Virginia Journal of Education: May 2020 by veanea

VIRGINIA JOURNAL of

EDUCATI N The magazine of the Virginia Education Association APRIL/MAY 2020

SIGNS OF THE TIMES

Editor Tom Allen VEA President Jim Livingston VEA Executive Director Dr. Brenda Pike Communications Director John O’Neil Graphic Designer Lisa Sale Editorial Assistant/Advertising Representative Yolanda Morris Contributors Danielle Kinder Jennifer Rokasky Michael Barancewicz Courtney Cutright

COVER STORY

CONTENTS

VEA Takes On COVID-19

Vol. 113, No.5

Copyright © 2020 by the Virginia Education Association 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: Germ-free classrooms, integration good for all, and school counselors.

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 12 Forging Ahead The 2020 General Assembly was historic for public education.

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

15 Safety is Job One Virginia educators share their thoughts on protecting students and staff. 18 ‘Real People—Not Line Items’ What inadequate funding means for some in southwest Virginia.

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. Member: State Education Association Communicators

19 A Dollar a Day How you can save money on energy bills.

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

DEPARTMENTS 20 Membership Matters Fedderman elected VEA President; Bauer, Hickerson will also take office. 24 Insight on Instruction Try a digital detox. 30 First Person ‘I didn’t get to finish and I feel deprived.’ Cover art by Lisa Sale.

“My favorite classes are journalism and archaeology. When I graduate, I want to work for an underground newspaper.”

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

“My dad had the same reaction to my report card.”

School segregation is a root cause of educational inequality. It has been and still is. Positive impacts from school integration can ripple out from individual students to our broader society—and across generations. For all students, regardless of background, integration opens the door to deeper learning and understanding. It’s associated with improved academic achievement for historically marginalized students, as well as higher educational attainment and earnings, better health, and reduced likelihood of incarceration. These benefits for historically disadvantaged groups do not undermine existing advantages for other groups and, over time, strengthen our society by putting the brakes on skyrocketing inequality. Integration creates a more uniformly educated citizenry that has learned to care across lines of difference.l Genevieve Siegel-Hawley, education professor, Virginia Commonwealth University and author, A Single Garment: Creating Intentionally Diverse Schools that Benefit All Children

Shout-Out to Paraprofessionals “No educator in a class by themselves can give all their students the support they need. It takes a team of dedicated professionals. Paraprofessionals are the glue that holds the team together. Our schools could not function without them.” Massachusetts teacher Rami Bridge, writing in a local newspaper.l

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | APRIL/MAY 2020

At age 3, the percentage of what

we know that we will eventually know as an adult, according to Charlie Trautmann, a psychology professor at Cornell University and part of its Early

Childhood Development Project. The Richmond Times-Dispatch also notes that at 3, an average child has a vocabulary of 500-1,000 words, but many children from at-risk homes know only 200 words or less. Early childhood development matters!

The Young and the Phone-Less Several years ago, writer and college faculty member Ron Srigley became concerned about the impact constant cell phone and laptop use was having on his students’ grades, so he offered them extra credit if they’d give up their phones for nine days and write about it. Twelve students took him up on his offer, and here are a few of their comments, both pro and con, afterward: • “Believe it or not, I had to walk up to a stranger and ask what time it was. It honestly took me a lot of guts and confidence to ask someone.” • “Being forced to have [actual relationships with people] made me a better person because each time it happened I learned how to deal with the situation better, other than sticking my face in a phone.” • “Without cell phones, life would be simple and real but we may not be able to cope with the world and our society…One cannot hope to compete efficiently in life without a convenient source of communication.” • “I have to admit, it was pretty nice without the phone all week. I didn’t have to hear it ring or vibrate once and I didn’t feel bad about not answering phone calls because there were none to ignore.” • “It’s almost like the earth stood still and I actually looked around and cared about current events.” • “There is all this potential for conversation, interaction, and learning from one another but we’re too distracted by the screens.” • “Having a cell phone makes me feel secure in a way. So, having that taken away from me changed my life a little. I was scared something serious might happen during the week of not having a cell phone.”l

KEEPING GERMS OUT OF YOUR CLASSROOM Because you’ll need this more than ever when you get back to school, here are some tips on having a germ-free classroom: Wash your hands. Sure, you’ve heard this ad nauseam now, but that’s because it’s such excellent advice. According to the Mayo Clinic, it’s especially important before lunch, after using the bathroom or blowing your nose, and before handling your contact lenses. Use your own pen or pencil. Don’t correct students’ mistake by using their writing implements. Wipe ‘em down. Clean desks, but also door handles, computer keyboards, and classroom sinks and water fountains with disinfectant wipes. Become a partner with your school’s custodian. Build your resistance. Some educators are firm believers in vitamins and supplements to help fight off infections. Popular items include Airborne (invented by a former NEA member), echinacea, vitamin C, and elderberry concentrate. Be an advocate for yourself, your students, and your colleagues. With your local association’s help, you can stand up for policies that promote health, like adequate ventilation, mold removal, and better air quality.l

Photo and illustrations by iStock

Integration is Good for Everyone

Source: Harvard University Graduate School of Education

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | APRIL/MAY 2020

UP FRONT

“I was in class, clicked ‘escape’ and here I am!”

We often invest too much energy threatening students with the consequences of not becoming good readers and not enough enticing them to read for their own purposes and their own pleasure. When teachers tell stories from their own reading lives about books they have read again and again, about books they have abandoned, about books that made them cry, students will wonder if there might be something between those pages for them. Bemoaning the ubiquity of technology is pointless. Devices will become ever more present in our students’ lives. The larger problem is that too many students are choosing not to read. As a result, they are less informed, less articulate, and unfortunately, less understanding of others. Teachers need to help students learn what books, in print or online, can offer them that social media and video games do not. Reading is not simply meant for school; it is a life skill.l Carol Jago, a 30-year classroom teacher and past president of the National Council of Teachers of English

SOURCE: ACLU

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | APRIL/MAY 2020

The Best Kind of Climate Change Strong educator-student relationships are the bedrock of a positive school climate. Some ways to promote that kind of a community: • Smaller school and class sizes. • Looping, where teachers stay with the same students for more than one year. • Advisory classes that provide students with a community and allow teachers to check in with students and parents on a consistent basis.

“My parents are complaining your homework is too hard for them.”

• Staff who practice cultural competence, inviting students’ experiences into the classroom and communicating that all students are valued. • Home visits and regular parent-teacher-student conferences to strengthen connections between school and home. • Opportunities for staff collaboration and leadership that strengthen trust among educators.l

Our Kids Need School Counselors Only Vermont, New Hampshire, and Montana—just three states in the nation—currently meet the American School Counselors Association-suggested ratio of 250 students per counselor. The national average is 455-1. “What we have right now is a system with a narrow perspective on what it means to educate students,” says Gretchen Brion-Meisels, a lecturer at Harvard’s School of Education. “We’re hammering the same nail harder, instead of considering how to open up our approach in a way that fully supports all people. The shortage of counselors is a symptom of that issue.”l

“It says the pen is mightier than the sword. What’s a pen?” VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | APRIL/MAY 2020

Photo and Illustrations by iStock

Selling Books!

