Virginia Journal of Education: October 2021 by veanea

VIRGINIA JOURNAL of

EDUCATI N The magazine of the Virginia Education Association October 2021

Looking Ahead: How COVID Changed Me

INSIDE • Why cultural competency matters upg. 14 • VEA in overdrive to protect ESP benefits upg. 19

Editor Tom Allen VEA President Dr. James J. Fedderman VEA Executive Director Dr. Brenda Pike Communications Director John O’Neil Graphic Designer Lisa Sale Editorial Assistant/Advertising Representative Yolanda Morris Contributors Marsha Lopez Shay Carter-Shifflett Jill Nelson Dena Rosenkrantz

COVER STORY

Vol. 115, No.1

How COVID Changed Me

CONTENTS

Amber Brown Courtney Cutright

The Virginia Journal of Education (ISSN 0270-837X) is published six times a year (October, November, December, February, April and June) by the Virginia Education Association, 116 South Third Street, Richmond, VA 23219.

UPFRONT 4-7 This month: Class size, school infrastructure, and Touching Base with Franklin County’s Marsha Lopez.

Non-member annual subscription rate: $10 ($15 outside the U.S. and Canada). Rights to reproduce any article or portion thereof may be granted upon request to the editor. Periodicals postage paid in Richmond, VA.

FEATURES

Postmaster: Send address changes to Virginia Journal of Education, 116 South Third Street, Richmond, VA 23219.

14 Where Can I Find Me in All This? Why cultural competency matters.

Article proposals, comments or questions may be sent to the editor at tallen@veanea.org or Tom Allen,116 South Third Street, Richmond, VA 23219, 800-552-9554.

18 You Have Superpowers! Use Them! Encouragement from a recently un-retired educator in Loudoun.

Member: State Education Association Communicators

19 VEA in Overdrive to Protect ESP Benefits Union fights to get waivers for unemployment benefits chargebacks.

VEA Vision: A great public school for every child in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

DEPARTMENTS 20 Membership Matters Organizing 2 Bargain update, our core values, and more. 24 Insight on Instruction Some theme songs you won’t want to be humming. 30 First Person Healthy boundaries are good for everyone. Cover illustration by iStock.

“My back-to-school supplies were generously provided by…”

VEA Mission: The mission of the Virginia Education Association is to unite our members and local communities across the Commonwealth in fulfilling the promise of a high quality public education that successfully prepares every single student to realize his or her full potential. We believe this can be accomplished by advocating for students, education professionals, and support professionals.

UP FRONT

“Explain this to me again, Kevin—why are the Russians hacking your homework?”

There’s a simple truth that we are better able to focus on the individual needs of those in our care when there are fewer individuals in our care. There are other industries that understand this well, such as hospitals that make adjustments to patient ratios when patients require acute or intensive care…the argument to decrease class size should be to improve student-teacher relationships and provide our teachers with the opportunity to invest in the education of each of the individuals in their classroom. We need intensive care in our schools. The reduction in class size is costly, but the net gain in building stronger teacher-student relationships and increasing academic achievement are worth the investment.l Stephanie Burroughs (@BurroughsEDk12), who holds a doctorate in organizational change and leadership from the University of Southern California and has more than 15 years of experience in the classroom and in school administration.

A full one-third of all American 4-year-olds and almost half of our 3-year-olds were not enrolled in preschool in 2019, according to the National Institute for Early Childhood Research. Those two years are a crucial time of mental development for children, and a new study by the National Bureau of Economic Research shows that more kids in preschool can mean real benefits for them and their families. The preschool students in the NBER study, done in Boston, had better educational outcomes than their non-enrolled peers: they had fewer disciplinary incidents in high school, higher rates of both taking the SAT and graduating from high school, and were more likely to go to college. The authors of the NBER study also point out that though they didn’t study these particular effects, data from other research show positive impacts of preschool attendance on other long-term outcomes, including employment, earnings, and criminal activity.l

Tabatha Rosproy is the first early childhood educator to be named the National Teacher of the Year. Recently, the 2020 honoree was asked if she ever finds herself accidentally speaking to adults like she does to preschoolers. Her answer:

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | OCTOBER 2021

MARSHA LOPEZ

FRANKLIN COUNTY EDUCATION ASSOCIATION High school business teacher, department chair, Teachers for Tomorrow coordinator What’s do you like about your job? My students bring me such joy—they’re fun, energizing, witty, intelligent, personable, and caring. We do fun activities like creating books for children in Teachers for Tomorrow class, creating an anti-bullying program in Intro to Teachers for Tomorrow, or dressing up for Spirit Days during Homecoming Week. I get to experience so many milestones with my students: Homecoming dances, pep rallies, Junior/Senior Prom, and graduation. It’s such a pleasure to watch them grow up and hope I’ve impacted them in some small way. How has being a Union member been helpful to you? In many ways. I really enjoy this magazine and its informative, helpful articles. It helps inform me on issues affecting our schools and our profession. I’ve also really enjoyed the networking opportunities that VEA has afforded me over the years. Not only have I been able to get to know fellow members locally, I’ve been fortunate to attend conferences, both virtually and in person, that allowed me to network with others across the state. All this has helped me grow as a teacher over the years. l

Time to Get in the Car, Sweetie...

“Welcome to first grade. The whole thing will take place offline.”

TOUCHING BASE WITH…

“Absolutely. My husband gets upset with me for telling him to ‘go potty’ before we leave the house. But my friends think it’s really funny.”l

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | OCTOBER 2021

Photos by iStock

Numbers Spent on Smaller Numbers are Worth It

Preschool Pays!

UP FRONT

“American public schools were founded on the premise that education could mitigate social inequities.”

See You Again? According to a study by the RAND Corporation about the COVID pandemic and teacher stress, over half of teachers who voluntarily left the classroom early because of the virus would be “somewhat” or “definitely” willing to return to teaching once most staff and students are vaccinated. Slightly less said the same thing if there was only regular testing of staff and students.l

Jaymi Abusham, program chair, master’s degree in Educational Leadership, University of La Verne (CA)l

Some School Infrastructure Facts

School divisions nationwide who say more than half of their school buildings need HVAC updates.

Of America’s 476,000 school buses use diesel fuel. Diesel exhaust fumes can irritate your eyes, nose, throat and lungs and can cause coughs, bronchitis, headaches, lightheadedness, and nausea.l

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SOURCE: ACLU

Sources: Government Accountability Office; Diesel Technology Forum

“Sorry, but yelling ‘Not it!’ doesn’t get you out of the homework assignment.”

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A Bias Self-Check Four questions to ask yourself to check on your implicit biases, from Maurice J. Elias, professor at Rutgers University and director of the Rutgers Social-Emotional and Character Development Lab: • Who do you speak to informally? • Who gets to help when you need assistance in the classroom? • Who do you suggest for opportunities, such as clubs, service, or extracurricular activities? • Who do you encourage when they don’t volunteer?l

ESPs: Public Education Doesn’t Work Without Them “I never let anyone make me or my colleagues feel like ‘just’ a custodian, ‘just’ a secretary or ‘just’ an inventory control clerk. These aren’t ‘just’ jobs we do; they are our careers. We are all educators. We must—and we should—play a significant part in the educational process for our students and ourselves. Together, we continue to bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice. As a union activist, I’ve learned that none of us can do much to change the world alone. But when we work collectively, remain aware of our purpose, and walk with intentionality, we can build a better world for the students we love.”l — Kimberly Scott-Hayden, an inventory control clerk and NEA’s Education Support Professional of the Year

“Tell me again why your teacher thought you’d get more use from your school picture if it was taken like this?”

