Virginia Journal of Education: December 2021 by veanea

VIRGINIA JOURNAL of

EDUCATI N The magazine of the Virginia Education Association December 2021

A seemingly endless pandemic is creating widespread symptoms of educator burnout.

HOW CAN WE FIX IT? INSIDE

• How you can use Twitter in your classroom. upg. 14 • ESPs can take charge of their own professional growth. upg. 18 • Contract negotiation efforts moving ahead. upg. 21

Editor Tom Allen VEA President Dr. James J. Fedderman VEA Executive Director Dr. Brenda Pike Communications Director Kevin J. Rogers Graphic Designer Lisa Sale Editorial Assistant/Advertising Representative Yolanda Morris Contributors Kevin Hickerson

COVER STORY

Courtney Cutright

Kitty J. Boitnott

Jennifer Burgin Belinda Folb

COVID stress is bringing on burnout. How can we overcome it?

Vol. 115, No. 3

CO N T E N T S

UPFRONT

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.

4-7 This month: Praising, breathing, and Touching Base With Kevin Hickerson of Fairfax.

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 13 Mini-Grants Launch Learning Congrats to VEA’s 2021 awardees!

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

14 Do You Follow? Two Arlington teachers talk about how they use Twitter to help both their students and themselves.

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 Take Charge! NEA’s ESP Professional Growth Continuum offers support professionals a chance to direct their own career learning.

Member: State Education Association Communicators VEA Vision: A great public school for every child in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

DEPARTMENTS 20 Membership Matters VEA locals move ahead with contract negotiations efforts. 25 Insight on Instruction The importance of indoor air quality in school buildings. 30 First Person Let’s offer the ‘experts’ a day with this lineup. Cover and above photo by iStock.

“Those aren’t pimples. You’ve been sitting in front of a screen for too long—you’re pixelated.”

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

English ain’t easy. A recent survey by Preply, an online language tutoring firm, asked 2,000 English speakers about the words and phrases they most often hear misused. Here’s what they said:

“I hacked into Santa’s computer. Now we’ll definitely be on the ‘nice’ list.”

•

“I could care less” and “would of” are two of the most misused phrases. The proper uses of these expressions are “I couldn’t care less” and “would have.”

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“Irregardless” and “anyways” are among the most misused words. Regardless and anyway are the proper choices.

• 45 percent of respon- dents said a misused word or phrase is a dating dealbreaker. • Two-thirds say it’s OK to correct someone’s pronunciation or usage, even if not asked.l

Healing, Learning, and Moving Forward

Some advice for stressed educators, from wellness performance coach Lauren Hodges of Performance on Purpose: I suggest breathing as a powerful tool -- one deep, long breath can trigger the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the balancing arm to our fight-or-flight state. It can bring down the heart rate and get us back to a conscious and aware place. We can also take notice of, and name, our emotions in the moment. Normally we are unaware of our emotions as they are happening -- particularly with stress. There is incredible power in pause…I work with one teacher who spends five minutes of her lunch break taking a brisk walk and doing some open-monitoring meditation. She spends the time simply noticing the world around her and leaves her phone behind. Another teacher that I work with takes just two minutes of her prep time doing some box breathing - she inhales for four counts, holds her breath for four counts, exhales for four, and holds for four more, then repeats the cycle for two minutes. It’s just a blink in her busy day, but it’s enough for her to recenter, even if for a moment.l

We can’t say students’ emotional and social well-being is important but throw them back into testing, testing, and more testing. We can’t expect kids to be OK if we push them to meet instructional goals without meeting their basic human need to know that they matter. I am healing. I am learning. My teaching has changed. I have slowed down my lessons, but my expectations are still high. I have paused learning to let everyone breathe. Our lessons are taking

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | DECEMBER 2021

KEVIN HICKERSON

FAIRFAX EDUCATION ASSOCIATION High school special education teacher

What do you like about your job? As a special education teacher, I can be a voice for students who are sometimes voiceless and, by doing so, teach them how to use their own voice to be better people in life. I love talking with former students that I had a decade ago and seeing the progress they are making. It lets me know that however small, I shifted somebody’s future forever. How has being a Union member been helpful to you? Being a VEA member has made me a better professional and advocate for students, educators, and parents. It has given me the tools through professional development and leadership training to be a force for public education. I could not imagine being a professional educator without my membership. l

longer… our discussions are taking longer… but we are learning how to function in a world that’s changed. Everyone needs grace, patience, and kindness.l “Ten pages? Aren’t you worried about the danger of paper cuts?

TOUCHING BASE WITH…

Illustrations by iStock

What I Meant to Say Was…

Take a Deep Breath…

— Fairfax Education Association member Precious Burger

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | DECEMBER 2021

UP FRONT

You’re a Lifeline “I often say that school saved my life. And I don’t say that in a cliché way. I say that because when you’re growing up in public housing and you’re seeing things that children shouldn’t see, and you don’t know where your next meal is going

Source: Media Literacy Now

to come from, and you want to go to college but you don’t know what that looks like, you really have to rely on the kindness of other people. For me, those people were generally at school.” l — Jahana Hayes, the 2016 National Teacher of the Year (and speaker at VEA’s first Teachers of Color Summit), who went on to become the first Black woman elected to Congress from CT two years later

Sobering Facts Compared to students with

Give ‘Em a Good Word Sure, they may be talking incessantly and tinkering with their smartphones, but if you praise your middle school students at least as often as you reprimand them, your class’s on-task behavior can improve 60-70 percent, say researchers at Brigham Young University. Their study found that students at higher risk for emotional and behavioral disorders were more likely to stay on task and see their grades go up by a full letter grade in classes where teachers praised students more than they corrected them, compared to higher-risk students in classes where teachers rarely offered praise.l

EQUITY IS NOT A PASSING BUZZWORD,

lower grades, students with

BUT AN ONGOING, CONTINUOUS EFFORT

higher grades are less likely to:

TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY STUDENT FEELS

• Have had their first

SUPPORTED IN THEIR CLASSROOMS AND IN

drink of alcohol before

EVERY EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT.

age 13.

— U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona

• Currently drink alcohol. • Currently binge drink.l Source: Centers for Disease

“We will have grief counselors available on report card day.”

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | DECEMBER 2021

www.readacrossamerica.org

“If you had $5 and I gave you $75, how much would you have? And never mind the ‘ka-ching,’ Robert.”