COVER STORY

VEA Takes on COVID-19 Members teach online, keep up with students, and help keep communities afloat; Union becomes source of information, resources, and support. By Tom Allen

“

e wanted our students to know that we’re still here for them. They need to know that we haven’t forgotten them, and that we love and miss them,” says Melanie Tinsley, an Amherst Education Association member and reading specialist at Madison Heights Elementary School. “We wanted to spread a little joy.” Tinsley and about 15 carloads of her MHES colleagues accomplished all that during their “Teach-

Kathy Witt

er Parade” not long after Virginia’s public schools closed in March. In one of the earliest such events to be held in the state, the teachers drove, honking and waving, through local neighborhoods and were greeted by students holding

signs and cheering. Every day since those school closures, in an academic year like no other, educators have had to break new ground as we make our way through this COVID-19 pandemic. We’re not only keeping students moving ahead with their learning, but also safe, healthy, reassured, and fed—all while doing everything we can not to catch an insidious coronavirus, too. “The beautiful thing is that we’ve been figuring this out together—as a Union, as colleagues, and as communities,” says VEA President Jim Livingston. “I’ve never been more proud to be an educator.” VEA’S AMAZING MEMBERS STEP UP Our members have been nothing short of phenomenal, though their worlds have been rocked just as much as everyone else’s has. We surveyed you right after Governor Ralph Northam ordered public schools closed and, overwhelmingly, your primary concern was for your students. Here are just a few examples of how you’ve acted on that concern (we could go on for pages): When schools in Buchanan County closed for what was initially

thought to be for two weeks, staff got to work to ensure that students who rely on school breakfast and lunch programs didn’t go hungry. Since then, buses have been leaving school parking

lots at 10 a.m. to make deliveries every day. “This has been a wonderful opportunity for me personally,” says BCEA member and high school principal Kathy Witt. “I have been allowed to see where my students live. It blesses my heart to see kids come out to get their meals. Some of the small children stay on their porches and just wave and yell hello. They get so excited when you speak back to them. Providing food to families who you know depend

on school meals to help feed their children is an awesome thing to be a part of.” Chesterfield Education Association member Paige Conti has created a YouTube channel so she and her students can stay connected and continue learning. Charlottesville Education Association member Ernest Chambers, an elementary physical education and health teacher, has been encouraging his students to be up and moving through dance videos and social media.

Washington County Education Association member Dave Carroll, a music educator at both the middle and high school level, has found a unique way to keep his students singing—and healthy. Every day, beginning shortly after Gov. Northam ordered schools shuttered, he’s filmed himself singing a different song and washing his hands, then posted the videos for his students (and the world) to enjoy. Both the singing and the hand-washing go on for the CDC-recommended 20-30 seconds. He’s not at all worried about running out of tunes. “That’s the easy part,” he says, with a laugh. “I’ve changed genres and done mini-series. I can go on for a long time.” His numbers so far have included everything from “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” to “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift. DeAnna Day, a member of the Amherst Education Association, lives in neighboring Nelson County, a rural environment where internet access isn’t always easy to come by. “My area doesn’t have cell service and I don’t have access to a land line,” she says. “So I have to drive to one of the Amherst schools and sit in the parking lot in order to have internet and get work done.” The school is a 12mile trip, each way. When she gets there, Day, who teaches English as a Second Language, can translate documents and school communications for students and parents. While parked, she’s also making phone and video calls to them through Google Hangouts and collaborating with other teachers through email and Google documents.

Ernest Chambers

Kathy Grant is a preschool teacher and member of the Charlottesville Education Association, and she happened to be out sick the Friday before schools were closed. “We thought we’d be back soon,” she says. “I didn’t get to say goodbye to the kids and they didn’t get to say goodbye to each other. We went from all this learning to nothing, all of a sudden.” She’s doing everything she can to turn that “nothing” into something very meaningful by delivering activity bags to the homes of each of her 16 students, and is also sending a daily email to keep families in the loop. Andy Brower of the Richmond Education Association has been sending regular postcards to his first-graders, calling each of them weekly, and one week sent them a copy of Andy Brower the class photo. “I’m reaching out because I know many families in the Richmond community struggle with adversity,” he says. “Many of our students have single parents or other guardians who struggle to cope with job, food and financial security. Though many of these adults are loving providers, their emotional safety net is very thin. I worry about the mental health and safety of our students and their families during this time. I’m also anxious because in first grade many of the students are really starting to read with some fluency and gaining some number sense in the third marking period and that is now disrupted.”

Staying Connected, Prepping for What’s Ahead

Carlos Castro, a robotics teacher and Prince William Education Association member, put his 3-D printer to work to create masks and face shields for local first responders. You can see him featured on a Washington, D.C. television station here: https://vea. link/castro. YOUR UNION, YOUR SOURCE Answers to frequently asked questions, a webinar on self-care, and a plethora of resources—the VEA has been keeping it coming for our members as we all negotiate a time no one was fully prepared for. The FAQs cover a wide gamut of topics, including what educators are supposed to be doing now, how special education is affected, how teacher licensure is being handled, how lost time will be made up, where to find information on the coronavirus, and even if educators can still plan on their paychecks. The FAQs are part of VEA’s website coverage of COVID-19 and our schools, which you can find at veanea.org/covid19. There, you’ll also find guidance on how to properly handle online instruction and communications with students; benefits and assistance available to Union members; a rundown of things you’ll need to know during school closures; and ways to stay connected professionally. VEA President Livingston has also been updating members on new information and offering his insights in twice-weekly Facebook Live presentations. They’re broadcast each Monday and Thursday afternoons at 3 and are also available for viewing later on VEA’s Facebook page, facebook. com/virginiaeducationassociation. So far, Livingston has also been joined by guests including Washington County member Dave Carroll; Kathy Burcher, VEA’s Director of Govern-

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | APRIL/MAY 2020

Amherst’s Deanna Day (clockwise from upper left), Washington County’s Dave Carroll, and Charlottesville’s Kathy Grant.

ment Relations and Research; Naila Holmes, VEA’s Director of Human and Civil Rights; UniServ Director Doris Boitnott; VEA’s Senior Staff Attorney Dena Rosenkrantz; and VEA Teaching & Learning Specialist Melinda Bright. VEA staff members are also in daily contact with the governor’s office, the Virginia Department of Education, and other state agencies as decisions about how to manage public education going forward are made. Across the state, local leadership has stepped up ensure members are informed and protected, too. In Montgomery County, Erin Bull reports that MCEA’s executive committee has met several times with the division’s superintendent by video conference: “We had some questions about the budget, teacher evaluations, and changes since we are teaching online, and also questions regarding hourly employees. Matthew Fentress, our local president, has had very open communication sharing the concerns of educators and parents.”