What Your Students Need to Succeed According to the World Economic Forum, here are five skills employers are seeking in new hires in today’s environment: Communication: Do you listen? Can you express yourself? How’s the tone of your emails and texts? Problem-solving: Workers need to identify tasks, break them down into components, and complete them. Analytical skills: Tough decisions will have to be made; critical thinking and asking the right questions are essential. Customer service: No matter what business you’re in, you must create a positive experience for those who, in the end, pay your salary.

Photo and illustrations by iStock

Part of Our Lofty Mission

Leadership: Skills like prioritizing, authenticity, and seeing new options work at any level.l VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | OCTOBER 2021

COVER STORY Very few saw it coming, and no one was unaffected by it: The COVID-19 pandemic rocked everyone’s world. We asked what Virginia educators how living and working in these historic times has changed them. Their stories:

Virginia educators talk about how COVID changed them.

Every year for the first 12 I taught, I’d build friendships with my students, call each one’s parent/guardian, and keep in mind that their home life probably wasn’t like mine. Unfortunately, by the first benchmark test every year, students easily became data points on a spreadsheet. My planning time was swal- Georgeanne Lavery lowed up by remediation. Grade level meetings with administration were crunching numbers on “who was a bubble kid” and “who had never passed this SOL before and might not this year either.” At first, we viewed our students as individuals, with different learning styles. But for three-quarters of the year they were all bundled into taking one test. However, the last 18 months have kept my students’ individuality at the top of my objective list each day. For the last two years, I’ve been an elementary STEM teacher. The STEM curriculum is very hands-on; you have to try and keep trying. I loved teaching it! But what to do when students must do it at home with limited materials and limited or no help? My goal became reach-

ing out to students to make sure they were “trying.” I didn’t care if they ever achieved the goal or how they did it. I just wanted them to try. In 2020-21, I made building relationships with my students my top objective. When we started Google Meets, most of my K-5 kids just wanted to explore how they looked on video. So I switched gears and taught them how to use the camera/video on their Chromebook. We did projects with that and, while the goals were achieved, they all looked different. Then class time morphed into show-and-tell. Pets, sisters/brothers, and even some pet chickens made an appearance. My goals included them being proud of their home and the people/animals who occupied it with them. As students slowly made their way back into the classroom, I had all these experiences with them virtually that made a big impact on our relationship. I finished the school year incorporating their emotional and social wellbeing. I worked more with the school counselors, in those months, than I did in all my previous years combined! It was the first school year I felt like I really knew my students and kept them the primary goal the entire year. As I start what may be a “normal” year, I worry about test scores again being education’s goal. I don’t want to go back to seeing kids as “bubbles,” too low to remediate, or “they’ll pass so let them be.” I want to envision, and keep discovering, that every student is different. I want my objectives achieved, but to be excited when they all look different.

— Georgeanne Lavery of the Pulaski Education Association, an elementary STEM teacher

‘We Had to Learn to Do Our Work All Over Again’

Life changed at the drop of a hat—we went from being out for a day or a week to “You can’t come back.” One result of not being in school is that people learned a greater appreciation for the work done by those of us who work with families. It went from, “Oh, you do mindfulness and stress management training? That’s sweet” to “Are our kids staying emotionally Alyce Pope healthy in all this? It’s very important.” I also think people also learned to appreciate the necessary work done by my fellow education support professionals more. The people who made the technology work, the food service workers who prepared meals for every child, the bus drivers who delivered that food and school supplies, the custodians who kept buildings clean and safe—they were the ones that kept the schools going and the children learning. What we do is all about relationship-building and we work

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Image page 8 by iStock

‘I Want to Keep Discovering that Every Student is Different’

COVER STORY

‘A Renewed Appreciation for my Colleagues’

Early in COVID, I remember talking to my fiancée about having a more empathetic understanding of what people with anxiety and depression deal with continuously. My first outing to the local grocery was a great lesson in social anxiety—jumping every time someone cleared Miles Carey their throat, worrying about every person I passed, and fearing that I may be doing something to endanger others—all while trying to remember I’m lucky to be the shopper and not the frontline employee without the option to work from home. Later came profound disappointment as I watched many people willfully ignore and perpetuate systemic racism, as well as the pandemic itself.

There were pockets of joy and inspiration, though: Cafeteria staff and administrators distributing food daily outside of neighborhood schools; teachers delivering materials and supplies to students’ homes; and counselors endlessly on calls to support students as best they could. It was beautiful to see educators rushing to the aid of their communities, despite their own struggles. So, I think I came out of this with a renewed appreciation for my colleagues, and certainly stronger relationships through the shared experience of the past two years. I remember the strange feeling of meeting with co-workers from home, becoming suddenly so intimate with people I’d only seen one side of before. After only talking at work or maybe a happy hour, I’m now meeting their pets, children, spouses, and relatives. And I can’t remember how long it was before I stopped thinking it odd that I was meeting students and co-workers from my bedroom, but it wasn’t as long as I would have expected. — Miles Carey of the Arlington Education Association, a high school assistant principal

dirty clothes.” Another thing COVID-19 has taught me is who I really want to be as a teacher: I’ve always wanted to push my students to work and achieve beyond what they thought possible, but now I feel such a re-kindled passion to truly help them achieve a strong self of sense Kristina Childress and worthiness. I know they are coming back to “normal” school this year after a very challenging experience—because we all are!—and I want them more than ever before to know how much I value them, both who they are and who they want to be. Maybe that’s what’s changed the most: I learned who I really am, and I want to share the power of knowing oneself with all I encounter. — Kristina Childress of the Bedford County Education Association, a high school English teacher

from one step at a time to skipping steps to keep students and staff safe: urgency meant that we had to plan for the rest of the year. I helped with food and resource distribution, and Facetimed and Zoomed with students and parents to make sure everyone was doing well. We learned a lot about each other’s favorite books and dishes. Katina Harris I did quick meal Zooms to make dinnertime more fun and at our school we did everything from paint- and read-ins to drive-in theatres. Often three generations of families participated. Leading with love and giving grace isn’t just something we say. It’s been something we’ve provided. As we’ve experienced, change is inevitable. — Katina Harris of the Richmond Education Association, an elementary school teacher

‘I Learned Who I Really Am’

‘Leading with Love and Giving Grace’

I learned to adjust to serve our students in any circumstances. It was easy to maneuver in between the walls of my classroom, where I could provide love and guidance in an environment I controlled. We put resources at our students’ fingertips, often literally at their doorsteps so they’d continue to grow. A lesson learned is insight earned. As I assisted with decisions for my district to be safe and move forward, I thought about the impact on our students. I changed my reaction

‘It Definitely Challenged Me’

It would be such a waste if a global pandemic left us unchanged. Life has definitely been different for the past 18 months, but I came to welcome those changes! For one, I decided to just dive in deeply to our small hobby farm: we expanded our menagerie, learned how to process chickens and hogs, experienced the joy of raising baby goats and turkeys, and lived the motto, “Great memories end with