Some Things Can’t be Reduced to a Number “For the rest of your life, you won’t be judged by test scores. You’ll be judged by the kind of human being you are, and the kind of work that you do…Public schools were not founded in this country to prepare kids for tests. They were founded to prepare them to be good citizens. We’re talking about being a good human being who stands up for what’s right, who respects all human beings, who stands up against racism, against sexism, against what’s wrong in the world. That has to be part of what education is.”l — Ron Berger, a longtime teacher and author of multiple books, including An Ethic of Excellence: Building a Culture of Craftsmanship with Students VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | DECEMBER 2021

Photo and illustrations by iStock

The number of states that currently have media literacy legislation on the books. (Virginia is not one of them.)l

COVER STORY

Thanks to a pandemic that won’t go away, burnout has come early this year. How can educators overcome it? By Kitty J. Boitnott

TACKLE BURNOUT HEAD-ON But it’s important to remember that others can’t give you what you won’t or can’t give yourself. So, it will help if you start taking responsibility for your own mental and physical health while still taking advantage of any help that your school division may offer. You can start by taking proactive steps and thus owning your self-care, health, and wellness. And it would help if you started sooner

rather than later. You may be feeling chronically stressed and wondering, short of leaving your job, what you can do about it. If that’s the case, hang in there—you can try some relatively simple stress-busting solutions before you do something drastic like quit. And you can start trying them right away. They don’t cost anything, but the payoff may save your health and mental wellbeing, as well as keep your paycheck coming. Start by challenging how you think about work. Have you started to feel that there are no redeeming parts to your job? Do you catch yourself complaining much of the time? Do you even remember why you chose a career in education in the first place? To challenge the way you think, you must first become aware of your thoughts. Of course, paying attention to your thoughts isn’t always easy. It takes practice. But you can do it if you set your mind to it. Remind yourself (in writing or electronically, if it helps) to pause regularly and examine the way you’ve been thinking. Is it possible to find things about your profession for which you are grateful? Are there aspects of what

you do every day that outweigh the negative parts of the job? Can you reconnect with what brought you to a school career? The more you can take time to appreciate the good things about the job, the more relief from stress you will feel. Stress comes directly from your thoughts. Change your thoughts, and you can change your stress level. You’ve heard the adage, “Change your thoughts, change your life.” Well, it became an adage because there is a lot of truth in it. And no one controls your thoughts but you. YOU’RE THE BOSS OF YOU You can also learn to take better care of yourself physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Again, it would be best if you started sooner rather than later. There’s no time like now. Taking better care of yourself means practicing consistent, day-to-day self-care measures, all of which can improve your outlook and overall health. You owe it to yourself to take care of yourself in every way. By this, I mean doing specific, proactive things. For example, one of the easiest things you can do is drink plenty of water every day to stay properly hydrated. There is a clear link between proper hydration and stress reduction. Our brains, like all our organs, need water to function properly and it doesn’t take much dehydration to cause our bodies to release the stress hormone cortisol. Of course, you also need to eat for good nutrition instead of for convenience or comfort.

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | DECEMBER 2021

Photos by iStock

RE-IGNITING THE FLAME

here is no getting around the fact that it has been a rough couple of years for educators, students, families, and communities. The COVID-19 pandemic has spared no one, disrupting lives in unprecedented ways. Many had hoped the new school year would put the pandemic largely behind us but, unfortunately, we are all still coping with its fallout. Both educators and students continue to feel stressed and overwhelmed. Burnout, frequently an issue toward the end of the school year, is hitting early. A local school board member in the Tidewater area recently described many of her school division’s employees as “June-tired.” One teacher recently told me that she had submitted her resignation letter already. It was only mid-October, but she said her mental health was “fried” and she couldn’t do it anymore. Thankfully, many school divisions are starting to recognize the need to provide mental health help to their employees and are making adjustments to their calendars (see box on page 11). That’s a very good thing.

COVER STORY strategic about which assignments you make and those you might be able to eliminate. You can go a long way toward managing your workload if you evaluate the usefulness of each of your tasks. Consider which ones you may keep and which you can let go. •

can. If you’ve found yourself in a toxic environment, it will take a toll on you, both emotionally and professionally, over time. But there are steps you can take to gain control of how your work situation affects you. Try to put as many of these tips in place as possible: •

•

Find optimistic people to hang out with who can help you feel better about yourself and your work.

people will probably talk about you behind your back, too. So, beware. Avoid as much workplace drama as you can. •

•

Stay out of the teachers’ lounge. Unfortunately, the lounge is often where you’re likely to find a lot of toxicity. Spare yourself. Find a different place to eat your lunch. Go for a walk with a colleague at lunchtime. But don’t hang out in the lounge unless you want to risk it bringing you down. Avoid school gossip. Don’t listen to trash talk about students or colleagues. Anyone who is talking negatively about other

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | DECEMBER 2021

•

Of course, you need to have work friends. But you don’t have to tolerate unprofessional behavior from colleagues. You can choose your work friends. So, choose wisely. Take charge of your workload. Decide what must be done and what you choose to do out of habit. Think about what assignments need to be graded and which ones don’t to ensure learning. Consider every homework assignment and its value. Check out Jenny Grant Rankin’s book, First Aid for Teacher Burnout, for strategies on how to cut back on some of your workload. Cut out unnecessary paperwork that consumes your time on evenings and weekends. Be

•

Set healthier boundaries at work and home. Protect yourself and stop overvolunteering for extra work. Teachers are helpers by

Burnout is a temporary state where individuals have exhausted their personal and organizational resources in fulfilling their professional duties. Although often portrayed as the capacity for individual resilience, burnout can also be the result of unusually demanding school environments that lack appropriate organizational supports or limits. Teachers face high emotional demands in their daily work that can become increasingly debilitating when rates of student trauma are high and, if they do not feel supported in their work and are not provided with the necessary resources, are more likely to leave the profession. Studies have found that teacher burnout can contribute to lower-quality instruction and lower student achievement. Key Strategies to Consider • A culture of mutual trust, respect, and open communication among teachers and school leaders allows them to work together to improve practices and solve problems. • A schoolwide commitment to social and racial justice and to affirming educators’ identities can help counter the forces that contribute to high rates of burnout and turnover for teachers of color. • School leaders who protect teachers’ time and prioritize teacher learning see higher levels of teacher satisfaction. • Teacher involvement in the design and implementation of learning opportunities is essential to effectively improve teacher morale and student achievement. • Trauma-informed strategies and mindfulness supports for teachers reduce stress in ways that positively affect both teachers and students. • Open communication with educators and collecting data on teachers’ professional concerns allows school and district leaders to more accurately identify and address the root causes of teachers’ dissatisfaction.l From “Structural Supports to Promote Teacher Well-Being,” a research brief published by EdResearch for Recovery, a collaborative project of the Annenberg Institute at Brown University and Results for America, a nonprofit research organization.