Riley O’Casey, president of the Prince William Education Association, has also been in regular touch with her school division’s leadership. “Because of our advocacy, our subs and temps will get paid and principals have been told to stop making special education teachers work,” she says. VEA’s field staff has been there for members, too. “One of the strengths of the VEA has always been our ability to connect,” says Doris Boitnott, UniServ Director covering southwest Virginia. She and her fellow UDs had a shared document so they’d be in touch with what was happening around the state and what was being decided in Richmond.

“I was monitoring, along with my local leaders, 11 school divisions all doing similar but different things,” says Boitnott, who’s been on VEA’s staff since 1989. “And we’re still covering meetings with leaders, reps, superintendents, school boards, and local governing bodies, only by computer or phone now. I had been working with one of my localities regarding their local school board/city council elections in May, planning to engage our member voters by phone to vote absentee. And we’re still promoting membership and member benefits, and member rights advocacy continues—it’s just in a different way.”l Allen is editor of the Virginia Journal of Education. Shenandoah County Education Association members Nick Rhoades (from left), Dia Linn McCarter, Jeff Rudy, and Kristy Shrader were part of an SCEA team that stepped up to deliver meals to families who couldn’t pick them up at school.

If you’re on Facebook, check out the NEA Educators Navigating COVID-19 Together group. At press time, it had over 215,000 members sharing information, exchanging advice, and supporting each other. In addition, The NEA Foundation can help you get geared up for your students’ return through its COVID-19 Rapid Response Grants. This summer, and when you’re together again, you and your students will face new challenges. The Foundation will be awarding grants of $1,500 to $5,000 to help you meet them. To learn more, and apply for one, visit www.neafoundation.org.l

Sad News At press time, we knew of two VEA member lost to COVID-19. Angela Jackson, a custodian in the Alexandria City Public Schools, passed away April 13 from complications of the virus. She had continued to work until April 1, helping maintain and disinfect school buildings so that services could continue. Raymond Anderson, a bus driver and mechanic, died April 17 from COVID-related health issues. He worked at the Greensville County Bus Garage for 33 years. “These educators put their lives on the line for students,” says VEA President Jim Livingston, “and we mourn their loss. We will honor their courage and commitment by continuing to fight for our students and continuing to make the health and safety of our educators and young people our top priority.”l

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | APRIL/MAY 2020

FEATURE STORY

Forging Ahead THE 2020 LEGISLATIVE SESSION WAS HISTORIC FOR SCHOOLS, EDUCATORS. By Tom Allen

hile COVID-19 has wreaked havoc with life in general and Virginia’s economy in particular, the 2020 General Assembly will still go down as a historically successful one for public schools, students, and VEA members. We’ll remember 2020, perhaps first and foremost, for the return of collective bargaining to Virginia’s educators after more than 40 years of being unable to negotiate contracts with our school divisions. Virginia’s Supreme Court banned the practice in a 1977 decision. “In nearly every other professional

environment, employees have the right to negotiate working conditions with employers,” says VEA President Jim Livingston, “but until this year, Virginia was one of only three states in the country that didn’t allow public employees to do this. Before the Virginia Supreme Court decision, onethird of all our teachers were working in a school division with a bargained contract.” Far more than just a way to ensure better pay and benefits for educators who sorely need them, bargaining is also for the good of all. As educators negotiate their working

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | APRIL/MAY 2020

conditions, they’re also negotiating the learning conditions for students. Collective bargaining has been used across the country to address issues like class size; gaining additional reading, art, and music teachers; setting school calendars; instituting fairer discipline policies; and much more. “Simply put,” says Livingston, “the right to negotiate gives us the leverage we need to get our kids the resources they need.” Unfortunately, due to the still-to-be-estimated economic impact of the coronavirus, Governor Northam postponed the implementation of the

new collective bargaining law until next May. While that’s not ideal, it does give VEA’s local associations time to get ready. Under the new law, local school boards must pass resolutions agreeing to bargaining and setting out processes for negotiations. “The time to start the negotiating process is now,” says Livingston. “The most important thing is for local school boards to pass those resolutions. The wording of those resolutions will define many of the details for how negotiations will move forward. And boards aren’t likely to pass those resolutions unless our local associations work diligently with them to do it. We need to make sure they understand that our expertise will improve their oversight of our classrooms. So, we have our marching orders.” VEA locals will need to work on growing their memberships and their ability to influence local communities (including elected officials) to gain a contract. While gaining the right to negotiate contracts was a huge win, it was far from the only success racked up for educators in this year’s General Assembly session. VEA members, lobbyists, and staff all worked closely with legislators who understand and support public education, and here’s some of what else we accomplished: • The probationary period for new teachers is now back to three years. No longer can a local school board force a teacher to be on probationary status for up to five years, nor can it automatically dismiss a teacher whose performance evaluation during probationary status was unsatisfactory. • Teachers can no longer be

fired for one unsatisfactory performance evaluation. One less-than-outstanding evaluation is no longer enough for a teacher to lose his/her job. • A three-person panel option is back in teacher grievances. Before this change, a school board could appoint a hearing officer or oversee a grievance hearing itself. Now there can, once again, be a more impartial panel made up of one person selected by the teacher, one selected by the

superintendent, and a third, impartial person selected by the other two panel members who will serve as panel chair. Together, the previous three bills undo damage done by legislators in 2013, who had been convinced that it was far too difficult to get rid of teachers and that there were far too many that needed to be dismissed. Reversing these changes had bipartisan support in this session. • Principals now have some discretion in what school behaviors must be reported to law enforcement. Before this legislative session, principals had to let law enforcement know about certain listed offenses that could be seen as misdemeanors, which many felt got

students unnecessarily started down the school-to-prison pipeline. Now, principals can use their experience and expertise to decide what needs to be reported, though all serious incidents will still be made known to authorities. Also, school leaders must still inform parents of all incidents directed toward their children, thereby bringing families into deciding how to proceed. • The minimum wage will begin to rise. Well, it will, but not as quickly as first anticipated. It was set to go from the current $7.25 (which it’s been since 2009) to $9 on July 1, 2020; to $11 on July 1, 2021; to $13 on July 1, 2022; and to $15 on July 1, 2023, unless a higher figure is required by the federal government by then. Now, because of COVID’s impact, it too has had its implementation pushed back until 2021. VEA worked with the Raise the Wage coalition on this, as many education support professionals currently work for less than $15 an hour. • Teacher reprimand law was clarified. Last year, VEA helped pass a bill that would provide the possibility of a written reprimand instead of the loss of a teaching license in breach of contract cases. However, the Attorney General ruled that the way the bill was drafted, the Virginia Board of Education could only issue a reprimand in test irregularity cases. The new language offers three options in licensure cases: a written reprimand, the suspension of a license, or the revocation of the license. Significant improvements were made to education funding, too,

