessons. You can use the ideas as warmup activities or weave them into a larger project.

COMPARING ARTICLES USING LATERAL READING

Lateral reading is verifying what you’re reading, as you are reading it. You can teach students to simply open a new tab and research the organization to see if it’s reliable or has a history of spreading misinformation.

Scan QR Code to access activity

CLAIMS ON YOUTUBE

To do this, try this activity which requires students to analyze two articles from the New York Times to determine which source is more reliable. Both articles are about plastics and the environment, but one is sponsored by a major corporation with a vested interest in the topic. Teachers may want to spend a few minutes at the start of class providing students with background on lateral reading.

Activity: Civic Online Reasoning - Comparing Articles

ANALYZING SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS

Have students try to assess the reliability of a short video about economics that was posted on social media. Students should research the credentials of the content creator, which requires them to think critically about the point of view of the post.

Scan QR Code to access activity

Activity: Civic Online Reasoning - Social Media Video

One of the fastest ways that misinformation spreads is through YouTube. A person can edit a video to create nearly any narrative. In this activity, students analyze one of these videos to determine how reliable the narrative is. Students work in small groups to research the background of the creator and the claims made in the video. This helps students establish a habit of researching sources and provides them with the context to make educated decisions about the reliability of sources

Scan QR Code to access activity

Activity: Civic Online Reasoning - YouTube

DIGITAL COMPASS

Created by Common Sense Media, this learning experience helps students find ageappropriate, reliable online information for students from grades three through twelve. Each activity can be completed in 10 to 15 minutes. Students investigate different sources to determine their reliability and practice being safe digital citizens.

Scan QR Code to access activity

Activity: Common Sense - Digital Passport

FAKE NEWS CHALLENGE

This activity is especially popular among my students. Using a fake news article generator, students test the skills of their classmates by trying to create the most believable fake news story. I rotate students on a weekly basis to create a news story that may or not be true. Students are assigned real or fake news stories. In the fake story, they can add details that are untrue to see if classmates can catch their lie through research. Students relish in trying to trick their classmates.

Scan QR Code to access activity

Activity: Fodey.com - Newspaper Clipping Generator

All Maine first, second and third graders are encouraged to complete a 312-mile Read Across Maine journey to celebrate National Read Across America Day.

To help track your students reading, pull out the spread in this magazine and use the map to track the reading progress of each student or your whole classroom. There are mile markers along “I95”—with a marker for every 26 miles for a total of 12-mile markers in all.

Educators should determine, based on students’ abilities, what achievement helps move them closer to each mile marker. For example, maybe first graders will become proficient in reading 12 new sight words and move up or down the map, earning 26 miles per word. Second graders might focus on reading 312 sentences over the course of the contest and third graders might try to finish 312 pages in a book. You decide what milestones work best for your classes/schools-you’re best equipped to create an appropriate reading journey.

Contest & Incentives

MEA wants to make the Read Across Maine journey as fun as possible, and every student who is #SpottedReading the full 312 miles will be entered to win four tickets to the Maine Wildlife Park where maybe you’ll find a spotted animal! All teachers who have full classes complete the journey will also be entered to win a book for each of their students and a $500 gift

card to be used toward purchasing books for your classroom library. If your class completes the full 312-mile journey, teachers will also have access to receive a digital file that will allow you to print personalized certificates of completion. Certificates will be provided to you by MEA-all you need to do is add students’ names and print. Save this magazine and scan the code below when your class finishes the reading journey and then enter to win!

Share Your Success

MEA would love to see our successful students and share in their achievements. Share pictures of your students on social media and tag us in your posts using the #SpottedReading hashtag.

Not an elementary teacher? Remember, “You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read with a child.”

Visit www.nea.org/readacross for details and resources. From booklists to tips for reading out loud, find what you need to inspire students to pick up a book and become lifelong readers!

#SpottedReading Use Hashtag:

#WeAreMEA

The Maine Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance honors outstanding educators who carry out quality programs, serve as positive role models, and are leaders in their profession, school, and community. This year, an MEA member received every award given by MAHPERD! Congratulations to our outstanding members!

These educators redesigned their classes, worked with outdoor learning coordinators, created an entirely new curriculum, and more to keep students safe, moving and healthy. MEA is proud of each of you as you worked to make the most of physical education and health classes to care for students' physical and mental wellbeing during the pandemic.

Career and Technical Educator of the Year

Congratulations to Amber Sloat, the newly named Career and Technical Education Teacher of the Year. Sloat is an introduction to medical professions teacher at Houlton’s Region Two School of Applied Technology. The Southern Aroostook Voc Education Association member is credited with working with the University of Maine at Fort Kent and Northern Maine Community College to allow her students an opportunity to earn college credits for their work at Region 2. Additionally, Sloat has a 100% completion rate for students in phlebotomy certification. Sloat will now be considered for a northeast region award.

History Teacher of the Year

Michelle Strattard, a teacher at Gray-New Gloucester High School and member of Gray-New Gloucester TA has been named the 2021 Maine History Teacher of the Year. The award is presented annually by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the nation’s leading organization dedicated to K-12 American history education. She brings this love of local history to the classroom so students can see where they fit into the larger picture. Students engage in historical research, exploration, and inquiry in the classroom to build academic skills and become engaged citizens.

Member Makes Cover

High School Science teacher by day, photographer all the time—Greenville EA member Isaac Crabtree landed the cover of the prestigious Down East magazine. His work was pictured on the cover of the October edition of the magazine.