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Professionally, COVID had me in a constant state of “pivot.” Starting the year virtually, changing online platforms, being told that I was going to teach concurrently rather than virtually: It was always changing. Having students with behavioral needs made it that much tougher. Dealing with constant change causes huge disruption to Alison McLaughlin those of us who

strive on consistency. It definitely challenged me and made me think outside of the box. I felt like a firstyear teacher all over again! Personally, I began dating my now-husband (we got married in August) in January before COVID hit hard, and I feel we were able to strengthen our relationship during the shutdown as my profession went virtual and we had to adjust for his. It brought us closer together. — Alison MacArthur McLaughlin of the Loudoun Education Association, a special education dean

‘Every Student was Surviving the Standards of Living’

During COVID, Zoom sessions replaced the development of in-person relationships. Platforms such as Canvas, Google Classroom, and Schoology replaced writing learning targets on blackboards, waiting to use copiers, or coming home covered in chalk dust. After-school activities were cancelled, interscholastic athletics were adjusted, and for the first time in my memory there was an intentional focus on our students’ mental health. Those of us who remember when education was more than just a standardized test score found ourselves rejoicing in the cancellation of SOL testing in 2020, only to see that hydra re-emerge to justify a return to “in-person” instruction or to confirm the incendiary idea of “learning loss” when every student was surviving the Standards of Living.

In addition, there are COVID’s personal effects. People lost loved ones who had no comforting hand to clasp. I can vividly recall sleepless nights, riddled with anxiety and fear that my aging parents would catch this deadly virus after a family member in our bubble tested positive. Such stressors couldn’t help but affect us professionally as we continued to uphold our individual calling of Joe Emerson public education service. We need to educate ourselves, our families, and our communities about the need to vaccinate, facemask, and mitigate. We need to heed CDC guidelines in classrooms and other indoor gatherings, including the voting booth this November when we must elect pro-education, pro-child, pro-health leaders. — Joseph Emerson of the Newport News Education Association, a high school AP/ Intro psychology, sociology, and government teacher

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Photo by iStock

with families from many different cultures. Building those relationships became even more challenging, as in some cultures one-on-one in-person conversations are so important. We had to learn how to do our work all over again. We also spent even more time helping families who were facing eviction because of lost jobs. My kids were all frontline staff who had to be at work every day of the pandemic, so my house became where all the grandchildren spent their days. I can’t understand how teachers could teach if they had their own children in the house, too! — Alyce Pope of the Fairfax Education Association, a family services specialist

COVER STORY

Like many other teachers, I had to learn to lead an almost entirely virtual classroom during the pandemic. Changing my practices to accommodate Google Meets and online instructional delivery and assessment led to some important reflection about what real learning looks like. Being forced to reinvent tried-and-true strategies and activities Renee Serrao helped me finally realize that skills are more important than memorized facts (and are harder to fake if a student is cheating!). But more importantly, I was forced to reflect on my role as a teacher. Since I couldn’t replicate the sage-on-the stage model that had worked so well for me in the past, I had to focus on how I could connect to students in more individual ways. I see now that I spent the first part of my career as a government teacher convinced that my job was to teach kids how government works. By the middle of my career, I had embraced the idea that I need to inspire kids to be involved in our democracy. And while I haven’t abandoned those goals, I hope my final years in the classroom will be about finding those kids who need me most and figuring out how to help them. It’s too bad it took a global pandemic to make me fully internalize these teaching basics, but hopefully my classroom will be an even better learning environment when the kids finally return to it this fall. — Renee Serrao of the Chesterfield Education Association, a high school government teacher

‘I Didn’t Get to See My Students Again’

March 12, 2020 changed my life. We were all told to stay home, but I knew my students still needed to be taught. I would have to teach from home. What? How? With what supplies? Doing my job got a lot more challenging. We had to be trained on a new online learning system and teach with computers. I wasn’t too concerned at first, but that quickly changed when COVID started killing so many people that hospitals didn’t have room for people with other illnesses. It was dismal to watch the news. The world was in trouble. I didn’t Barbeta Terry get to see my students again—most of them didn’t attend Zoom classes after school closed in March. My church shut down, along with many of my other favorite places to go. No planes, trains, and movie theaters, no beach for the whole summer. My mother was unable to visit her brother in his nursing care facility. When last school year started, I was more stressed more than any other school year ever, even my first year. How was I going to do this? My response…just do it. And it was a challenge teaching kindergarteners how to read and write. I found out many students didn’t have pencils, crayons, paper, or books in their homes. But we danced, sang, shared stories, and learned. Students loved seeing each other daily on Zoom, and I tried to make the instructions as normal to classroom life as possible. Have I been impacted? Yes! I

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gained unwanted pounds. I wear a face mask everywhere I go, even if it breaks out my face and fogs up my glasses. People still don’t hug like they used to, and we don’t shake many hands anymore, either. I didn’t go to a restaurant until March 2021—and I didn’t want to go then. I got the vaccination in March and April. Our schools reopened with 100 percent face-to-face instruction. However, a new strand of the coronavirus is taking more lives daily. My life is about to change…again. — Barbeta Terry of the Portsmouth Education Association, a kindergarten teacher

‘I Was the Only One in My Classroom’

When the 2020-21 school year began, I was the only one in my classroom. My students were virtual, and I used the school division-approved platforms of Canvas and Google Meet. That went on until February, when we started a hybrid learning model in which I taught students concurrently in person and virtually. All that made at least some of my colleagues and me feel like we were first-year teachers again. We had a steep learning curve as we adapted to new instructional platforms and technologies and using them effectively. Having said that, we became more proficient in our use of technology and learned how Jeremy Utt to use platforms and programs that will enhance our work with students and their families. Personally, my wife and I spent a lot more time at home, but felt

fortunate that we could both work from there when so many others faced job loss and economic hardship. — Jeremy Utt of the Stafford Education Association, a middle school math teacher

‘I Must Take Care of Myself’

When COVID closed our schools, my first challenge was to ensure all 1,200 students in my building would have a laptop; second was to provide and prepare laptops for teachers and staff to work remotely; and third was maintaining mitigation strategies and wearing PPE while meeting in person with parents and Gwen Edwards students needing technical support. As a true extrovert, the emotional impact of not being able to visit family, friends or do things spontaneously was the hardest thing to deal with. I went from shopping in person to shopping online, and I couldn’t do the little things I usually did for self-care because businesses were closed. When school began again in-person in August, it was so good to see everyone interacting again. I’d taken the lessons learned in the pandemic, both providing technical support and advocating for fellow union members, and tweaked them to adjust to the current learning environment. Although I feel better prepared to handle what’s ahead, I must take care of myself. I’m still ordering my groceries online and I’ve resumed some of my self-care routines, but the best part is that I can now socialize with family and friends. — Gwen Edwards of the Prince William Education Association, a technical support specialistl

What Our Schools May Have Learned From COVID While most people don’t have much good to say about the COVID-19 pandemic, here are five potential silver linings for our schools that have come out of the trauma of the last 18 months from Patrick Quinn, a parenting expert at Brainly, an online learning platform: 1.

Internet and online education brings equal opportunity to everyone, no matter your economic status. Over the past year, economic inequality in education has been brought to the forefront. This year, policymakers at both state and federal levels are working together to make broadband available to all.