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | APRIL/MAY 2020

Photos by Lisa Sale

FEATURE STORY

STORY TheFEATURE Virginia Public Education CoalitionTheThe

but items such as teacher salary increases, more guidance counselors, aid to rural schools, and more services for at-risk students are on

hold because of the coronavirus’s hit on the economy. The Governor will almost certainly call the General Assembly back for a Special Session once the state is able to make revenue forecasts that accurately reflect COVID-19’s costs. There’s no question that state funding will feel the pinch of the coronavirus

across the board, but Livingston believes that it’s past time for the children and educators of Virginia to be a top priority for budget decision-makers. “I’m tired of education being ‘a’ priority,” he says. “We expect K-12 to be ‘the’ priority when this crisis is over. We understand where we are and we know what’s at stake, but when the economy recovers in Virginia our children must be first in line. Public education has been put on the back burner for far too long.”l Allen is editor of the Virginia Journal of Education.

Guzman, Boysko Lead List of Education-Supporting Legislators Honored by VEA

Virginia educators share their thoughts on protecting students and staff.

The kind of progress public education made in the 2020 General Assembly would not have been possible without the steadfast support of key tive Awards as a small token of our gratitude.

In recognition of their leadership in the historic movement to help public employees to regain the right to negotiate contracts with their

employers, Delegate Elizabeth Guzman and Senator Jennifer Boysko have been named VEA’s 2020 Legislators of the Year.

Their efforts helped lead to the most important piece of worker’s legislation passed in Virginia in a generation. Now, public school em-

ployees are no longer prohibited from sitting down with their local school division and using the collective bargaining process to get the best learning conditions for students and working conditions for educators.

“Delegate Guzman and Senator Boysko helped make history in Virginia,” says VEA President Jim Livingston. “We’re extremely grateful to both

of them for helping make a huge step forward for our schools happen this year.” The VEA also honored Delegate Martha Mugler as the 2020 Legislative Rookie of the Year, in honor of her leadership in standing up for

improved salaries for Virginia’s public school teachers. Her House Bill 233 would have required that our teachers be paid at or above the national average salary for teachers by 2025. Mugler also introduced budget amendments providing teachers with a 4.8 percent raise in both years of the biennium.

“While Delegate Mugler’s bill was defeated in the House Appropriations Committee and her amendments weren’t included in the budget,

we believe both were an important victory in the battle to address a long-time problem, and one that Virginia must address,” says Livingston. “We look forward to working with her in the years ahead.”

Six Senators and four Delegates also earned Legislative Champion Awards for their support of public education initiatives in this year’s

General Assembly session. They are: • • • • •

Senator John Bell Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy Senator Ben Chafin Senator Barbara Favola Delegate Terry Kilgore

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• • • • •

Senator Mamie Locke Senator Jennifer McClellan Delegate Mike Mullin Delegate Israel O’Quinn Senator Todd Pillion

othing is more important at school than ensuring the safety of our students and staff. We’ve all seen the headlines, and we all know that terrible things have happened. Plenty of people, some of them with lots of experience and expertise, have ideas on how best to protect our schools. When we think of experience and expertise, we think of our members. You’re in school every day, so we wanted to hear some of your thoughts about safety there. Here’s what some of you had to say (and we welcome your continuing thoughts): EYES AND EARS OPEN All of us should work to be cognizant of our surroundings and if we sense something is wrong, say something.

Our motto at Loudoun County Public Schools is “If you see something, say something.” You never know what a small bit of information may lead to! Staff and students can do their due diligence in keeping a safe school by following these rules: Never prop open an exterior school door, even for a moment. If you must load or unload items, have someone help by holding the door open and then making sure it closes. • Never let anyone into the school without them being properly vetted. In other words, have them enter and exit the school through a single entrance where their identity can be verified, their purpose for being at the school recorded, and their ac-

tions monitored. • Immediately report to your school’s security team any unattended items left near entrances or where students and staff may congregate. • Report any activity you feel even might be suspicious. This may be a conversation, someone’s actions, or a suspicious vehicle. Report anything that may strike you as unsavory immediately. • Finally, if your school doesn’t have a police or security officer, form a security team with properly vetted individuals and get training so you may know what to look for and how to safely and properly respond without dire consequences. Your

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Photo page 14 by Lisa Sale, graphic Reilly Bradshaw, photo illustration page 15 iStock

legislators who understand the critical role played by both our schools and our educators. So, VEA singled out several of them in the 2020 Legisla-

FEATURE STORY

Mitch Cunningham, safety and security technician, Loudoun Education Association SAFETY STARTS WITH US I believe an important part of ensuring safety for students and educators starts in the classroom. Having educators willing to model critical skills like respect and responsibility, including what it means to responsible for your own actions, is necessary. These are skills that extend into the real world for the students. I do not believe the construction of the building is the only thing that can help students and educators be safe, because then we are ignoring concerns happening inside our own concrete walls. The school community needs to operate like a family; everyone involved needs to understand that family disagrees, and responding to those disagreements is what it’s all about.

the majority of the school shootings that have happened, fewer, if any, lives would have been lost had there been armed security present. The presence of Sheriff’s deputies has a calming effect on students, as well as visitors and educators. It brings a peace of mind, knowing that if there is an event, there is immediate contact with law enforcement. Linda Powell, former school bus driver, Stafford Education Association CAREFUL CONSISTENCY I believe we should have consistent safety procedures. Here in Montgomery County, our schools use a buzz-in system at the main entrance, but some schools ask the purpose of the visit and others just buzz you in. Robbie Jones, head custodian, Montgomery County Education Association

Shaniqua Williams, school counselor, Frederick County Education Association LAW ENFORCEMENT ON SITE IS A MUST Our team has been discussing this and we think the number one improvement for safety in our schools would be to have an armed, certified SSO (School Security Officer) and/or SRO (School Resource Officer) in every school. SROs in our district are deputies who are direct employees of the Sheriff’s Department. Armed security is an absolute must in every school. In

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DON’T ASSUME YOU’RE SAFE After being physically assaulted my view on safety changed. I had always assumed I was safe in my place of work. Nobody spoke about being assaulted physically or verbally. After my assault, I spoke with my colleagues and many told me how they too had been physically and verbally assaulted in their years of teaching. I was astonished nobody had told me this before. Even in the doctor’s office I met another teacher who had been assaulted and was being treated for their injuries. We shared stories and realized both of our incidents could have been prevented if safety improvements were made sooner. The first step to making our schools safer is encouraging and facilitating open and frequent discussions between all staff members about safety. Every school has areas where security can be improved. These areas vary from school to school. Whether it’s acknowledging (and hopefully advocating for) large improvements to infrastructure that would improve safety or implementing suggested rules, any improvement to safety begins with acknowledgement of a problem, discussion to determine a solution, and implementation of a strategy. After the strategy is implemented. staff should all have a chance to give feedback about how it did or didn’t help and where to go next. Safety should be a topic discussed at every opportunity possible and never an overlooked or taboo subject. Suggestions for and about improvements should be made freely between all staff members.