Clearing Some Space on the Calendar In response to growing levels of educator stress and burnout, some Virginia school divisions are trying to help. Here’s a sampling: HAMPTON. Changed the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving from regular school days to days off, so the city’s schools will be closed Thanksgiving week.

RICHMOND. November 2, 4, and 5 were already days off (Election Day, Diwali, and virtual parent-teacher conferences), so the city added Nov. 1 and 3, closing schools for the week.

HARRISONBURG. Shortened the instructional day by one hour for a period of 48 days, from October 4-December 17.

STAFFORD. Approved three additional holidays for staff and students (Nov. 12, Feb. 18, and April 15).

HENRICO. Added two new early-release Fridays (November 19 and December 10); will convert snow days not used by Feb. 1 to days off later in the school year; and created four Friday days off (March 11, April 1, May 27 and June 17).

SUFFOLK. Began early release days every other Wednesday November 10 through the end of the school year.

VIRGINIA BEACH. Added seven 2-hour early dismissals on Wednesdays in a three-month period.l

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | DECEMBER 2021

Photo by iStock

We all need to eat whole grains, fresh fruits, and vegetables to stay healthy and well. Steer clear of highly processed foods that have too much sugar and salt in them. Because our bodies are designed for movement, we all benefit from regular exercise. Physical activity impacts your whole body, so try not to forego it, even when you’re most apt to—when you’re feeling busy or tired. Even a short walk will help significantly. Get the amount of sleep you need every night. And don’t forget to breathe deeply down into the lower half of the lungs several times a day, which will keep your organs oxygenated. These are all very simple things that you can do to help relieve your stress levels, and they don’t cost an arm and leg to implement. But they are priceless in their impact on your health. Take control of your work environment to the extent that you

Learn and use the “5-second rule” by author, speaker, and coach Mel Robbins. It’s an excellent tool for eliminating procrastination and increasing productivity. (Give it a Google.) A lot of stress is self-induced, brought on by procrastination. People who put things off until the last minute often find themselves scrambling to meet deadlines. If that sounds like you, you can choose to stop the procrastination pattern. It will make you feel much better about yourself while helping you relieve your stress at the same time.

What Support from School Leaders Do Teachers Need to Overcome Burnout?

COVER STORY

Are You Burning Out? Many professionals experience stress in their jobs, but burnout is a much stronger feeling of hopelessness that’s often the result of all that stress going unaddressed. Job burnout can manifest itself in both physical and emotional symptoms. Here are some signs to watch for:

nature. They want to help make things work. But they can be guilty of over-volunteering. As a result, they find themselves with less time for themselves and their families, a real

PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS: • Exhaustion or constant fatigue • Insomnia • Headaches • Stomach aches • Frequent illnesses, such as colds and flu EMOTIONAL SYMPTOMS: • Feeling cynical or negative • Feeling overwhelmed or powerless • Feeling hopeless; loss of motivationl Source: Indeed.com

stress-builder. Are you a people-pleaser? Many teachers are. But it can be another symptom of an inability to set healthy boundaries. If you self-identify as a people-pleaser, think about how you might stop it, starting today. It’s okay to say “no” on occasion. Ask for help when you need it. Many teachers hesitate to do this, for fear of anyone finding out they aren’t “Super Woman” or “Super Man.” Teacher stress and burnout may be the result of overextending yourself, however. And that is made worse by not asking for help when you need it. There is no shame in asking for assistance. If you are struggling in any

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | DECEMBER 2021

way, ask for help from the proper source. You don’t want to appear to be helpless, of course, so you need to try to figure some things out on your own. But when you have tried everything else, and you’re still struggling, ask for help! The cost of doing nothing is damage to your physical and emotional health. You can try any one of these suggestions or a combination of them. You may not want to try them all at once. You don’t need to stress yourself out while learning to manage your stress, after all. Any one of these suggestions, however, could go a long way toward helping you feel more grounded and more optimistic about your work. Choose the one you can most easily incorporate into your routine and then work the others in as you can. The bottom line is you need to take care of yourself. No one else can do that for you. And it may never be more important than it’s been and will be in these pandemic-affected times.l Boitnott, PhD, NBCT, is a longtime educator and former president of the Virginia Education Association. Now a certified life/stress management coach, she runs Boitnott Coaching, which you can learn more about at www.careercoachrichmond.com.

FEATURE STORY

VEA Mini-Grants Launch Learning in Virginia Classrooms VEA is always looking for ways to improve instruction in our public schools, and the annual Mini-Grants program is one of the Union’s most effective tactics. Educators can get up to $500 to launch a dream they’ve had for their students. Here are our 2021 grant-winners, along with the projects they’ve created: Kathleen Bochert, Frederick County Education Association, “Bonzai Trees for Mindfulness” Sharon Carino, Gloucester Education Association, “Design to Play: Using Iterative Design in the Classroom”

Kristen Honeycutt, Bedford County Education Association, “Really Great Students Love Really Great Reading”

Murals for School Cafeteria”

Megan Holt, Frederick County Education Association, “Using a Graphic Novel to Build Empathy and Integrity”

Julie Sargent, Giles Education Association, “The Joy of Reading”

Meredith Kerr, Education Association of Suffolk, “Discovering Myself” Jessica Kirkland, Loudoun Education Association, “Exploring Classic Literature Through Manga” Jill Krause, Loudoun Education Association, “Recess Fun!”

