Virginia Journal of Education: June 2020

VIRGINIA JOURNAL of

EDUCATI N The magazine of the Virginia Education Association JUNE 2020

Keeping Learning Alive Educators share their trials and triumphs in the time of COVID.

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 Melva Grant Anne Keo Sueanne McKinney Mercedes Rivera Courtney Cutright

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COVER STORY

Trials and triumphs during COVID.

Val Schwarz Christine Melendez Matthew W. McCarty Cheryl Reynolds

Vol. 113, No.6

CONTENTS

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: Gap years, more testing, and algebra.

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 14 Zooming, Flipping, and Other Roads to Success Distance learning is likely still with us. Here are some tips.

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

17 You Don’t Know Me People of color are so much more than the color of our skin and the languages we speak.

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 Moving Ahead, Together Why we need high-quality social studies in our schools.

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

DEPARTMENTS 20 Membership Matters VEA takes fight for racial and social justice public.

24 Insight on Instruction Rockingham students correspond with COVID-19.

30 First Person The strange trip that 2020 has been.

Cover art by iStock.

“No, I’m not writing a short story.

I just have a very secure password.”

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

Here are responses from two Virginia teachers to being asked, “Do more families

understand what it takes to do your job now that they’ve had to take on some of the responsibilities themselves?”

“I would say that there are some who definitely do.

It’s hard managing one child of your own every day. I think seeing that, and then extrapolating that to the 30-plus students we see every day, gives some families perspective. We are all working together for your children.”

— Alexandria Adams of the Newport News Education Association, an English teacher at Woodside High School

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SOURCE: ACLU

“Yes! I am hoping that parents can appreciate and understand, even more now, all that teachers do to be surrogate parents and help them help their child in the school setting. I think the teaching profession and teachers will be looked at much differently now, due to this crisis.”

— Gabriel Vogel of the Chesapeake Education Association, a social studies teacher at Grassfield High School Source: edsurge.com AND HERE’S A REPORT FROM A PARENTAL PERSPECTIVE:

High school seniors who plan to take a gap year beginning this fall because of uncertainty caused by the coronavirus, compared with less than 3 percent who typically do so before going to college.l Sources: Art and Science Group; UCLA

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VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | JUNE 2020

Many district leaders, ed tech entrepreneurs, education consultants and politicians have congratulated themselves for the swift, if bumpy, move to remote learning. Within several weeks of closing suddenly in response to the coronavirus pandemic, districts had shipped millions of devices to students to do their work at home. Educators have made a heroic effort to move lessons online, recording their own videos, grading assignments and responding to frantic parents like me.

What many people seem to have forgotten is that we caregivers at home still have no idea what we’re doing. And until we do, education for the vast majority of kids will be mostly a charade.l

Public Schools Shouldn’t Take a Hit This current pandemic has more issues than money, but I fear that when the knives are drawn to make the budget cuts, public education may be used again as an option. We have all seen what teachers have been through since March 13 in Virginia and, according to many reports, they have changed their delivery options and learned to instruct remotely, even without significant prior training. Other school division employees have adjusted and continued to work in conditions that have not existed in any current individual’s lifetime.

Don’t let this happen again. Find another place to make reductions. Public education has carried this nation for many years. Don’t listen to the critics and allow another crushing blow to K-12 education in our local school divisions. Members of the General Assembly today may not have been around in the previous recession. Pull the files. Ask some questions. Make teaching the high-quality profession it should be and keep our students on the path to success.l

The Importance of Social-Emotional Learning The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) defines social-emotional learning as the “process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.”

CASEL identifies five interrelated sets of SEL competencies: • Self-awareness • Self-management • Social awareness • Relationship skills • Responsible decision-making “If you don’t know how to deal with the lack of control of your future or the feelings of uncertainty that you’re having, your brain is going to stay in a constant fight-or-flight mode. And if our brain is in fight-or-flight mode, than it’s not in learning mode.”

James T. Roberts, retired superintendent, Chesapeake Public Schools

— Marc Brackett, director, Center for Emotional Intelligence, Yale University

This Won’t Keep a Global Economy Humming

“Social awareness, self-management, how we share our own thoughts and opinions and respect those of others--those are critical, and not the skills an employer wants to spend time teaching their adult employees.”

There are some 258 million children in the world under 17 who are not going to school, according to the United Nations.