‘HEADS-UP,’ DOORS, PHONES: SOME OF THE STEPS WE’RE TAKING Virginia communities are taking steps to support safety in their schools. Here are just a few examples: • In Winchester, if a police officer is called to a traumatic event at the home of a student, the officer can now send a “heads-up” message to school officials consisting of the child’s name and the phrase “Handle with care.” The message is sent to three school administrators, who decide who else to share it with, and does not require the knowledge or consent of the student or family. No details of the incident that required police presence are shared in the message. Winchester teachers have been trained in trauma-informed care for students. • Amherst County Public Schools is replacing every classroom door in five of its oldest buildings. The old ones were too easy to break a pane of glass and open from the inside. New ones are designed to be more difficult to break down and are also fire-rated, and every teacher will have an individual key to his or her classroom. • Other precautions being taken by school divisions around the state include classroom telephones, anonymous tip lines to report safety concerns, additional security cameras, and more safety training, both for students and staff.l Educators and students face risks every day and safety shouldn’t be assumed. Kathleen Murray, middle school chorus teacher, Education Association of Norfolk PRIORITIZE AWARENESS School safety is a complex issue. While the importance of instituting precautions has become increasingly evident, it is equally important not to overstate or overemphasize potential threats. Creating a safe environment for students, faculty, and staff is paramount. The latter requires open communication as well as forthright discussion amongst all

constituent groups, including parents and the school community atlarge. It is imperative that everyone be made aware of the safety and security plans that are in place on individual school campuses. School staff and faculty must be adequately trained to recognize as well as respond to inherent risk while being kept aware of the school’s response plan in the event of an emergency. Megan Link, librarian, Prince William Education Association. WE NEED MORE MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES! Student mental health is a real issue. I know Virginia has made strides

to add school counselors but it’s still not enough. Here in Southwest Virginia, the opioid epidemic has destroyed so many families. Our localities and school systems are doing the best they can to fund our schools, already spending more than the Standards of Quality require. We don’t have the money to hire more school psychologists or social workers to help our students in their struggles. I totally believe we must be reaching our students with Maslow’s basic needs before we can move them up the pyramid.l Vickie Kitts, business teacher, Russell County

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | APRIL/MAY 2020

Photos by iStock

local police should be able to help. Just reach out and ask!

FEATURE STORY

‘Real People— not Line Items’ What inadequate funding means for some in southwest Virginia.

Danielle Kinder, vice president of the Russell County Education Association, gave these heartfelt remarks during a budget hearing in her school division in February: I come from a family of Russell County teachers. My mother has had a long career here, and some of my most vivid memories as a child are watching her grade papers at the kitchen table and decorate her classroom each summer. Despite her obvious love and dedication to her job, she always told my sister and I, “Please, never become teachers.” So, of course, that’s what we did. My sister teaches at Lebanon Elementary. She was teacher of the year last year, something my family and I could not be prouder of. She was simply made to be a teacher. Meanwhile, I’ve had the great honor to work down the hall from my mother at Lebanon High. We’re all distraught that she’s retiring this year. This is all to say that my family has devoted our lives to serving the children of Russell County despite the fact that the county very rarely serves us back. My

mother gets to look forward to a rather pitiful retirement because she received only a handful of step raises during her years of service. Because of the years without step raises, my hiring salary was only around $2000 less than my sister, who had been working for RCPS for almost 10 years. Each year, I see job postings from Washington County and, like so many, I’ve asked, “Is this the year I choose to place my family’s interests over the interest of the children of Russell County? Will this be the year I leave the school I graduated from, turn my back on my community, and make $5000 more a year?” And each year, I think no, maybe next year. Maybe things will get better. But my family’s story is an all too familiar one for RCPS employees. I teach next to a man who was my neighbor growing up. He has a master’s degree— and a second job working at Walmart. He told me he can’t buy a house. He always wanted to teach, and he thought he’d at least be able to afford a modest mortgage. He’s a brilliant teacher, but I know he won’t be at LHS long. They never are. You aren’t losing good teachers— you’re losing your best teachers. I’ve watched countless veteran teachers walk out the door. Last year alone, our school lost six teachers, and none of them left because they were retiring. When planning for retirement, a $10,000 raise

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outweighs loyalty every time. Most of the teachers we lost were replaced by people working under a provisional license. They come in at the beginning of the year, rightfully terrified. We try to support them the best we can, hoping that maybe they’ll figure it out and stay. One of our custodians is struggling with medical bills after breast cancer treatment. She had to take leave without pay to get chemotherapy because we no longer have leave-sharing. My co-teacher is a widow and sole provider for her family. When her insurance doubled, she sat in my room and told me she didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what to say. The kitchen manager at my school makes $17,000 a year, to manage billing, ordering, personnel, and food prep for a kitchen that feeds a whole high school of hungry teenagers twice a day. Still, when she finds out it’s a kid’s birthday, she takes the time to blow a horn for all the kitchen staff to come out and sing. There are just so many stories. And that’s why I’m here today—to remind you that real people are affected by the decisions you make. As you all review the budget this year, I want to remind you that these people are more than line items. I’m also here because I’m worried about the future of the schools in the community I love and serve. As we continue to fall behind other counties, how will we ever keep the educators we need? How will we continue to provide quality education? Every day, I stand in front of the watchful eyes of those students. When they see me grading papers at my desk or putting the finishing touches on my bulletin board, some of them, sometimes, feel a little spark inside of them. Some will tell me, “Hey, Mrs. Kinder, I really think I might want to be a teacher one day.” When that happens, what do I say? “Don’t be a teacher”?l