Michele Copeland, Loudoun Education Association, “Super Scientists”

Catherine Malley, Virginia Beach Education Association, “Pre-Reading Skills Tap Into the Sound of Music”

Shayna Crews, Bedford County Education Association, “A Charlie Brown Christmas Musical Performance”

Patricia Morgan, Mathews County Education Association, “Learning Through Play (We Learn Through Play)”

Jennifer Diehl, Prince William Education Association, “Regulation Tools for Success”

Helen Pryor, Education Association of Norfolk, “Human Rights and Social Justice”

Stephanie Harry, York Education Association, “Calculators in Chemistry”

Elizabeth Rodriguez, Greene County Education Association, “Collaborative Student-Created

Joy Rottkamp, Roanoke County Education Association, “Global Scientists with Level Up Village”

Heather Schweitzer, Virginia Beach Education Association, “Bringing Learning to Life in Many Ways!” Edward Spruell, Roanoke County Education Association, “Forging Ahead: Implementing A Glow Forge Laser Printer in a High School Makerspace” Anne Straume, Albemarle Education Association, “Where in the World Is That?” Kelly Thrower, Waynesboro Education Association,“Daily Decodables = Ready Readers” Amy Wade, Frederick County Education Association, “Empathy: A Life Skill” Caroline Wittenberg, Frederick County Education Association, “Morning Tubs in Kindergarten.”l

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | DECEMBER 2021

Photos and graphics by iStock

STORY TheFEATURE Virginia Public Education CoalitionThe

FOLL W? Two Arlington teachers talk about how they use Twitter to help both their students and themselves. By Belinda Folb and Jennifer Burgin

THE BASICS Twitter is a platform you can use to communicate with teachers, students’ families, professional colleagues, and community members. Registered users can read, write, and share small posts (280 characters or less) called “tweets.” Unregistered users can read posts but not share or comment on them. Hashtags (the # followed by a short phrase) are used to raise awareness of a particular topic or connect multiple users’ posts together. They’re especially helpful if you’re trying to give your post context. You can also call attention to people by using the @ followed by their username (known as a handle) in your tweets. When you use someone’s handle that way, it shows up in that person’s feed. Users are also able to send a message directly to other people privately in a direct message, known as a DM. JOINING TWITTER There’s no magic to getting on board with Twitter—just create an account and sign up. Some school divisions prefer that you use your school email address if you’re using the account for official school business. Other divisions

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | DECEMBER 2021

BUILDING A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING NETWORK Twitter is a wonderful tool to connect with and learn from others. A professional learning network (PLN) is a group of people you learn with that are outside of your day-to-day spheres of influence. Building a PLN on Twitter can connect you with educators from around the world, building each other’s world views. You can also connect with scientists, authors, artists, and other experts in various fields that relate to the content learners’ experience in your classroom. You can use Twitter for continuous professional development. After attending a conference or learning a new strategy, you can follow handles and hashtags related to what you learned for updates and information about additional growth opportunities. You can also share how you implemented the training by posting and using these handles and hashtags in your own tweets or message other professionals and groups in a DM with questions and comments. One of the benefits of having a PLN is that you find out about unique events, contests, and additional opportunities

for professional growth, including opportunities to review new books or materials and essay contests and other challenges for your students. DEVELOPING YOUR BRAND Your profile picture should be of your face. Your banner picture should be related to your work. Your handle (username) should also reflect your work. In the bio section, share what matters

to you. Here are our two examples (see above). Jennifer has a more detailed bio connecting to different professional activities. Belinda has a cleaner, simpler bio stating a strong connection to education. Both versions work! Posting often is important and helps you connect with and maintain followers. There are some platforms, such as Hootsuite and TweetDeck, which enable you to schedule and manage posts. For someone beginning to tweet, make a goal for one tweet a day. Adding a photo, illustration, or GIF (a short video clip) often garners

attention and enhances views, though beware: Keep things professional and thoughtful when selecting images and GIFs. What might pass in a private message to a close friend may not pass in a public message about pedagogy. Remember to keep personal and union business off Twitter. You can create an additional profile with your personal email address for that purpose and brand those accounts specifically to personal or union goals. LEVERAGING CONNECTIONS Once you have begun to establish your PLN and develop your brand, it is time to start using those established connections to give back to your community. Last year, a teacher wanted to provide enrichment opportunities during the summer and began tweeting an educational activity every day so parents would have ideas for fun and academic activities without the pressure of signing up or purchasing subscriptions. The teacher did not need to think of all these activities, but rather share the opportunities that were available on Twitter. This activity was able to connect families to local and national resources they might not have found on their own. Some of the best ideas we’ve come across have been from other educators. This is the power of the retweet or retweet with comment. You can amplify others who have inspired you, and then share your inspiration to uplift others. Twitter can allow you to share the amazing ideas that you have thought about, such as sharing about a book that you read in class, a routine that you tried that worked well, or a lesson that you experimented with. Another

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | DECEMBER 2021

Twitter icon by iStock

DO YOU

ver the past year, as the way we worked with students changed so dramatically, many educators have added “savvy with online tools” to their list of professional skills. Would yours include social media? It does for us! One very useful social media tool is Twitter, and here are some suggestions to help you use it in your classroom, from two elementary educators who’ve been using it for a while now.

prefer that you use your personal email address, so check on local policies. Union business, political discussions, and personal photos should be done on a separate Twitter account that you do not use for school. You will have to provide a phone number for verification, and you should read the terms and conditions before accepting. If you’re just starting, come up with a simple username and profile picture. You can change it later if you choose to begin developing your brand. If you have an old account that is no longer relevant, you can also update the username, profile picture, and banner to meet today’s needs and goals.

FEATURE STORY

AMPLIFYING LEARNERS Another advantage of Twitter is its ability to share the voices and ideas of some very important people—the students you serve. Children have a lot of thoughts and questions, and Twitter can enable them to both reach amazing people to find answers and insight, and to share their voices and accomplishments. Depending on your school division’s policies, you can share student work. Some teachers have a special clip that students can put on their work when they want it shared on Twitter. It is a great opportunity to discuss guidelines for safely sharing on social media.