In addition, about 770 million adults are illiterate.l

Sarah Garland, executive editor, The Hechinger Report

— Juany Valdespino-Gaytan, executive director of engagement services, Dallas Independent School District.l Source: Harvard University Graduate School of Education

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | JUNE 2020

Photo and illustrations by iStock

“We’re not in Kansas anymore…”

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UP FRONT

Lead from the Heart

• Focus on relationships.

Learn how to effectively communicate, actively listen, and treat people how they want to be treated. Meaningful work can only happen on the foundation of authentic relationships.

• Take risks and embrace change. Surround yourself with people who push you to take risks, let you fail, and learn lessons. Change is beautiful and scary--creative innovation requires it.

• Know your values. Internalize and reflect on your personal values and those of your organization. Point to those value sets when making decisions.l

There’s No Substitute [Prior to COVID-19] many, probably most, school systems already had in place plans for distance learning. They are used from time to time when inclement weather forces closures.

But such plans were intended for shortterm use, in most cases. We are learning that for many students, there is no substitute for classroom exposure to teachers and, for those with special needs, specialized educators.l From an editorial in The Winchester Star

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VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | JUNE 2020

Pinterest has become one of the hottest social media spots for educators to get together and swap ideas and resources. Who’s a better source for materials that engage students than your colleagues who have used them successfully and, perhaps, even created them?

On VEA’s Pinterest page, you can find new learning strategies, organizational advice, classroom management tips, lesson plans, memes, quotes, holiday ideas, new educator resources, Read Across America materials, backto-school resources, and, of course, bulletin board ideas. Come meet with your colleagues, get ideas, and share some of your own at www.pinterest.com/virginiaeducationassociation.l

“Until I took algebra, I thought Mom and Dad knew everything.”

More Testing Isn’t Always a Problem More students are taking Advanced Placement tests, meaning that more are starting post-secondary education with college credits already under their belt. In 2019, 1.25 million (39 percent) of high school graduates took at least one AP exam. Ten years earlier, 793,000 students participated, or 26 percent.l “No, you cannot unsubscribe from third grade.”

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | JUNE 2020

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Photo and Illustrations by iStock

“Just tell me the answer, Logan. Don’t text it!”

Education Week recently asked school innovators and leaders around the country for their leadership tips. We thought many of their ideas had value for the classroom, so here’s how Mark Breen, director of technology for an Arizona school district responded:

Don’t Miss Connecting with VEA Colleagues on Pinterest!

COVER STORY

In times like no one working in our schools has ever confronted, educators are fighting to keep students not only learning, but healthy and safe, too.

Here are some of our members’ stories, even as they continue to live them:

A TOTAL CURVE BALL

KEEPING LEARNING ALIVE Educators share their trials and triumphs in the time of Kathy COVID. Witt

I feel cheated. I was at the height of my career in a new district, about to prepare for SOL review.

My kids gave their all in the classroom and I had made some breakthroughs with students who had been labeled “difficult.”

COVID-19 took away all of this. My students started strong with online learning, but after a few weeks participation plummeted with assignments not being graded. I still check on my students through weekly Zooms.

I want my normal back, but I know we will not get it back. I miss my kids. I miss teaching.

Keandra Smith, Prince George Education Association

A WHOLE NEW WAY TO WORK TOGETHER The COVID-19 closure has provided an unprecedented opportunity to persevere and collaborate here.

School leaders met March 17 to determine local plans based on the guidance from VDOE. As the division leader for mathematics instruction, I appreciated VDOE’s timely guidance in developing VASOL tracking logs.

These documents were completed

by all math teacher reps in each of our county schools to determine the unfinished learning as school closures on March 13. That enabled us to create and distribute five math modules. We used the grab-and-go food distribution sites to get math and reading modules out each week, and also posted them on the county and school websites. Many teachers also promoted and expanded the math modules with Google slide presentations that included content videos, teacher think aloud, and explanation videos for the practice pages in the modules. Since we are a rural community, we were not able to provide distance learning with equity and consistency.

At the middle and high school levels, math teachers provided Google classrooms and office hours, working tirelessly to collect student work, download, print, scan and return it with feedback.

As we close out this school year, the instructional team has created continued learning opportunities in reading and math through the Summer Connect program. This will run for five weeks and will be facilitated by grade level teachers in each content area. We have filled and distributed 1,800 summer learning bags for distribution next week.

Fanya Morton, King George Education Association

‘UN-SPREAD THE VIRUS’ On normal days, I’m in food service during this COVID-19 outbreak, still working and trying to protect the kids and help get food to their families. I’m here so others won’t have to work as we try to unspread the virus.