FEATURE STORY

A Dollar a Day How you can save money on energy bills. By Jennifer Rokasky and Michael Barancewicz

e use electricity every day without even thinking about it. Like oxygen and gravity, we depend on it. What’s different, however, about electricity is that we use it now and pay for it later. Every month we get a bill for what we used, whether we meant to use that much or not! Our school systems (Loudoun and Prince William) have a partnership with Cenergistic, a company that helps find hidden energy savings, and we work together to reduce energy costs. As energy managers, we are constantly looking to improve efficiency or conserve energy. So, we’d like to share some ideas we hope you can use at home to save both energy and money. A lot of this may sound familiar to you and you may wonder if it really works. We’re here to tell you it does and will add up to monthly savings. • Use your thermostat wisely. Most of our savings at school comes through smart use of our heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system, or HVAC, and most of the schools in our counties are controlled through a building automation system. At home, set your thermostat higher in cooling season, or lower in heating season when you’re not at home. If you can, purchase a programmable thermostat, so when you come home after a long day, your space is set to a comfortable temperature. • Turn out the lights! If you’re at work, when you leave your classroom or office, turn off the lights, even if you think you’ll be gone

for a few minutes. You don’t have to rely on those motion sensors, either; just turn off the switch. The same is true at home. Leaving a room? Turn off the lights; the savings will add up! Also, if you have any of those old incandescent light bulbs, swap them out for an LED light bulb. The price on those bulbs has come down, and the savings are significant. • Turn off electronic devices not in use. One of the things we look for when we do our school audits is to see if something like a computer or interactive board is left on. If you’re at home and not using a device, like your computer or TV, turn it off. Remove screen savers, activate sleep mode, unplug appliances or plug them into a smart power-strip and power it off when not in use. • Listen to Jennifer’s father. When Jennifer was a young girl, her dad would always yell, “Why are you heating the outside?!” if she left the door open. The same applies to you in your home. If you’re running your HVAC, why have the window open? If it’s a nice day and you want to open the windows, make sure the HVAC

is off so you’re not heating or cooling the outside air. Also, how old are your windows and doors? If you have some money saved, consider purchasing new and energy-efficient windows or doors. • Insulate! If you have an attic, how much insulation do you have? Most homes are under-insulated, which means conditioned air may be leaking out of your house. A simple thing you

can do is use a tape measure to see how deep the insulation is. Check energystar.gov for more information on how you can improve your insulation. • If it’s ENERGY STAR rated, it will use less energy than a comparable model. Look for the label when buying appliances and equipment.l

Rokasky, a Prince William Education Association member, is an energy education coordinator. Barancewicz, CEM, is a Loudoun Education Association member and an energy manager.

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MEMBERSHIP MATTERS

One of the reasons Quincy Green came to VEA’s fourth annual Teachers of Color Conference was to listen to some of the stories told by his fellow African-American educators. “We need to hear the struggles each of us went through to get where we are,” says Green, a Fairfax Education Association member and a special education government teacher. “It was good to hear from not only teachers, but principals and superintendents, too, and understand their journeys.” Rodney Jordan, an assistant principal in Fairfax County, shared his life story during one of the conference sessions. He was raised in a two-bedroom duplex, along with nine other children, and failed seventh, eighth, and ninth grades. He still managed to graduate from Norfolk State University and later earned a master’s degree from George Mason University before going on to win awards for his teaching. Stories like that inspired the nearly 200 educators at February’s conference, held at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. “I felt valued,” says Green. “As a minority special education teacher, it’s good to know that I’m in demand. It’s empowering.” Virginia needs many more educators of color, like Green and Jordan, and VEA’s conference brought together educators with potential solutions. Our state’s public school populations are quickly becoming a majority of minority students, but our teaching corps is almost 80 percent white. Making the process of diversifying the state’s teachers more difficult is the fact that college stuEducators at VEA’s conference worked through an activity-packed Saturday dents entering teacher preparation programs in Virginia in Richmond talking about how to strengthen our minority teaching has dropped 40 percent in the last decade. population, listening to one another’s stories, and networking. “I’m very concerned about the lack of teachers of color in our classrooms,” says Mary Smith, a VEA-Retired member and former high school English teacher in Petersburg. “I want to find ways to encourage young minorities, especially young men, and support them and help them get the kind of real-life experiences they need.” Conference attendees attended sessions on topics including equity for school staff members, barriers for minorities entering teaching, professional advancement, factors in teacher retention, and supporting educators of color. They also heard from a range of speakers, among them Andrew Daire, dean of VCU’s School of Education; Maria Pitre-Martin, superintendent of Petersburg Public Schools; and Janice Underwood, a former VEA member who now serves as the Commonwealth of Virginia’s first Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Green came away motivated to work on the issue of our less-than-diverse teaching population. “It’s no longer enough just to know about the problem,” he says. “I need to do something. I need to get heavily involved."l

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | APRIL/MAY 2020

KUD

Fedderman Elected to Lead VEA; First African American Male to Lead Association

Bauer, Hickerson will also take office

Harrisonburg’s Kibler Chosen for Virginia HS Hall of Fame Harrisonburg Education Association member Valerie Kibler, who teaches journalism at Harrisonburg High School, will be inducted in the Virginia High School Hall of Fame in honor of her more than 30 years of classroom excellence.

Her previous accolades include being

named the 1999 Richmond Times-Dispatch Journalism Teacher of the Year, 2005 Harrisonburg Teacher of the Year, 2010 Southern

Dr. James Fedderman

Carol Bauer

Kevin Hickerson

Dr. James Fedderman, a choral music teacher in Accomack County and VEA’s current vice president, has been elected VEA President, becoming the first African American male in VEA’s 150-plus year history to serve in that office. He’ll begin a two-year term August 1. “It’s long overdue,” Fedderman says of his groundbreaking election, “and a testament to the progress we’ve made as a Union and to our acknowledgement of the importance of relevant, meaningful leadership. I’m very proud to have been chosen for this position.” Fedderman will assume office as COVID-19 has created unprecedented changes in public education. “In uncertain times, educators remain the preservers of democracy and the creators of all other professions,” he says. “I will work tirelessly to ensure that we move forward and to empower every one of our members with a voice and a platform.” Fedderman has made the smooth implementation of collective bargaining one of his top priorities. “Negotiating contracts with local school divisions is one of our best ways to advocate for children and for public education,” he said. “Educators deserve a seat at the table when public education policy is made.” Since the merger of the VEA and the historically black Virginia Teachers Association in 1967, VEA has had three African American women elected to the presidency, but Fedderman is the first black man elected as either vice president or president. VEA members also elected a new vice president and a new representative on the National Education Association’s Board of Directors. Carol Bauer, a fourth grade teacher from York County is the new vice president and Kevin Hickerson, a high school special education teacher from Fairfax, will represent VEA members on the NEA Board. Bauer is a past president of the York Education Association and a former member of both the VEA and NEA Boards of Directors. In addition, she serves as chair of the NEA Read Across America committee. Hickerson is a past president of the Fairfax Education Association, current member of the VEA Board, and serves as the Eastern Region Director of the National Council of Urban Education Associations.l

Interscholastic Press Association Distinguished Adviser Award, 2010 Dow Jones News Fund National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year, and the 2014 Journalism Education Association Medal of Merit.

Matthew VanCleef, a member of the

Loudoun Education Association and a special education teacher at Farmwell Station Middle School, has been named the county’s Secondary New Teacher of the Year.

Halifax Education Association member

Jocelyn Forest, who teaches business and information technology at Halifax County High School, has been appointed to the Virginia STEM Education Commission, a group created by Gov. Ralph Northam to study science, technology, engineering and math education in Virginia. Also serving on the commission are VEA members Atif Qarni, Virginia’s Secretary of Education; Jared Cotton, Chesapeake superintendent; and David Jeck, Fauquier superintendent.