When not teaching at Greenville Consolidated School, Crabtree captures beautiful pictures and video of Maine’s North Woods. Congratulations Isacc on your photography success!

We Want to Hear From You!

We want to hear about all the amazing things our members our doing. Either send your story to editor@maineea.org or post on social media using the #WeAreMEA and tag us!

Graduate Certificates in Online Learning Design

Graduate Certificate in Designing Learning Experiences

This certificate is designed to provide students with the instructional design methodologies and skills, informed by learning science, needed to design effective online learning experiences. This certificate is ideal for individuals aspiring to work in the field of learning experience design or who feel this skill set would help achieve their professional goals in online learning.

Graduate Certificate in Teaching Online

This certificate is designed to provide educators with a rigorous and practical introduction to the skills and knowledge needed to design, develop, deliver, and evaluate courses in engaging online formats, and understand the necessary components of the entire online learning ecosystem. This certificate is ideal for individuals working in a K-12 or higher education setting who are passionate about online learning and want to improve their ability to teach and design online courses.

Program Highlights

• No GRE required

• 12-credit hour certificates

• Complete in just under one year

• Multiple start times: spring, summer, and fall

• 100% online – no campus visits required

WHAT OUR STUDENTS ARE SAYING

“I would absolutely recommend that all educators take these courses because not only do they provide a fantastic foundation for online teaching, but they dive into concepts that even teachers who have been in the profession for 20 years can benefit from learning.”

E DITOR'S NOTE - WINTER 2021 Editorial

Giovanna Bechard

Layout Design

Shawn

Berry

Leadership

President

Grace Leavitt

Vice President

Jesse Hargrove

Treasurer

Beth French

NEA Director

Rebecca Cole

Board of Directors

District A: VACANT

District B: Suzen Polk-Hoffses

District C: Ellen Payne

District D: Cedena McAvoy

District E: Thresa Mitchell

District F: Janice Murphy

District G: Nancy Mitchell

District H: Dennis Boyd

District I: Allison Lytton

District J: Rebecca Pruente

District K: Tom Walsh

District L: Rebecca Manchester

District M: Chris Jones

District O: Lisa Leduc

District P: Dina Goodwin

District R: Gary McGrane

District ESP: Jamie McAlpine

Student Observer: Kira Yardley

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

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For advertising rates and information please contact: Shawn Berry

35 Community Dr., Augusta, ME 04330 207-622-4418 ext. 2206

Robe O'Clock

Robe O'Clock

In the beginning of this pandemic, my loving husband bought me a new robe. This was right around the time when it seemed like everyone was getting robes as gifts—comfort in the face of a seemingly never-ending pandemic.

This robe, or house coat*, as I call it, if I'm feeling like the 75-year-old version of myself, has become a bit of a security blanket. When I’m cold, I put it on—and the sherpa-like inside envelopes my exhausted body while the flannel outside provides a warmth only found when tied tightly around my waist. When I’m feeling a bit spry, and more like the 40-something, cough, cough, year old woman that I am, I call it a robe. This robe is by no means an item that makes me in any way attractive. In reality, it’s a hideous item that I spilled egg yolk on last week.

BUT-what has made me LOVE this robe even more is the discovery that other mothers, just like me, have similar ridiculous robes they wear for the same reasons. In fact, one mother last week not only admitted she has a pink robe with matching pink slippers, but also has a time for her robe—Robe O’clock-a time I have not adopted when I unwind and shut it all down.

I can’t think of a better phrase... Robe O’clock. It sums up the exact emotions many have been feeling lately—exhausted, fed up, drained—and what was needed to deal with the mental weight of teaching and learning during the most difficult school year ever. We need Robe O’clock. We need time to check out. We need to wrap ourselves in comfort and joy. We need to tune out the negative noise. We need to refocus. We need a break. We all need our own version of my Scotch Plaid robe and time to reset. Sometimes Robe O’clock comes late Sunday night, and sometimes as soon as it’s dark at 4:45 I pack it in. For me, there is true value in remembering that no matter how hard I want “things” to be different, I can only control my reactions and feelings to everything around me. I will use the upcoming winter break to extend my Robe O’clock moments, and I encourage you to do the same. Find your “plaid robe” and roll with it—you've more than earned it.

Giovanna Bechard Editor

editor@maineea.org

*House Coat-It’s a coat that you wear in your house so you don’t have to turn up the heat, hence the name house coat.

Rachelle Johnson

Editor

Graduate Programs That Change Lives

Those Who Can, Teach. Those Who Teach, Advance Their Careers at Farmington.

Whether you’re seeking to earn the credentials, knowledge and skill sets to climb the ladder at your current school, to become a more valuable educator wherever you choose, or to be the kind of educator other teachers want to emulate, the University of Maine at Farmington M.S.Ed. in Educational Leadership will help you get there.

M.S.Ed. in Educational Leadership is designed for professional educators who want to become leaders in their classrooms, schools, school districts or other educational settings.

• Delivered in blended format: 70% online / 30% face-to-face

• Emphasizes school improvement knowledge and skills grounded in research • Organized in a collaborative cohort format

Other Graduate Programs Offered at Farmington • M.S.Ed. in Early Childhood • M.S.Ed. in Special Education • M.A. in Counseling Psychology - Emphasis in Creative Arts • Online M.Ed. in Instructional Technology

Certificate in Administration • Certificate in Assistive Technology • Certificate in Gifted and Talented Education • Certificate in Math Leadership • And more! Accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)