Hanaa Abdelmaged, Fairfax Education Association

A YEAR OF CHANGES After seven years in administration, I made the hard decision to re-enter the classroom last summer. I was determined to get back on the horse and start riding, and began teaching second grade.

It was not an easy transition, but after I changed my mindset and reminded myself several times that I was no longer in charge, things began to fall in place.

I had a small class with high needs and drastically varying abilities. We accomplished so much, and I felt like I got my groove back.

By the end of January, I was down to 10 students. Shortly after, I was moved to a middle school to teach seventh-grade English Language Learners. It wasn’t easy to leave my second graders, but I knew they were in good hands. My 25-year

Prince George’s Keandra Smith (clockwise from upper left); Fairfax’s Hanaa Abdelmaged; four members of the instructional team in King George helping distribute summer resources.

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Zoom, Moodle, Study Island, and other online sites. We were at the mercy of technology now.

Unfortunately, I soon found out many of my students and their families were having problems with it. The limited technology experience my students had was apparently not enough. Many of my students cared for siblings so their parents could continue to work, and online instruction became stressful for both them and me. The language barrier, as well as lack of experience, proved to be a challenge. With the support of my principal and EL Coordinator, I decided to make differentiated work packets focusing on letter recognition, phonics, reading comprehension and math skills for my newcomers.

As a division, our focus was to make sure that instruction would go on, but more importantly that our students were fed and safe. We were instructed to make weekly contacts and be available for any questions or concerns parents or students had, and to report students we couldn’t contact to our principal and guidance department for follow-up. Everyone worked diligently to keep track of all our students. It became a challenge to communicate with many of my Spanish and Swahili speaking families.

High school Spanish taken in the early 80s was not much help. Our interpreters and liaisons were very helpful, but their hands were full as they serve our whole division. Countless hours were spent on the phone trying to contact students. I found it much easier once I downloaded a translator to my phone and started texting with families. I also started a small group on Facebook for my students, although only five have joined. I am learning Spanish online and feel I’m becoming stronger in the language, although my family thinks I speak with an Italian accent.

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | JUNE 2020

I make packets up every other week, and parents either picked them up or my supervisor or liaison delivers them with any needed supplies. Our school has a fund for families in need, and there are so many organizations in my area contributing to those who can use some help. I feel like I have connected with my students and families only after being with them for a short time before the closure. I feel responsible for their wellbeing.

This year definitely was one of changes: I never thought I’d give my cell number out or have a student group on Facebook, but they have served as an asset to me. An old dog can learn new tricks. When we return, I’ve decided we’ll begin immediately with some online instruction and the simple task of checking email.

Nothing will ever convince me that online instruction will take the place of in-person learning, but we need to be prepared for what comes next. I am sure we’ll have many professional development opportunities when we go back to school.

We did what we did because we had to, not because we were made to, but because of what we are made of.

I feel for beginning teachers, whose first year was not at all what they expected. None of us expected this.

Teachers caring for their own children or elderly parents are my heroes. No one truly knows the struggles and worries unless they have been in their shoes. Teachers who lost family income, loved ones, and any sense of normalcy carried on daily instruction despite their worries and fears. That is what we do. Procedures will change and we’ll be expected to carry on, and we will because that’s who we are.

Paula J. Beckman, Roanoke Education Association

STAYING RELEVANT As classroom colleagues are adjusting from face-to-face to remote instruction, librarians are pondering how to serve our students. With scant online resources and a limited budget, perhaps even more limited as the pandemic eats into county revenue, and without our physical space, how does our library remain relevant? How do we safely collect materials, how long should these items be kept in quarantine and, should it become Megan S. Link necessary, how do we establish a curb-side pick-up and return system that protects everyone while still allowing access to library materials?

Like so many educators, I am physically exhausted, exceedingly frustrated, mentally fatigued, and

extremely concerned for the well-being of my colleagues and students. As is often the case, the many statements supporting our profession are easily forgotten with a single critical comment or snide remark. Are we working? Seriously? I don’t think any of us have ever worked harder or longer in our lives. We are working without a net and creating as we go, yet we continue to rise to the challenge, which we have always done and will continue to do.

Megan S. Link, Prince William Education Association

THE CHALLENGE OF ACCESS I teach in rural southwest Virginia and the most overwhelming issue for our students is the lack of internet access.

This is an issue for me, too, because of my location. I am only five miles from “town,” but we do not have services available through phone, cable

Since the stunning announcement in March that our schools would close for the rest of the academic year, to the thick of the current planning process about how the 2020-21 year is going to look, VEA has kept members tuned into the latest COVID information and equipped them to battle its effects in public education.