Sometimes educators are hesitant to allow students to use Twitter because they’ve heard stories about negative experiences online or are afraid they could be endangering their students. However, social media is a part of this generation’s lives and probably always will be, so it’s important they they’re taught how to use it as a safe and effective messaging tool. Safety, anonymity, and an open discussion with families is paramount to this step. Families will let you know early on how comfortable they are, especially after you explain how you intend to use social media collaboration. Some families may say “Go for it!” Others might ask you to blur a learner’s face. A good rule of thumb when putting student work on Twitter is to remove any indications of their identity, such as using their name, their handwritten name being visible on a piece of work, or allowing any identifying information to be seen. If you do post something that could identify a student, always be sure you have permission from parents. Then,

ensure that you have the learner’s permission. A student might have an amazing work sample, but their decision in the tweet matters more than anyone else’s opinion. They will learn consent through this exercise, and that is extremely valuable. You can also let families know that you will be as careful with your learners’ branding as you are your own. Sometimes students’ clothing is too loose or tight, and parts of their body that are an “Oops, fix your outfit” in class would be made embarrassing in the public eye. Use a critical eye when scanning images and work samples, and your own judgment to ensure that tweets are heartfelt, genuine, and respectful. One way to begin bringing students into Twitter is by creating tweets as a class to an author that you read. Sometimes the authors tweet back! Encourage your students to ask questions and then tweet them to experts in that specific field. When they notice an unusual cloud, tweet to the National Weather Service. When they see an unusual bird or insect, tweet to a local nature center or university.

Students are excited when their idea or question goes to experts and are even more excited when they reply. IN CONCLUSION… Twitter is a great way to communicate with other professionals, give back to the educational community and amplify the voices of your students. Give it a try! Both of us have really enjoyed Twitter and the benefits of a virtual PLN. Also, if you try it, give yourself grace. Currently, Jennifer is less focused on her professional Twitter account and working on a program-based account for her school. Belinda has taken a break as she uses CANVAS more to connect with parents. Ebbing and changing with your Twitter use is natural, and when you’re ready, it’ll be there waiting for you.l Folb and Burgin, members of the Arlington Education Association, teach at Hoffman-Boston Elementary School.

Some Ways Twitter Can Work for You • EXTENDING LEARNING. Students can learn beyond classroom walls to learn from others or share their knowledge. • AIDING RESEARCH. Students can follow relevant hashtags, search for people, topics, and keywords, or even subscribe to a list to learn more about a specific topic. • GETTING FEEDBACK. Twitter can be an easy way to survey your students and get their thoughts on topics and assignments. • REMINDING STUDENTS. A social media post is a great way to remind your class of assignments, projects, field trips, etc. • CONNECTING WITH OTHER CLASSROOMS. You can have students collaborate with their peers through Twitter. • KEEPING PARENTS IN THE LOOP. Tweeting is an excellent way to keep parents informed. • TEACHING STUDENTS TO SUMMARIZE INFORMATION. You can’t exceed 280 characters in a single post on Twitter. This rule is a great way to challenge students to condense their thoughts. • SUBSCRIBING TO HASHTAGS. Your students can search relevant hashtags about what they’re learning, such as #solarsystem. • CREATING A CLASSROOM HASHTAG. Something like #mrscoxclass can help students and parents stay up to date on what your class is doing, and it’s also a great way to find and join online groups.l Source: TeachHub.com

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educator might be looking for an idea and you could be their—and their students’—inspiration. Twitter is not so much about being perfect and getting others to be you, but rather about sharing your strategies, lessons learned, and helping out others making this professional journey alongside you.

FEATURE STORY

Take Charge! F

or too long, delegates to the 2015 NEA convention decided, education support professionals had been overlooked when it came to professional development. ESPs, as vital partners in the success of our public schools, deserve clear pathways to career growth as much as any educator does: After all, one out of every three school employees is a support professional. So, NEA’s ESP Quality Department responded by creating the ESP Professional Growth Continuum, a way that ESPs can plan and direct their own career advancement. And the Con-

tinuum isn’t a top-down directive: It was designed based on ESP members’ input and feedback. Professional learning is the key component to improving practice and including fresh perspectives in daily work and behaviors. This tool is designed to give you the freedom to plan how best to advance your career. The first step in the Continuum’s process of supporting excellence, beginning with career preparation, through entry into the profession, and into a lineup of continuous professional development, was basing content on the nine ESP Career Families NEA had created

through earlier analysis of membership numbers: • Clerical Services • Custodial and Maintenance Services • Food Services • Health and Student Services • Paraeducators • Security Services • Skilled Trades • Technical Services • Transportation Services

Next was to incorporate eight universal standards of professionalism: 1. Communication: the ability to effectively listen and communicate (in writing and verbally) with a diverse audience including students, parents/ guardians, staff, visitors, and community; 2. Cultural Competence: the ability to examine one’s own cultural context, understand cultural contexts of others, and interact with sensitivity to differences (for example, economic, race, gender, and disability); 3. Organization: the ability to prioritize, plan, and execute tasks efficiently and effectively; 4. Reporting: the ability to understand the responsibilities of a mandated reporter and what, when, how, and to whom reports should be filed; 5. Ethics: The ability to maintain a high level of ethical behavior, confidentiality, and privacy of any information regarding students, staff, and all job-related matters; 6. Health and Safety: The ability to protect the health and safety of oneself and others by knowing and executing health, safety, and emergency protocols/procedures with fidelity; 7. Technology: The ability to use electronic devices to problem-solve and complete

work-related duties; 8. Professionalism: The ability to present and conduct oneself in a professional manner in all job settings. Within each of the standards, there are also three levels of practice to work your way through: foundational, proficient, and advanced/ mastery. On that foundation, NEA built a system of learning opportunities that come in various forms: online modules, self-directed reflections, coaching, facilitated practices, and links to high-quality resources. NEA can also assist school divisions in annual trainings and certifications such as blood-borne pathogens, emergency response, fire drills, and more. The Continuum can help steer you in the direction of the kind of mentoring that will also be essential to your professional growth. To get started, identify your career family and then follow the directions in the Continuum to do a self-assessment. From there, you can use the information gained in the assessment to establish some growth goals for yourself, identify some steps you’ll need to take to achieve those goals, and then use the post self-assessment to gauge your progress. Your road to a growing sense of competence, confidence, and professionalism can be self-directed and taken at your own pace. You can find the Continuum and start your trip down that road by visiting vea.link/espgrowth.l

Who Are Our Education Support Professionals? A few facts about the more than half-million ESPs who work in our K-12 public schools: They’re well-trained. More than half (57 percent) of ESPs have an Associate’s or more advanced degree. Close to half (43 percent) are required to have a special certificate, licenses are required for 29 percent, and college credits are necessary for 32 percent. They’re committed to the success of our students. Two-thirds of ESPs (66 percent) have given some of their own money to pay for school supplies, field trips, and class projects. Almost 80 percent intend to stay in the ESP field. They’re part of their school communities. Almost three-quarters (71 percent) of ESPs live in the school district where they work and many are community volunteers. They help keep our schools safe. More than three-quarters (78 percent) have some responsibilities for promoting and ensuring the safety of students and school staff. They’re in school when you need them. Eighty-five percent of ESPs work full-time.l Source: National Education Association

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | DECEMBER 2021

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NEA’s ESP Professional Growth Continuum offers support professionals a chance to direct their own career learning.