Schools are prioritizing social-emotional learning. It’s been an extended period of collective trauma and isolation and we don’t know the lasting impacts it will have, but we do know that students need support from educators and educators need support from administrators. Social-emotional learning will play a lead role in academic recovery, for both students and teachers.

Educators are embracing formative learning and assessment models. The cancellation of many class activities and much testing last school year created a unique opportunity to rethink learning models. We’re seeing a move toward competency-based, student-centered models that promote student engagement and agency in the learning process.

Parents and guardians are becoming more actively involved in their kids’ education. Because many students were learning from their homes, parents and guardians had no choice but to be more attuned to what they were learning and how they were doing.

Students are learning better time management and taking control of their own educational outcomes. Students are learning that it’s their responsibility (and theirs alone) to find the time and energy to finish their school assignments on time, without being micro- managed. Virtual learning required teachers to trust their students, and it requires students to follow through on their own. While this may require a great amount of self-discipline for anyone, let alone an adolescent child, many students are not only proving themselves capable but actually starting to thrive in this new selfdirected learning environment.l

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Image by iStock

‘Finding Those Kids Who Need Me Most’

STORY TheFEATURE Virginia Public Education CoalitionThe

Where Can I Find Me in All This? Why cultural competency matters. By Shay Carter-Shifflett

hat does it do to a student when they can’t find some aspect of themselves in everything they do in school? I saw this question answered when I taught a lesson on diversity to a group of preschoolers. I began by reading aloud The Color of Me, by Karen Kratz. Immediately, students began to analyze their skin color and compare it to each other and their parents. They made connections between their skin color and things in the room (and all around the world)—and then the conversation came to a halt when they realized my teaching assistant and I were complete opposites. They understood I was African American and I saw my skin color as

brown. But as you can imagine, they were shocked to learn that while my teaching assistant’s skin color is white, she is German and not American. Their eyes grew wider with amazement when she started speaking to us in German. We indulged in this for a few moments then moved on to the All About Me work activity. “For this part of the project,” I said, “you’ll create a portrait of yourself to be displayed in our hallway.” Using an oval, I demonstrated by creating my own portrait. I grabbed a brown colored pencil and began to draw two ovals on their side for my eyes. I went to the mirror to check my eye color then filled that in. I did my best for the nose and then found a tan colored pencil for my lips. I added some curlicues on top for my hair before sending them to their seats to begin

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their work. While most of the other students got started right away, one little girl stood quietly in front of her seat. Our work time was always the highlight of her day, so naturally I had to go see what was holding her back from starting. “Is there anything I can do to help you get started?” I asked, snuggling down in her chair next to her. Her hazel eyes scanned the box of colored pencils then slowly rose to meet mine before she held out her wrist and whispered, “We don’t have my color!” I was stunned because she was right! I quickly picked up the tan colored pencil and thought it would be a good enough match, but she shook her head no. This wasn’t good enough for her, and she was right. We didn’t have “her” skin color and for her this was not OK. It was holding her back

from doing her best on her work. So, my teaching assistant took her to the art teacher, who would surely have a pencil to match her skin color. She returned with the perfect color and was able to get started right away, smiling hugely the whole time. I began to wonder if my lessons and read-alouds included enough of all the cultural wealth my students made available to me. What is the impact of being a culturally competent teacher? It’s something I’ve asked myself many times during my journey to gaining Culturally Responsive Teaching certification. I was inspired to understand all the cultural wealth students brought to the classroom and how I could use it to affect student achievement. At the beginning of the certification process, I used a lot of reflective time to unpack my own deep understanding of cultural competency. This meant understanding my own culture and upbringing, identifying when I made connections to my learning, and the impact it had on my success in school. I begin to wonder if I ever saw myself in the lessons taught to me and if my students were seeing themselves or connecting to their culture in our classroom. I analyzed the books I shared with them to see whose perspective and story I’d been sharing, which led me to an equity audit on my library. I checked who the main characters were, whose history was being shared, and how diverse my library books were. While uncomfortable, this required me to be open to improve my own cultural awareness. I began to widen my lens to see the value and assets all cultures have, which created opportunities to make learning more meaningful and provide mirrors for students to see themselves in our learning and books. Students are very curious about what makes us different, and they bring

many cultural similarities and differences to class. However, I was only tapping into what Zaretta Hammond would call the surface level of their culture tree. I began to challenge myself to find ways to learn about their deep culture through projects that invited family members into our classroom to be experts around their cultural wealth. I sought to learn about family values that aren’t typically shared, such as the meaning of their child’s name or if their family is competitive. Learning about how their children take leadership roles at home or are highly competitive helped my students connect with their learning. My understanding of a culturally

I begin to wonder if I ever saw myself in the lessons taught to me and if my students were seeing themselves or connecting to their culture in our classroom. I analyzed the books I shared with them to see whose perspective and story I’d been sharing, which led me to an equity audit on my library.

competent teacher shifted, and I challenged myself to explore how to show value for and incorporate different levels of students’ cultures, paying close attention to specific values, perspectives, and voices. I wanted to connect with students, especially those different from myself, beyond just learning some of their language or having multilingual posters on the wall. All year long, I questioned how to build meaningful relationships with

families so that students felt safe and supported to share their cultural knowledge. My ultimate goal was to create a lifelong partnership with my families. I gained student and family information through surveys and conversations. During home visits and invitations to family events, I learned assets of my students and how the structure of their family could benefit them in school. I used what I learned, often by allowing them to have leadership roles or teaching them to monitor their own learning with my support. I learned the importance of making sure kids are represented in their learning. My data began to show some progress toward closing achievement gaps, and I also saw students shift from dependent to independent learners at a very early age. During the certification journey, I had opportunities to model, facilitate, and support students to share what makes them and their families unique, but this was just the beginning. While I journaled and collected anecdotal and academic data on my students, I also began to recognize my lack of knowledge about cultures different from my own. This was a chance for me to learn more about my own cultural triggers and how that affects who I am as an educator. I had to be open to exploring and discussing diverse perspectives. This, at times, could be uncomfortable but necessary in shifting my teaching practice to be more equitable. I participated in book studies and participated in monthly Culturally Responsive Teaching meetings. Later on, I stepped into the Diversity Resource Teacher role for my elementary school and my administrators and I began to think through curriculum and instruction with a “cultural asset-based” lens. This not only

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FEATURE STORY

Cultural Competency and You Earlier this year, Virginia’s General Assembly made “culturally responsive teaching and equitable practices” for school staff the law in our state. The culturally responsive teaching part of the new legislation, according to the Virginia Department of Education, has four components: • Cultural competency will be a part of teacher evaluations. • To get or renew a teaching license, you will have to complete cultural competency training. • To get or renew a teaching license with an endorsement in history, you will have to complete training in African American history. • Local school boards will adopt and implement policies requiring cultural competency training at least every two years for teachers and other licensed employees. Employees required to complete the training must do so by the beginning of the 2022-23 school year.