Erin Merrill, a member of the Prince

William Education Association and a civics teacher at Pennington Traditional School, has been named the Teacher of the Year by the Virginia Middle School Association.

Lisa Robertson, a Winchester Education

Photos page 20 by Lisa Sale

Educators at VEA Conference Target Solutions to Shortage of Teachers of Color

Association member and reading specialist at Virginia Avenue Charlotte DeHart Elementary School, has been named the city’s 2020 Teacher of the Year. She’s taught for 22 years, 16 at VACDES.l

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | APRIL/MAY 2020

MEMBERSHIP MATTERS

Everyone has their own unique personality—did you know you also have a money personality? As a member of the Virginia Retirement System, you can find out why you make money decisions the way you do and better understand your spending habits by taking a free online assessment through myVRS Financial Wellness. Simply log into your myVRS account at myVRS.varetire.org, click myVRS Financial Wellness and then look for Your Money Personality under Tools. In addition to the personality quiz, you’ll see other resources offered through myVRS Financial Wellness, including the Student Loan Snapshot, which enables you to track all of your student loans and compare repayment options. There are also recently-added interactive mini-courses on assessing your insurance needs and buying or leasing a car. These courses take less than an hour to complete and feature videos, exercises, quizzes, and action plans personalized for your needs.l

Don’t Miss VEA’s First Digital Summer Leadership Training!

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

VEA: Your Source for COVID News

Park, Van Der Hyde, Carter, Hickey Join VEA Staff

Attention VEA-Retired Members

Paper delivery of the VEA-R newsletter, Connections, is being phased out. To ensure that you continue to receive it electronically, please make sure we have your current email address. Send those addresses to us at vearetired@veanea.org.l

Moss, Officials Celebrate ‘Read Across America’ in Richmond

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | APRIL/MAY 2020

Todd Park, who has been serving as interim director of the VEA’s Department of Organizing and Field Support since February, has now joined the Association in that position full-time. Before coming to VEA, he served in multiple capacities with the Pennsylvania State Education Association, including as a staff attorney, overseeing PSEA’s field-based attorneys, managing internal and external communications, and, most recently, as Assistant Executive Director for Human Resources. Tiffany Van Der Hyde has joined VEA’s headquarters staff as our new Political Coordinator and Government Relations Specialist. She brings extensive experience in working with government and in program management, having been with both political and nonprofit organizations, and is also a graduate of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia. Dorothy Carter has rejoined VEA and is now the UniServ Director for the Commonwealth UniServ Unit, based in Roanoke. She’s a former member of the VEA Board of Directors, District president, and president of the Henry County Education Association. A high school English teacher, she also served a stint in 2018 as VEA’s Piedmont UniServ Director. Tim Hickey has begun work at VEA’s new UniServ Director in the CenVaServ office in Lynchburg. An attorney, high school math and social studies teacher, and, most recently, the Gifted Coordinator/ Coordinator of Innovative Programs for Greene County Public Schools, he’s also a National Board Certified Teacher.l

In the confusion and anxiety that came with COVID-19, what educators needed most was information. Not rumors and misinformation, but facts and direction. We’re educators—we traffic in knowledge. So, solid information for all has been a top priority for us. We hope and trust that you’ve come to see VEA as your go-to source for the scoop on schools and the coronavirus. We began the extensive resources page on our website (veanea.org/ covid19) by building a list of frequently asked questions, on topics ranging all the way from the impact on special education to whether you can still expect to see a paycheck. We continue to update, add, and subtract from that list. You’ll also find guidance there on teaching and communicating with students in the cyber world, self-care for educators, benefits and help you’re entitled to as a member, and tips for staying connected with your colleagues. We’ve been holding twice-weekly Facebook Live presentations to keep everyone informed, offer new developments, and let you hear from both VEA staff and members as we all navigate

our way through new territory. VEA is always ready to hear from you, too. Through our website, you can submit questions, make suggestions, and submit stories about what’s going in your school and community. I wholeheartedly encourage local leaders to make similar efforts to stay in touch with members. Some of you

“You have to believe,” Princess Moss told the class of fourth-graders at Richmond’s Overby-Sheppard Elementary School on Read Across America Day. Moss, the NEA Secretary-Treasurer and former VEA president, had just finished reading them a book about pursuing your dreams called I’m Gonna Push Right Through. “The bottom line is no matter what you do, where you go, or what you face,” Moss told the youngsters, “always tell yourself, ‘I will push through.’” Overby-Sheppard was alive with activity on the morning of March 2, the 22nd annual observance of NEA’s Read Across America. Guest readers, including Virginia First Lady Pam Northam, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, Richmond Superintendent Jason Kamras, first responders, and community volunteers, kept classrooms buzzing. “This is a big day because it promotes reading for everybody,” said Megan Saunders, the school’s lead fifth grade teacher and a Richmond Education Association member. “The kids get to see adults from a lot of different backgrounds talking about their commitment to literacy and how reading can bring us all together.” NEA estimates that some 45 million students, parents, and educators nationwide took part of Read Across America activities this year.l

are already holding Facebook Live programs, sending emails, making phone calls, and finding other ways to do so. There’s never been a better time for our Union network to be buzzing. It’s all part of the expanded communications we’ve invested in during this unprecedented pandemic. You need to know what’s happening and what to expect, and to the best of our abilities, we’ll supply that information to you. You can count on your Union.l

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | APRIL/MAY 2020

Illustrations by iStock, photo page 23 by Lisa Sale, graphic page 22 by Reilly Bradshaw

What’s Your ‘Money Personality’?

INSIGHT ON INSTRUCTION

A digital detox can help clear your mind and reset your priorities.

e’re on our gadgets and screens a lot. A lot. And our students are on them probably even more than we are. Maybe it’s time for a conversation, both among educators and among educators and their students, about all the time we’re spending online and what effect it might be having on us. Research points to increased anxiety, distraction, and loneliness among heavy social media users. A break, some kind of a digital detox, may be in order to clear your mind and reset your priorities. Here are some tips, adapted from NEA, if you’d like to consider some form of a detox: Spring for an alarm clock. Many of us have become used to sleeping with our phones nearby, sometimes literally in our hands, and we use its built-in alarm. If you want the phone nearby for safety purposes, try keeping it in “do not disturb” mode. Give yourself time in the morning to get organized and start the day at your own pace. You don’t have to see the latest text, tweet, or post right away. Launch an “app attack.” If you haven’t used an app lately, delete it. Not only will it simplify your life, it will also make your device work faster and better. If you discover later that you really need it, you can always re-install it. Notifications? Nope. Noisy notifications can become a constant, badgering, beeping, buzzing bit of nonsense. Do you need the latest news at 2 a.m., or the celebrity gossip mid-afternoon? Stop the noise. Get your news on your own terms, not when an app decides you need it.