MEMBERSHIP MATTERS

VEA to Salute Educators, Organizations with Annual Awards T

he outstanding work being done by Association members and others who give time and talent to the cause of public education should not go unnoticed. To be sure it doesn’t, VEA’s annual awards program honors efforts made on behalf of our young people and our schools, and so nominations are now open for the following VEA awards: •

•

Friend of Education Award. VEA’s highest honor recognizes an individual or organization whose leadership, acts or support has significantly benefited education, education employees or students in Virginia. Nomination deadline: January 14, 2022.

•

Fitz Turner Award: Honors outstanding contributions in intergroup relations and the enhancement of respect for human and civil rights. Nomination deadline: January 21, 2022. Mary Hatwood Futrell Award: Honors leadership in fostering equality in educational opportunity and promoting equity and excellence in public education. Nomination deadline: January 21, 2022.

•

Barbara Johns Youth Award: Honors a student or student organization whose activities promote the dignity and esteem of others. Nomination deadline: January 21, 2022. Award for Teaching Excellence: The highest honor VEA gives for creativity and excellence in the classroom. Nomination deadline: January 21, 2022. Robley S. Jones Political Activist Award: Honors individuals for their contributions to education legislation or policy, or to the election of public education-friendly candidates. Nomination deadline: December 10, 2021. Education Support Professional of the Year: Honors the contributions of an ESP to his or her school, community and profession. Nomination deadline: January 10, 2022.

Loudoun Hits Important Bargaining Milestone VEA members around Virginia continue to move closer to getting the green light to negotiate contracts with their school division. Here’s some of what’s going on: LOUDOUN COUNTY. LEA members recently hit a hugely significant milestone: Getting signatures on bargaining authorization cards from more than half of the county’s certified school employees (which includes positions such as teachers, counselors, and nurses). To encourage school board members to move ahead with a bargaining resolution (and to comply with COVID regulations), LEA held a “car rally” outside of the county’s school board meeting in November and will also have a mail and phone campaign.

•

Martha Wood Distinguished Service Award: Honors a retired educator who has made significant contributions to the growth of the active and retired Association, the promotion of public education, and the welfare of public educators. Nomination deadline: December 17, 2021.

• A+ Award for Membership Growth: Honors local Associations for growth, given in three size categories. For more information, visit www. veanea.org/grants.l

UPDATE

RICHMOND. A member of the city’s school board has presented a bargaining resolution and the entire board is scheduled to begin discussing it at the next meeting. MONTGOMERY COUNTY. MCEA members launched their bargaining efforts in earnest in November, passing out authorization cards, focusing much of their work during American Education Week. LYNCHBURG. As part of the Lynchburg Education Association’s growing efforts to establish contract negotiations, LEA member Aaron Reid spoke to the city’s school board recently to help clear up some bargaining misconceptions. “Why would you wish this?” he said, in part. “Because when your employees can help set the conversation around benefits, safety conditions in schools, and more, your entire problem-solving mechanism gets stronger.”l

Does this sound fair? According to the most recent data, there are 12 localities in Virginia that are able to spend over $10,000 each on every student in their public schools, led by Arlington at $17,088. At the same time, there are 50 that can only afford less than $4,000. In several Northern Virginia communities, the average salary for teachers is more than $75,000. In several other Virginia communities, in the southwest and southern parts of the state, the average salary for teachers barely reaches $40,000. Source: VEA’s report, “Virginia’s Educational Disparities,” July 2021, vea.link/disparities

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | DECEMBER 2021

Some of the Loudoun Education Association members who were part of LEA’s “car rally.”

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | DECEMBER 2021

Illustrations page 20 by iStock

When Schools are Funded by Property Taxes…

MEMBERSHIP MATTERS

KUD

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

By Dr. James J. Fedderman

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | DECEMBER 2021

for students and bring more professional compensation and working conditions to you and your colleagues. Rest assured that, with your help, our work on behalf of students and those who support them will grow ever stronger. There were important victories in these elections, especially by 49 House of Delegates members and candidates supported by the VEA Fund for Children and Public Education. We salute them, including these winners of extremely challenging races: • Wendy Gooditis in HD 10 • Elizabeth Guzman in HD 31 • Elizabeth Bennett-Parker in HD 45 • Michelle Maldonado in HD 50 • Briana Sewell in HD 51 • Schuyler VanValkenburg in HD 72 (Del. VanValkenburg is also a teacher and VEA member.) • Rodney Willett in HD 73 • Nadarius Clark in HD 79 • Irene Shin in HD 86 Together, with these and other elected friends of public education, we’ll move forward both at the state level and in every community in our great commonwealth. In unity is our strength, and our voice will be heard!l

Daphne Tamara Fulson, a member of the Chesapeake Education Association and a bilingual second grade teacher at Portlock Primary School, is Virginia’s 2022 Teacher of the Year. In addition to her classroom duties, Fulson is also chair of her school’s PBIS Committee, co-chair of the Math and STEAM Committee, is the math lead and city liaison for her school, assisting with the grade-level mathematics curriculum writing, and serves as a mentor for beginning teachers. When she was asked recently about what she’d tell non-teachers about what her work is like, Fulson said, in part, that young students are not just brains ready to learn when they come to school: “They walk into our classroom with emotions and feelings and hearts. And they come in maybe hungry. We receive actual human beings that need to be taught and loved on holistically. I know I can love on them from the time they walk into my classroom to the time I put them on the bus.” She earned a bachelor’s degree from Old Dominion University, studied Spanish Linguistics at Universidad Veritas in San José, Costa Rica, and is currently working on her master’s degree at ODU. She’s a 12-year classroom veteran. Fulson was selected from Virginia’s eight Regional Teachers of the Year, who in turn were selected from among candidates nominated by their school divisions. Each then submitted portfolios highlighting their accomplishments, educational philosophies, and community activities. Fulson will now be Virginia’s nominee in the National Teacher of the Year Program, which is coordinated by the Council of Chief State School Officers.l

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | DECEMBER 2021

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Chesapeake’s Fulson Named VA’s 2022 Teacher of the Year