changed my interactions with students and families, but also made it possible to support colleagues in building stronger family partnerships, continuing our school’s journey of becoming more culturally competent. My teaching now includes a philosophy grounded in meaningful communication with families and building trust with students. I intentionally promote respect for all

cultures and diversity in my classroom and use lessons creating a ripple effect into peer-to-peer relationships, and each day I feel more culturally competent. As I finished the Culturally Responsive Teaching Certification, I presented a 10-page paper showing shifts in student achievement as well as my own growth. Understanding just how unique our cultural and ethnic heritage is has had a profound

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more about other cultures and trying to understand different perspectives to expand my ability to uplift and empower those different from me. Deepening our cultural competency ultimately strengthens our classroom cultural wealth and allows teachers to tap into the many different experiences, languages, and background knowledge each student brings to the classroom. This creates a mirror or window allowing us to learn from each other and allows teachers to have a greater, more positive impact on student learning and achievement.l

• Encouraging a classroom environment that acknowledges, values, and affirms cultural and social diversity in the learning process. • Building meaningful relationships with all students, based on affirmation and mutual respect, by modeling high expectations and using culturally responsive teaching practices. • Using instructional resources that represent and validate different cultural groups. • Teaching students the skills they need to communicate and engage with diverse groups of people in ways that support the elimination of discrimination and bias.l

Carter-Shifflett is an Albemarle Education Association member who, after seven years of teaching early elementary school and supporting colleagues as a diversity resource teacher, recently accepted a position as a division-wide equity specialist for county schools. In that role, she will support Albemarle educators in culturally responsive teaching practices and in the CRT credentialing process.

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llustration by iStock

Keeping culture on the front burner—and having a good time doing it. The author (above and in all three photos) makes hands-on activities an important strategy in her quest to broaden the cultural exposure and experience of her students.

impact on my ability to develop student partnerships and improve my teaching. So, what’s next? A parent once told me that “becoming a culturally responsive teacher is not a journey that ends once you receive a piece of paper. It’s what you do with that certification on your journey afterwards that matters!” Developing my own sense of cultural competency has challenged me to expand my own understanding, or lack of, other cultures and even sub-cultures within my own. Understanding what makes us all different is what unites and empowers educators, and this gives teachers the ability to deepen lessons and have more meaningful interactions with students and families. Because of one student’s need to make a cultural connection with one of my lessons, I learned the importance of allowing students to have opportunities to feel validated and given power. I’m always learning

It’s important to note that the new cultural competency standard does not go into effect this year, but begin with the 2022-23 school year. The standard, added to the Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Teachers, reads, “The teacher demonstrates a commitment to equity and provides instruction and classroom strategies that result in culturally inclusive and responsive learning environments and academic achievement for all students.” Here, from VDOE, are a few examples of teacher work and practices that align with the new standard:

FEATURE STORY

I By Jill Nelson

At the year-end luncheon when I retired three years ago, my principal asked me to say a few words. I happened to be wearing a t-shirt that said, I’m a Teacher! What’s Your Superpower? It expresses what I have felt for everyone who works at a school. We all play a role in the education of the children and in our future. Here’s part of what I said:

am so proud to be part of this staff. We work in this amazing, difficult, joyous, stressful, meaningful job, while many “out there” don’t understand why or how we do it. I’ve learned to treasure the praise and validation, when it comes, whether from the kids, parents, colleagues, or the community. I believe without a doubt that teaching is a calling. We’re drawn to it by mysterious forces—some say a higher power, some say conscience—but somehow, we know we belong here. We stay, despite the difficulties of the job and despite sometimes getting public criticism.

Why? Perhaps, simply put, we are superheroes. We have power beyond belief, and the actions we take (or don’t take), no matter how small, affect the future of a child, a family, a community, our country, our world. Accept that. Own it. It’s quite a humbling supposition. I have three tips to sustain you, tips that have worked for me. Use your superhero powers for good. Focus on the positive in your students and your colleagues. Hold each other up. Believe the best about yourselves, your students, their families, and each other. Stop trying to find out who is slacking; believe that everyone is working just as hard as you. Make a commitment to stop gossiping. It ends with you, and you call it out in others if you hear it. Gossip kills any organization, whether it’s work-related or personal. Cast it out of your life, no matter how delicious it may seem. Even superheroes say no sometimes. I had a mental health crisis when I was pregnant with my beautiful daughter and found myself in a psychiatric ward one weekend. While I was there, each medical professional who interacted with me, probably about 10 total, said the same thing: “Oh, that is such a stressful job.” I’d always say, “No, I love teaching!” It’s true—I do! I’ve been fortunate enough to teach for 31 years, exactly

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what I’d wanted to do since I was 7 years old. I kept arguing about the “stressful job,” but one of those professionals gifted me with the ability to see it as both: a stressful job and a job I love. So, remember this: Saying “No” to something does not mean you’re unsupportive. Recognize your limits and do something self-care related every day. Form alliances with other superheroes. Join your professional associations—and I’ll give a personal plug here—especially your local education association, its state affiliate, and the National Education Association. You are worth this small investment of money and time. If nothing else, it means you’re not alone in that classroom, office, cafeteria, bus. There are tens, thousands, millions of people who support you. Share the workload with your colleagues. Respect each other’s creativity and effort. Believe you can learn something from every person you encounter. Be part of something bigger than you. After I retired, working as a substitute teacher and at a daycare re-energized me to return to my first love, teaching. I’m now thrilled to be back as a high school reading specialist. And I still believe we have superpowers!l Nelson, a Loudoun Education Association member, is a reading specialist at Dominion High School.

f you were facing the loss of a paycheck for several months during the pandemic and your supervisor suggested you apply for unemployment benefits, why would you not do so? That’s the situation some VEA education support professional members, mostly bus drivers, found themselves in last summer. So, many of them applied for and received unemployment benefits, which helped smooth out a tough financial stretch. Then some ESPs started getting letters from the Virginia Employment Commission telling them they weren’t really entitled to those benefits and demanding repayment. “This was a terrible injustice,” says VEA President James J. Fedderman, “and one we couldn’t let stand.” One recipient of a VEC letter was Christina Riblett, a school bus driver and Fairfax Education Association member, who told one media outlet that without the benefits, she and her husband, who had also been furloughed, wouldn’t have been able to pay their mortgage or buy groceries. Riblett, who was told to repay about $7,000, also shared her story during an online town hall meeting VEA held to organize efforts to get justice for our unfairly treated members. “Why should one class of employees bear the burden of a lack of clear communication from our leadership team?” she asked. Another bus driver, Education Association of Norfolk member Beverly Guynn, said at the meeting that she’d made 41 attempts to