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Be less of a “follower.” Brent Warner, professor and proprietor of @EdTechTV, advises that you only follow people who offer “high-quality insights and ideas.” It never hurts to follow a few folks who consistently amuse you, too. Do digital-free dining. Why not try ‘phone stacking’ in a restaurant or at a family meal? Everyone puts their device in the middle of the table and the first person who reaches for their device picks up the check, clears the table, or just gets teased. Whatever combination works for you. When you’re all together, be together. Tech timeouts. Consider sticking with some tech free time. This doesn’t mean you sitting in a dark room in absolute silence, but that is an option! Why not choose to spend time out in nature, reading a book, going to a museum, farmer’s market, or doing an activity that’s not connected to technology? Challenge yourself by choosing a length of time and sticking with it. Enjoy a bit less screen time. But be reasonable, and forgive yourself if you backslide. Pay attention. When you’re at the beach, be at the beach. Or the mountains. Or the desert. Or wherever your happy place might be. Don’t always worry about recording the moment, experience it. Mindfulness is a big new thing, or maybe the terminology is new, but the action is ageold. Savor what’s right in front of you. The truth is that we sometimes need to disconnect to reconnect with what is important in life.l

Are Your Students Seeing Themselves in What They Read? “The only books I read about in school with people of color as protagonists were books about pain, suffering, slavery, or the civil rights movement. The book I loved most was Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which led me to her poem ‘Phenomenal Woman.’ I felt very included in those moments, but they were fleeting and didn’t really happen until high school. Most of what I was assigned to read did not reflect anything close to my lived reality.”l Julia Torres, a school librarian in Denver who co-founded Disrupt Texts, a grassroots effort to make school reading lists and curriculum more inclusive Source: Chalkbeat

“I take it you had lunchroom duty today?”

Educators Need Autism Training According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately one in every 59 children is diagnosed with autism nationwide.l

English Learners: Almost 1 in10 Students Now Since the turn of this century 20 years ago, the number of English Learners in our public school classrooms has grown from 3.8 million to 4.9 million, an increase of 28 percent. ELs now comprise 9.6 percent of total student enrollment.l Source: Office of English Language Acquisition, U.S. Department of Education .

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | APRIL/MAY 2020

Photos by iStock

Hit ‘Pause’

INSIGHT ON INSTRUCTION

TURN ‘EM LOOSE! “WE SHOULD FIGHT FOR RECESS NOT AS A NICETY, BUT AS A NECESSITY. IF YOU WANT KIDS TO PERFORM BETTER, GIVE ‘EM FRICKIN’ RECESS. THIS IS NOT ABOUT BEING NICEY-NICE. RECESS MAKES THEM BETTER

Resources Online at eMediaVA On topics as wide-ranging as healthy eating habits to oral histories of the American Civil War, eMediaVA offers more than 100,000 examples of learning objects and content for your free classroom use. All are aligned to Virginia’s Standards of Learning. The site also includes access to online professional development courses, workshops, and resources, with graduate credit available through PBS TeacherLine.l

AT CLASSROOM LEARNING.”

Illustration and photo by iStock

— Daniel Pink, author, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing

Source: Image by Jennifer Gonzalez from a guest post by Zaretta Hammond on cultofpedagogy.com.

Source: Maine Education Association

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | APRIL/MAY 2020

FIRST PERSON: NARRATIVES FROM THE CLASSROOM

‘I Didn’t Get to Finish, and I Feel Deprived’

Photo by iStock

— Courtney Cutright

Teaching can be like a battle, and I don’t mean that in a combative way. We have content to cover and standards to meet. Endurance is crucial. Days are tough and weeks are long, but we power through because there’s a reward at the end. Teachers impact lives. We impart education, and we stimulate learning. The payoff is seeing students succeed and grow. In this, my sixth year of teaching, I was having a remarkably smooth academic year—until the coronavirus pandemic derailed it. I would give up spring break and more to go back and finish the school year with my students. I’d love to be face-to-face with my students again, standing at the front of my classroom even in my toughest class where every seat is filled, and every iota of my attention is demanded for 95 solid minutes. That is my element, not behind the screen in a virtual learning setup, but I try to make the best of the situation. For the first two weeks of online learning, I posted assignments offering continuity between the classroom and home. I gave my students the same grammar warm-up we used daily all year. I stuck with the 30 minutes of independent reading time we had built up to in class, and I took my paper-andpencil reading log and converted it to an electronic form. Many students left the books they were reading in my classroom. A few emailed me and said they had no books at home. Maybe they were hopeful I’d excuse them from the assignment, but our librarian quickly provided access to a collection of audio and e-books. In subsequent days, the internet would open wide and shower educators with access to novels, author talks, live readings on social media—a book-loving English teacher’s dream…in different times. The plethora of information overloaded me. Roanoke County Superintendent Ken Nicely wrote in an

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | APRIL/MAY 2020

email to students and families that teachers in the district provided a “reservoir of learning resources” during the first weeks of the closure. What he wrote next struck me and stayed with me. Nicely wrote, “We want our students and families, however, to access it as a faucet that can be turned off and on with control over the flow, rather than feeling like you are drinking from a fire hose.” What a powerful statement, for both learners and educators. I needed the nudge to be cognizant of not putting too much pressure behind the flow on my end. After all, I have very little knowledge about what other challenges my students are facing while thrust into online learning. One indicator was participation. At maximum, about two-thirds of my students regularly completed the assignments I posted in the first two weeks. (This work was optional and ungraded, though those facts were not advertised to students.) Only about 5 percent of my students reported not having internet access. I prepared packets for them, and the photocopies were delivered on bus routes. I wondered about the students not participating. Not surprisingly, many of these were students who were sometimes difficult to engage in the controlled environment of my classroom. One of my most academically gifted students, who reads well above grade level and plowed through historical fiction novels in class, posted on my discussion board about what he missed about school: “the silent time of reading without interruptions.” I had to wonder what his home life is like. Is it hard to concentrate because his parents are home working, too? Or are he and his sibling left alone while parents work outside the home? I know he doesn’t have younger siblings to supervise, but I bet I have other students now doubling as caregivers for younger family members. My heart breaks for this one student who does not have a quiet place to read, but my heart also knows that there are so many other students with needs that are likely intensified in this pandemic, including food to eat. If it were safe, I would return to the classroom as soon as possible. I would suppress feelings of exasperation to hear my name called dozens of times each block. I would, without hesitation, explain the directions to the student who always needs them repeated. I would give out pencils purchased from my own coffers without complaint. I didn’t get to finish this year’s battle, and I feel deprived.l Cutright (courtcut@gmail.com), a member of the Roanoke County Education Association, teaches English at Northside Middle School.

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