After Election Setback, We Will Not Waver Election Day 2021 was a tough one for VEA, as our hard work to elect pro-public education candidates didn’t yield all the results we had hoped for. We’re disappointed that Terry McAuliffe didn’t gain another term as Governor in a race that was unfortunately tainted by false allegations about the teaching of Critical Race Theory (not taught in K-12 schools) and public schools being “out of control.” We will be working with a new power structure in state government, but our priorities will always remain the same: working for the great public schools our students and educators deserve. As a Virginia educator, you work in one of the highest performing K-12 education systems in the country and you should be justifiably proud. We’ll work tirelessly to continue to make children’s dreams possible. Virginians believe that investing in our public schools and those who work in them will help increase both educational achievement and economic prosperity. As a candidate, Governor-Elect Glenn Youngkin said he’d pass the largest education budget in Virginia history and raise teacher pay. We call on Mr. Youngkin to fulfill this campaign pledge, and to reject a divisive and partisan K-12 education agenda of vouchers and culture wars. I want to reassure you that we remain laser-focused on winning collective bargaining agreements at the local level, which will improve learning conditions

INSIGHT ON INSTRUCTION

MEMBERSHIP MATTERS

How should you respond if you’re called to a meeting with administrators and the session turns accusatory? Or when disciplinary action is in the works? Here are some tips from VEA Legal Services: •

Remain calm and courteous.

•

Ask that a colleague or witness be present.

•

Listen carefully to any accusations, and then ask for time to think before responding.

•

Get help. Call your UniServ Director. Don’t admit guilt or accept any blame. Don’t resign or sign any papers or agreements. Don’t make any verbal agreements. Don’t agree to pay any expenses.

•

Avoid public statements.

•

Don’t discuss the matter with anyone but your UniServ Director or your attorney.

•

Keep copies of all correspondence and papers relating to the situation.

•

Make written records of any conferences with administrators, including names of witnesses and others involved.l

Your Ultimate Lesson Plan: Designing Retirement Benefits

Clearing the

Air

The Virginia Retirement System is making Certified Financial Planners, with MissionSquare Retirement, available to help members make crucial decisions needed to get the most from VRS benefits. MissionSquare is the record-keeper for VRS defined contribution plans. To access their expertise, go to varetire.org/ make-a-plan to register for financial planning webinars, sign up for free one-onone consultations, or request individualized financial plans. All VRS members, including retirees, can take advantage of these services. Participation in a VRS Defined Contribution Plan (DCP) is not required.

How you can ensure the healthy indoor air quality in our school buildings that your students and you deserve.

• Live Financial Planning Webinars. CFPs will help you with topics like spending habits, investing do’s and don’ts, college planning, and making the transition to retirement. • One-on-one Consultations. In 30-minute conversations, which may include a spouse or loved one, discuss items including debt reduction, budgeting, education saving, protecting loved ones, making the most of Social Security benefits, and estate planning. You can also get help in setting up a financial plan if you don’t have a defined contribution account or if your accounts are below the balance threshold. Planning costs are listed below; they’re free if your balance is above the DCP account balance threshold: • Goal-Specific Financial Plan. $175 per financial plan, if your DCP account balance is less than $100,000, or you do not have a DCP account. • Comprehensive Financial Plan. $450 per financial plan, if your DCP account balance is less than $200,000, or you do not have a DCP account. When requesting a financial plan, be sure to have your VRS Member Benefit Profile on hand. To access your annual benefits statement, log in to your myVRS account at myVRS.varetire.org. To stay up to date on the latest VRS news and information, follow Virginia Retirement System on Facebook and subscribe to Member News at varetire.org/ newsletter.l

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | DECEMBER 2021

VEA Lobby Day January 24, 2022 State Capitol

RSVP here: vea.link/lobbydayrsvp

he pandemic has shown us that maintaining a healthy indoor air quality (IAQ) in school buildings is vital to the health of students and staff and needs to be a primary consideration moving forward. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends precautions to reduce the potential for airborne transmission of infectious diseases, including increasing ventilation with outdoor air and air filtration. ASHRAE, formerly the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, frames the problem this way: “Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 [the novel coronavirus] through the air is sufficiently likely that airborne exposure to the virus should be controlled. Changes to building operations, including the operation of heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems, can reduce airborne exposures.” Broadly, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems move air in and out of buildings. Within this framework, HVAC systems can do a combination of things to the indoor air that students and educators breathe to counter airborne disease transmission: exhaust (remove) potentially contaminated air, dilute it

with clean outside air, change the way it flows in and out of indoor spaces, filter or otherwise clean it, and adjust environmental conditions like temperature and humidity. Here are some ways local unions can use their collective power to ensure healthier learning and working conditions, from the National Education Association: Create labor-management solutions. A joint IAQ committee should be in place at both the division and school level, tracking concerns and overseeing solutions. Treat IAQ as an equity issue. Any and all solutions should include examining how racial and social inequities affect air quality issues in your school division. Get school division reports on HVAC systems to establish a baseline. Educators should be able to find out where there are issues and be informed of conditions such as air change rate and humidity. Conduct regular walkthroughs. A monthly walkthrough with Association reps, administrators, and HVAC experts is an excellent idea. Increase outside airflow. Whenever it can be done safely, bringing in outside air dilutes contaminated air and decreases health risks from inhaling sufficient virus to cause illness. Fans can also be used to safely draw in fresh air from open windows and doors. Run HVAC systems earlier and longer than usual. In pandemic conditions, experts recommend running these systems earlier and longer to more effectively remove potentially contaminated air. Ensure that HVAC systems are professionally managed. This is important in achieving health-promoting goals, such as sufficiently frequent air changes, smooth mechanical functioning, maintaining negative pressure ventilation in high-risk areas, and proper filter use and changing.l

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | DECEMBER 2021

Photo, photo illustration and Illustration by iStock

If Trouble is Brewing: Important Advice for Members

INSIGHT ON INSTRUCTION

How Educators Can Stop Bullying on the Spot

DO: •

Intervene immediately. It is OK to get

another adult to help.

•

Separate the kids involved.

•

Make sure everyone is safe.

•

Meet any immediate medical or mental

health needs.

•

Stay calm. Reassure the kids involved,

including bystanders.

•

Model respectful behavior when you

intervene. AVOID THESE COMMON MISTAKES: •

Don’t ignore it. Don’t think kids can work it out without adult help.