tion meant bus drivers did not reach someone at VEC who could have a reasonable assurance they help her, to no avail. would work in the fall when they The problem developed befiled for the benefits. The procause federal unemployment rules ceedings in Fairfax are pending. prohibit school employees from VEA also organized an email receiving benefits between academcampaign on behalf of our ESP ic terms if they have reasonable assurance of resuming school employment in the next term. But COVID-19 made 2020 a year like no other: many school divisions provided summer school virtually, cancelling contracts with Blindsided. VEA members Beverly Guynn (l) and Christina Riblett shared their unemployment benefit predicaments drivers to transport during VEA’s town hall meeting on the issue. students. Drivers who never take summers off found themselves out of work. members, allowing supporters to To further complicate matters, VEC target messages to key members didn’t use special Pandemic Unof the General Assembly and to employment Assistance funds for Secretary Healy. That advocacy school employees, focusing only has paid off, as VEC has now sent on unemployment insurance with a letter to VEA headquarters, adschool-specific rules. dressing all members and saying VEA’s first move was to arrange that VEC believes a significant a meeting between affected mempercentage of ESPs “will be elibers and Virginia’s new Secretary gible for waiver.” It also explains of Labor, Megan Healy, to begin that there is a waiver process high-level discussions about finding available, but it must be done a solution. on a case-by-case basis because VEA Legal Services also stepped VEC cannot legally issue blanket in, filing suit in Fairfax Circuit Court waivers to groups of employees. after VEC ruled that Riblett was not VEA members and staff will eligible for benefits. VEA argues that see this issue through to an eqVEC has misinterpreted the law in uitable solution. If you’ve gotten two ways: One, by failing to recoga VEC letter, be sure to contact nize summer school is a regular acyour local UniServ Director first. ademic term (students earn credits, VEA can help members with the special needs students continue recompletion of waiver forms and quired service, and students receive procedures and may also be able necessary remediation); and two, to help members in eligibility cancellations of school activities and appeals.l plans for continued remote instrucVIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | OCTOBER 2021

Illustration and photo by iStock

VEA in Overdrive to Protect ESP Benefits

MEMBERSHIP MATTERS

Acing Summer School: What Union Members Accomplished During Break In addition to the ongoing O2B campaign (see facing page) and preparations for both this fall’s crucial statewide elections and our annual Instruction and Professional Development Conference, here’s just a sampling of what your Union got accomplished with and for you, our members, this summer:

Organizing 2 Bargain, our Union’s campaign to achieve collective bargaining in as many school divisions as possible, has been established by delegates to the 2021 VEA convention as our top priority for the next two years. As of May 1, though many are still unaware of it, collective bargaining, also called contract negotiations, is now legal across the commonwealth for school employees. This was an enormous win for educators and students. Here’s what some Richmond Education Association members, who are hard at work to make negotiations happen in their city, had to say about this new opportunity:

UPDATE

• “Educators are advocates for our students…students don’t have a collective voice, so we have to take the lead in advocating for systemic improvements.” M. Thompson • “It increases the chances that all of us will have working conditions we can handle. When that happens, our kids will feel it and benefit from it.” J. Richmond

• Created model COVID policies for school divisions on concurrent teaching (for example, Zoom and Room) and for emergency health leave for COVID and other infectious diseases, and held a statewide townhall meeting to help members promote those policies in their localities.

However, and this is a big however, contract negotiations will not start automatically. We must take the initiative with local school boards and governing bodies—the new law says they must first pass a resolution agreeing to negotiate.

• Took the lead in the fight to protect COVID unemployment benefits earned by ESP members (see page 19). Also held a statewide Making the most of summer. VEA members gained new skills at several statewide online events during the townhall meeting on this break in the school year. In addition, our Union was among the first to call for masking to be in place when school buildings reopened. subject to share information and organize support, and created an email campaign to tion: school-based wraparound and • VEA President James J. seek a legislative solution. support services; school infrastrucFedderman helped call • Publicly called for everyone’s proture; a statewide Equity Fund; and attention to Virginia’s huge tection by making mask-wearing increased broadband access and need to invest in school required for students and staff in affordability. infrastructure by taking part in our state’s public schools before the Crumbling Schools Tour, • Prepped both new and seasoned the Centers for Disease Control and making stops in Halifax County leaders to build strong local unions Governor Ralph Northam did so. and Petersburg. and work toward achieving contract • Launched an email campaign prior negotiations at two large summer • Offered a webinar with NEA on to the General Assembly’s special training events: the Leadership student debt. session, urging legislators to use Academy and the Summer Organiz• Tear out this page and share federal COVID relief funds wisely in ing Institute. with potential members!.l four specific areas of public educa-

Your local union can, too. VEA is offering bargaining training throughout the year, and the O2B campaign will be a prominent feature at all Union events this year.

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Many of those boards and bodies seem to be waiting for local educators to take the first step and encourage them to do so. However, wheels are beginning to turn around Virginia to make those resolutions a reality. The City Council in Alexandria and the Board of Supervisors in Arlington have passed their versions already, though their resolutions so far have only covered municipal workers, and Loudoun County’s Board of Supervisors has publicly stated its intent to move ahead with theirs. Around Virginia, other local VEA affiliates have also begun working with their elected officials to get the negotiation process off the ground.

To join—or begin—the effort where you work, get in touch with your local UniServ Director!l

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MEMBERSHIP MATTERS

New Staffers Join VEA & Learning as a one-year Teaching

The Virginia Education Association’s Core Values

Fellow, a position funded by a grant

These principles guide our work and define our mission:

Amy Brown has joined VEA Teaching

from the NEA’s Professional Practice and Policy Teaching Fellow program. Amy will organize and plan professional learning, with a focus on National Board Certification. Before coming to VEA, she was a York Education Association member and teacher at Grafton High School.

Olivia Geho is a new Digital Media Specialist supporting VEA’s Organizing to Bargain campaign and will work out of VEA Communications & Public Affairs. She’ll provide communications products and strategy to locals working toward contract negotiations. She recently earned a master’s in Labor Studies from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and has worked in digital communications for unions including the UFCW, SEIU, NewsGuild, and the Massachusetts Nurses Association. Sean Genson is the new UniServ

1. Equal Opportunity. We believe public education is the gate way to opportunity. All students have the human and civil right to a quality public education that develops their potential, independence, and character. 2. A Just Society. We believe public education is vital to building respect for the worth, dignity, and equality of every individual in our diverse society. 3. Democracy. We believe public education is the cornerstone of our republic. Public education provides individuals with the skills to be involved, informed, and engaged in our representative democracy. 4. Professionalism. We believe that the expertise and judgment of education professionals are critical to student success. We maintain the highest professional standards, and we expect the status, compensation, and respect due all professionals. 5. Partnership. We believe partnerships with parents, families, communities, and other stakeholders are essential to quality public education and student success. 6. Collective Action. We believe individuals are strengthened when they work together for the common good. As education professionals, we improve both our professional status and the quality of public education when we unite and advocate collectively.l

Director Arlington, joining VEA SOURCE: in ACLU

from the Alaska Education Association. For 13 years, he has been a teacher, activist, and local leader in the Fairbanks Education Association for 13 years, including supporting collective bargaining, and he’s a recent graduate of the NEA Pre-UniServ Academy. LeShane Lindsay is a new UniServ Director in Fairfax and brings 18 years of experience in the labor movement with SEIU and the NY State Nurses Association. With SEIU, he’s been an administrative organizer, chief of staff for another large local, and a director of grievances and arbitrations. At NYSNA, he’s served as a political organizer Principal Organizer.l

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VEA-Retired to Elect Leaders, Delegates VEA-Retired will be holding elections in January, filling leadership positions and choosing delegates to future events. VEA-R members will elect a President, Vice President, Secretary-Treasurer, and new VEA Board representative, along with VEA-R Council members, and select delegates to the 2022 and 2023 VEA and NEA conventions. You can find information on petitions and self-nomination forms on the VEA Elections page: Log into the members-only section on the VEA website (veanea.org), then click on Membership & Benefits | Member Center | VEA Elections. Email vearetired@veanea.org with any questions.l

KUD

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

New Counseling Center Named for Longtime Member Ernie Holley

We’ve Stood Firm—and That Won’t Change I’ve said two things repeatedly since this global pandemic became a reality: One, that the health and safety of all students, families, and school staff is VEA’s top priority; and two, that no one wants to be back in school under normal conditions more than educators do. I stand by both statements—now, more than ever. We thought, for a brief moment, that the road to normalcy was open and we were safely heading down it. Then the delta variant (and others) came along and now we’re once again facing major obstacles. As I write this in early September, the CDC says that in June through August, COVID infection rates among children and teens grew by eight- to 10-fold nationally. Some will say the kids aren’t getting the virus at school. I say they’re at increased risk of catching it any time they’re in public situations. We must stay focused, informed, and diligent to fight this pandemic—again. Still, actually. Our children need us more than ever. And we’ve been there for them: We called for mandatory masking even before the Centers for Disease Control issued guidance recommending the same thing, and before Governor Northam announced that masks will be required this fall in the state’s public schools, regardless of vaccination status. It wasn’t a political decision. It was a smart one. As I said the day the governor made his announcement, wearing masks in school is a commonsense precaution.

And it will save lives. Why would we not support it? VEA has had our kids’ and colleagues’ backs on COVID since the beginning. As educators, we know that knowledge is power, so we’ve consistently followed the science and disregarded the misinformation. Masking is not the only strategy, either. The CDC and state health officials agree that other mitigating moves must be made, including physical distancing, hand-washing, and proper ventilation. When you know better, you do better. Now that vaccines are widely available (and at least one now fully approved by the FDA, not just okayed on an emergency basis), we believe those who can get vaccinated should do so. Some school divisions have issued a vaccination mandate, requiring all staff members, except those with medical or religious exemptions, to get the shot. While I think getting as many people vaccinated as possible, I do not support using progressive discipline, including termination, to make it happen. Virginia’s hard-working public educators have faced enough in the last 18 months. Those of us who are devoting our careers to education are doing so because we care about young people and the future of our communities. We will not waver.l

The new Staunton High School building, which opened this school year, features the Ernest Holley Counseling Center, named for longtime VEA and VEARetired member Ernie Holley. The honor is in recognition of his many years of school counseling in the city— congratulations, Ernie! Two VEA members have been selected as finalists for the 2021 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, often regarded as the nation’s top honor in those disciplines. The VEA members are: • Stephanie Harry of the York Education Association, a chemistry teacher at Tabb High School; and • Geraldine Maskelony of the Arlington Education Association, a math teacher at the Arlington Career Center. The National Science Foundation administers the Presidential Awards on behalf of the White House. The award alternates annually between teachers in grades K-6 and teachers in grades 7-12. Moira Mazzi of the Fairfax Education Association and Sandra PriceStroble of VEA-Retired have been appointed to the State Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services by Gov. Ralph Northam. Martinsville Education Association member Kevan Keane, a teacher at Martinsville Middle School, was chosen as one of only 120 teachers around the world to participate in a National History Day spring professional development program focused on using Library of Congress sources in the classroom.l

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INSIGHT ON INSTRUCTION

Some instructional tunes from VEA Legal Services. By Dena Rosenkrantz While you may sing as you go about your work, VEA Legal Services wants to remind you that there are some songs you definitely don’t want for your theme song. Use these tunes as common-sense reminders to steer clear of trouble (with apologies to the composers, lyricists and performers): “BABY YOU CAN DRIVE MY CAR” Are you employed to drive a school vehicle? Make sure you keep your driver’s license current and that you obey the rules of the road at all times. If your school job involves driving, a ticket or accident behind the wheel of your personal vehicle could affect your license and cost your school job. Even school jobs that do not require driving can be affected by off-duty traffic charges. Law enforcement officials notify school officials if a school employee is arrested. Finally, we recommend that you not drive students in your personal vehicle without a written order from your school supervisor. Accidents happen to even the most careful driver and being alone in a car with a student or students makes you vulnerable to accusations of inappropriate behavior or speech. Which leads to… “LET’S GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT,” OR “I’LL BE WATCHING YOU” Avoid being alone with a student. Leave the door open and the window clear. Remember that other people can see and hear your interactions with students—consider how they’ll understand the scene. When you offer encouragement or reward a student, a social worker or concerned observer could conceivably see “grooming,” actions taken to befriend and establish emotional connection with a child to lower inhibitions in preparation for sexual abuse. “PENNIES FROM HEAVEN” Even small amounts of money can have huge significance for your school job. Make sure you record all funds received and disbursed, and promptly turn in records and funds. Keep school money separate from your own. Don’t borrow or use school money, even for a short time. Using petty cash to buy lunch with plans to return the money after you visit the bank could be grounds for a criminal charge. Even grants or checks made out to you may be considered school funds that you have to turn in, not cash for yourself. “DO YOU WANT TO HEAR A SECRET?” No school employee, not even a guidance counselor, is allowed to keep a student confidence. State law requires school employees to report suspected child abuse. Licensed instructional and administrative personnel must notify a student’s parent of any communication giving reason to believe the student is suicidal. Don’t invite students to share personal information with you, but be prepared and follow up when a student does confide something. You may have to pass the information on to school colleagues and document that you’ve done so. In the opposite direction, be careful what you let your students know about your personal life. “WHEN I’M 64” You are surrounded by young people and feel young at heart. But school is your job and you can’t behave like one of the kids. Joking, teasing, gossiping, and flirting with your students can lead to trouble. Don’t excuse it with the notion that a kid “can take it” or “enjoys the attention.” “Groundhog Day” is a movie title, not a song, but think about how it applies to your work. You get older every year but the new students you get every year don’t. You do things better each year but you must also consider that your students may react differently because you look and sound different than you used to. Behavior that students loved early in your career may have different impact years later; update your routine and wardrobe. Rosenkrantz is the director of VEA Legal Services.

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From VEA Teaching and Learning

When you’re new on the job, a skilled mentor can be a guide, sounding board, consultant, support system—and a lifesaver. Here are some tips for working with your mentor:

Things to Consider When Writing Lesson Plans Lesson planning is as common as breathing for most teachers. But how purposefully do you do it? Here are a few points to consider the next time you write a lesson plan:

•

Schedule a regular, distraction-free time to meet.

•

Work together to develop your classroom management plan. Your mentor should be able to affirm or give advice on ways to enhance your plan.

•

Ask your mentor to read your lesson plans and provide feedback.

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Ask to observe other teachers from who you can gain ideas and strategies for instruction and classroom management.

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Be open to what your mentor has to say.

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Observe your mentor and have him or her observe you.

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Keep a journal or log with dates and topics discussed with your mentor.