•

Don’t immediately try to sort out the facts.

•

Don’t force other kids to say publicly what they saw.

•

Don’t question the children involved in front of other kids.

•

Don’t talk to the kids involved together, only separately.

•

Don’t make the kids involved apologize or patch up relations on the spot.

Source: stopbullying.gov, a website collaboratively created by the U.S. Departments of Education, Justice, and Health and Human Services.l

If so, you… • See cultural differences as assets • Validate the inequities affecting their students’ lives • Cultivate relationships beyond the classroom anchored in affirmation and mutual respect • Believe that ALL students can succeed and communicate high expectations for all their students • Reflect on their beliefs, behaviors, and practices • Challenge racial and cultural stereo types, prejudices, racism, and other forms of injustice • Mediate power imbalances in classrooms based on race, culture, ethnicity, gender, and class.l

From VEA Teaching and Learning

Some Useful Web Tools to Gather Student Feedback The more you know about what your students know and think, the better you’ll be at meeting their needs. Feedback matters—it gives you an opportunity to know how well they’re getting what you’re teaching them and it also gives students a voice in their own education. Polls and surveys are a quick and informal way to gather information to both empower students and enlighten teachers. Use this link to check out a few tools you may want to use to gather feedback and enhance your students’ learning experience: vea.link/webtools 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

‘Discover’ some Free Classroom Daily Activities Because COVID’s Delta variant showed up and made the reopening of school much less normal than anticipated, Discovery Education has decided to make hundreds of its daily activities available free for educators for the rest of this school year. The activities have been created for grades K-2, 3-5, and 6-8 and include a wide range of standards-based instructional supports. To access the activities, visit discoveryeducation.com/info/daily-activities.l

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | DECEMBER 2021

Source: Virginia Department of Education.

An Uphill Battle When professional development is pushed onto teachers through compulsory workshops or advice-giving, it can be a lot like trying to push your car up the hill—a lot of work and not much progress. However, when professional development begins with teachers identifying a goal they really want to meet, the professional developer’s role shifts from directing to supporting and helping teachers achieve what matters deeply to them.l Jim Knight, an associate at the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning who directs Pathways to Success, a district-wide school reform project in Topeka, Kansas.

“The success of today’s excuse for being late depends on whether she believes in time warps.”

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | DECEMBER 2021

Photo and illustration by iStock

When adults respond quickly and consistently to bullying behavior, they send the message that it is not acceptable. Research shows this can stop bullying behavior over time. There are simple steps adults can take to stop bullying on the spot and keep kids safe.

Are You a Culturally Responsive Educator?

FIRST PERSON: NARRATIVES FROM THE CLASSROOM

Let’s Offer the 'Experts' a Day with this Lineup

Photo by iStock

— Courtney Cutright

Phew, that first nine weeks grading period felt like one long year! The first quarter left me feeling more teacher-tired than usual, and I can attribute much of the exhaustion to my last block each day. That class is like playing Whac-a-Mole—every time I resolve one behavior, another pops up and must be dealt with. It’s been particularly interesting to deal with in light of what’s been happening at local school board meetings around our state. More on that later. The co-teacher and I have tried to come up with creative ways to manage this challenging group. For a while, we split in two groups housed in separate classrooms and joined by webcam. The divide-and-conquer tactic did wonders on the undesirable behaviors, but the effort stalled when the co-teacher and I had to be out multiple days with our own sick or quarantined children. These students exacerbated the interruption that naturally occurs when a substitute teacher is present. Let me introduce you to the key players (all given pseudonyms): First, there is Sage, who suffered trauma in childhood. She has an IEP for an emotional disability. Her social skills are lacking, which leads to weak peer relationships. Sage is an advanced reader who can become lost in the novels she reads about enchanted animals. She frequently taps or whistles to irritate her classmates and gain their negative attention. Next, there is Randall, whose mom died following an illness a couple years ago. He transferred to our school when his aunt became his legal guardian. He can be defiant. From the onset, he bucked my classroom procedures. He tries to sit in desks other than his assigned seat. He wears his hoodie in class even though there is a school rule against it. Charla has severe ADHD. When unmedicated, she operVIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | DECEMBER 2021

ates in one of two modes: she either avoids classwork or refuses it altogether. She is constantly out of her seat, very social, and frequently disruptive to the entire class. There is a night-andday difference when she takes medication. A day treatment counselor provides regular support. Kenyon is a chatterbox. He likes to insert himself in everyone else’s business. He is girl-crazy, has zero interest in instruction, and tries to initiate conversations with his buddies across the room whenever there is a quiet moment. Those are the main characters, but there’s also a supporting cast of 17 other students, including some who are English Learners or students with IEPs. Middle school students are notorious for the lack of self-control. They are adolescents. When you toss in the disruptions brought on by the pandemic, many are making even poorer decisions than usual. These kids have not had a normal school year since fifth grade. Many seem stuck there; it is no wonder that most weeks feel like the first day of school on repeat. Students in this block come to my last section of the day wound up and energetic from lunch, PE, or electives. By the time the bell rings to start class, many are watching the clock, counting the minutes until the school day ends. We can never seem to cover the same amount of material or complete the same amount of work as my morning blocks. This class exasperates me daily. Many education leaders have voiced concerns over gaps in instruction from school shutdowns and inequities in virtual learning. Some have introduced initiatives to regain lost learning, but we know the academic concerns are only one facet of the struggle. The pandemic has magnified stressors that come with a career in public education. I think the present state of morale makes it even tougher to digest the social media attacks and misinformed school board rants. Grab some popcorn and get ready for tonight’s feature: “As the School Board Turns,” er, I mean the school board livestream. Local school board meetings of late have taken on the air of a dramatic comedy, but it is not a bit entertaining to see citizens speak at school board meetings and vilify teachers and public education. This wave of criticism is kicking us while we are down. Inflamed speakers want to talk about what is happening in “our schools.” But I wonder what qualifies them to criticize an institution in which they often have no day-to-day connection or direct involvement. If only these aces in education could spend a day in my classroom. I would love to see how they would react to the challenges brought on by students like Sage, Randall, Charla, and Kenyon.l Cutright (courtcut@gmail.com), a member of the Roanoke County Education Association, teaches English at Northside Middle School.

A publication of the Virginia Education Association 116 South Third Street, Richmond VA 23219 veanea.org

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