•

Ask your mentor to help you plan for your license renewal.l

• What do my students already know? Does everyone know the same thing? • What are the needs of my students (as a class and as individuals)? • What manipulatives, materials, or resources do I need to bring my lesson to life for all my students? • Do I have everything that I need to make this lesson happen (knowledge, materials, etc.)? • Using an “I Do, We Do, You Do” model, what does this lesson look like for you and your students? What is everyone doing and when? • How will I know that my students have learned what they were supposed to learn? What do I do if they haven’t mastered the content? For assistance with this tip or any other aspect of professional learning, feel free to reach out to VEA Teaching and Learning at dhamilton@veanea.org.l

Want to Share What You’ve Learned with Your Colleagues? VEA Teaching and Learning is looking for members to help create content for webinars, trainings, independent study sessions, and more. We’re working on topics including trauma and resilience, culturally responsive teaching and equity, blended learning, digital pedagogy, differentiation/reteaching/intervention, mindfulness, social/emotional support for adults, and social/emotional support for students. If you’re interested in helping create content, please scan the QR code or use this link (which is case sensitive): vea.link/ContentDev.l “IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A SOCIETY WORK, THEN YOU DON’T KEEP UNDERSCORING THE PLACES WHERE YOU’RE DIFFERENT—YOU UNDERSCORE YOUR SHARED HUMANITY.” — Sebastian Junger, author and filmmaker

Educators, Once Again, to the Rescue At least 70 percent of students who receive mental health services start getting them in a school-based setting, according to the Education Commission of the States.l

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Illustrations by iStock

LISTEN & LEARN

Mentors Make A World of Difference

INSIGHT ON INSTRUCTION

THE PRESENT OF PRESENCE “IF A CHILD IS BEING BULLIED, THERE IS ONE THING PEOPLE CAN DO THAT WILL MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE: SIT WITH THEM. TALK TO THEM.

Overdue for Improvement Sobering facts from “School Librarian Investigation: Decline or Evolution,” research done by Antioch University Seattle and funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services: • There has been a 20 percent decline nationally in the last decade in school librarian positions.

SMILE AT THEM. YOUR PRESENCE WILL HAVE A DOUBLE IMPACT. FIRST, IT WILL COMFORT THE BULLIED PERSON, AND HELP THEM FEEL

• 7 million American students don’t have access to a school library with a certified school librarian.l

LESS VULNERABLE AND ASHAMED. SECOND, AND THIS IS CRUCIAL, YOUR PRESENCE WILL BACK AWAY THE BULLY. THE BULLY WON’T TAUNT IF YOU ARE THERE, TOO, SMILING AND BEING A FRIEND. THE BULLY WILL SLINK AWAY.” — Lise Deguire, a clinical psychologist and author

NEA Offers ‘Envision Equity’ Grants; Deadline to Apply Approaching

Photos by iStock

The NEA Foundation has launched a new grant program called Envision Equity, which will offer funding for members to support projects designed to: • Build on your knowledge of “what works” to support the whole child and bring out students’ best; • Test creative new ideas and innovations in the classroom and beyond; • Implement your dream project, demonstrating exemplary teaching and learning; • Support students’ project-based learning, advancing cultural understanding and appreciation, and/or an understanding of civic engagement and democracy. Deadline for applications for the next round of grants is October 15. To learn more, visit neafoundation.org/for-educators/envision-equity-grants/.l

Open Up to Help Students Deal with Post-Pandemic Stress

Sharing information with your students may be one of the most effective ways you can help reduce their stress as they return to school after COVID. Being transparent with kids, at an appropriate level for their age, can lessen anxiety kids may feel — especially as restrictions lift and schools reopen. “What children do in absence of information is they fill in the gaps with their imagination,” says Shalyn Bravens, who directs several early childhood and family programs for United Way for Greater Austin (Texas). “They fill it in with the worst-case scenario.” Bravens says it’s normal to see some regression when there are transitions approaching. But talking through these changes can help. “Explain what’s going on,” she says. “What’s really stressful for kids is not knowing what’s going on.” Keeping solid routines can also be critical, says Stephanie Jones, a professor of education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, so children know what to expect in the face of changes and stress.l Source: The Hechinger Report

Trauma Comes to School The percentage of Virginia children exposed to “adverse childhood experiences”— such as physical abuse, neglect, witnessing violence or having an incarcerated parent or substance abuse in the household—increased 20 percent between FY 2010 and FY 2019, according to a draft report by the Joint Legislative and Audit Review Commission.l

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FIRST PERSON: NARRATIVES FROM THE CLASSROOM

Healthy Boundaries Help Everyone

Photo by iStock

— Courtney Cutright

Back-to-school season 2021: As the pandemic rages on, with the delta variant crippling many parts of the U.S., tempers flared among parent and other education stakeholders when local school boards divided over masking mandates. A Covid-positive student checked out of my class on the first day of school. Optimism already was running low when summer break ended. Not even redecorating my classroom or taking a trip to Target to stock up on glue sticks and composition books was enough to placate my mood. I daydreamed of quitting teaching during those first weeks of school. I realized quickly that I needed to set boundaries to protect my mental health and to balance classroom demands with my home life. One of the most difficult aspects of teaching for me is completing my work during the school day, so the significant change I’m making this year is to avoid working outside contract hours to the extent possible. Admin in my building built a schedule that allows most teachers to have duty-free planning periods, and because of when my planning falls, I also get an unimpeded lunch break. The downtime to eat with my squad is akin to group therapy, and this time is a luxury I know many of my colleagues don’t get to enjoy. My planning period has already been interrupted several times, positively, by students I taught last year. One wanted to eat lunch with me because he’s moving to another county. Another walked into my classroom and burst into tears before she shared her middle school drama. I attended the first of many virtual IEP meetings. Even though this protected part VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | OCTOBER 2021

of my workday is mine, I often sacrifice it to put my students’ needs first. A few weeks in and I already broke my first streak by bringing home bookmarks to laminate for my students over the weekend, but I am really trying not to bring home grading or to plans lessons on evenings and weekends. These bookmarks are an extra frill to promote silent reading, so I can justify that in the name of literacy. Sticking to contract hours will be tricky, as I’m more of a Type A personality, bordering on perfectionism. I like my desk clear at the end of each day, so I will have to recondition myself to leave behind a stack of ungraded essays. I think it can work if I employ some worker-smarter-not-harder techniques, such as giving fewer (but more meaningful) graded assignments, having students swap papers to check in class and utilizing technology to work for me. I noticed on a recent school night at home with my daughter how nice it was to spend time together as opposed to me being beside her on the couch working on my laptop. Being on the same school schedule as my child is one of the biggest benefits of my job because it allows me to maximize my time at home with her. Now, my goal is to be more fully present with her—but sometimes I cannot shut off my brain. No one wants to think about work when they’re not at work, right? I tried to relax and unwind on a recent Friday evening. As I processed the day’s events, I realized I had forgotten to email a parent about an incomplete assignment. The old me would have fired up my laptop, but I let it slide for the night. Next my thoughts turned to a student I’ve had trouble connecting with so far. He is unable to communicate most of his thoughts and needs at school, and I am trying different tactics to gently break through his protective barriers. Then I think about the boy who finished reading his first library book the night he took it home before shifting to the kids who I could tell were only pretending to read. I cannot stop thinking of or caring about my students because that is not who I am. A question, posed on a recent episode of Glennon Doyle’s podcast, resonated with me: Do I want to quit because something is too hard for me, or Do I want to quit because something is not right for me? Reread the question, then take a moment to ponder your answer. I did not become a teacher because I thought it would be easy. Pandemic teaching has added additional layers of difficulty, but as Glennon says, “We can do hard things.”’ Take care of yourself so your students experience the best version of you.l Cutright (courtcut@gmail.com), a member of the Roanoke County Education Association, teaches English at Northside Middle School.

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