There’s been a direct Union pipeline to all of Virginia’s top education decision-makers. In addition to VEA staff and leaders advocating directly and in an ongoing way with Governor Ralph Northam, Secretary of Education Atif Qarni, and State Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane, the Union has also offered opportunities like these for members to connect with state leaders: • A Facebook Live session in which VEA President Jim Livingston interviewed Superintendent Lane, using questions submitted by Union members; • A series of online strategy-sharing sessions between VEA members and Secretary Qarni (a VEA member) and his staff as 2020-21 plans are being pulled together; and • A tele-town hall meeting for members at which Northam, Qarni, and Lane all appeared.

Your Union has also been frequently updating the COVID response section on VEA’s website (veanea.org), holding twice-weekly Facebook Live sessions, using social media, and reaching out through both online and print publications to help our members prepare to best serve our students.

There are, as in almost every situation involving public education, financial implications to COVID, and here again your Union is stepping up to represent the interests of students and educators. Gov. Northam will be calling the General Assembly back for a special session, probably in August, to deal with COVID’s budget impact. Both during the period leading up to that session and after it’s officially gaveled in, VEA members and staff will be strongly advocating for a deep state investment in our post-COVID schools. It’s a time when our legislature will have an opportunity to demonstrate its priorities as we recover from this pandemic, and a time when our schools will need more support than ever.

On the national level, the NEA is leading the charge for Congress to pass the HEROES Act, which will bring millions of federal dollars to public schools. You can add your support here: https://educationvotes.nea.org/.

Every day of this unprecedented health emergency, VEA/NEA has been working for our students and our members. There is no more effective public education advocate out there, and we’re proud you’re a part of the largest professional organization and family in the country.

Sad News

Photo page 11 by iStock

career in teaching and administration had always been in elementary.

At the middle school, I had 28 newcomers of varying abilities and 11 Level 2 students. The seventh grade team had a system going, so I followed that until I got my footing.

I’d been with my students a little over a month when, on March 13th, we were told to have a plan in case schools needed to be closed. Everyone sprang into action, unaware that our students would not be returning.

After schools closed on March 16th, staff at my school alternated working days so that we were not all there at one time. I honestly welcomed a little break after so many changes in my life. We made work packets for our students, and they were distributed when students came Paula J. Beckman to the bus stops to pick up meals. By March 23rd, Governor Northam announced schools would be closed for the rest of the year. I’d always enjoyed snow days, but the thought of students not returning left me with a sinking feeling of dread. I worried whether my students and their families really understood what was going on.

Led by our administrative team, we all got everything ready for instruction, meals, and wellness checks. It happened fast, but it happened—we did what was needed.

Internet service was offered and we prepared laptops to be checked out. Our technology people worked countless hours to set us up with

VEA Leads the Way in the Fight Against COVID’s Educational Impact

I am an ESL teacher for ninth grade newcomers. Most don’t have internet access to the internet and receive packets of schoolwork.

They’re supposed to complete them, take pictures of their work, and text the pictures to me. As I write this, I have not received any pictures of completed work.

The ones with internet access are expected to complete online work and show mastery, but they’re not proficient in using the technology. I call, text, and email the parents and the students. I have three or four students who do the work regularly.

I work hard creating those online activities. Some days I’m in front of the computer for 12 hours. It’s very discouraging.

Sonja Seymore, Washington County Education Association

AS NORMAL AS I CAN KEEP IT When schools first closed I reached out to students and families in pretty traditional ways. I emailed families and sent my students postcards. I also posted things to our Google Classroom daily, including videos of me reading Jennifer Orr picture books. As we moved to online synchronous learning I spent some time texting, talking on the phone, and using Facetime to help families get set up. I met with one student one-onone on Facetime because we couldn’t get the technology to work. I continued mailing cards to my students throughout and meet online with my whole class daily and with small groups and individually depending

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with no support. It needs to be addressed if this happens again.

I’M DISCOURAGED

Aylin Direskeneli, Newport News Education Association

on students’ needs.

Weekly, I email each family with plans for the next week and with feedback about their students’ progress. As a result, I have phone conversations fairly often with parents about how to help their children.

Some of my students are from military families, so when I packed up my classroom, I delivered materials to two of them who were moving soon. I’m doing whatever I can to support families, connect with students and support their academic and social-emotional learning, and keep things as close to normal as possible.

Jennifer Orr, Fairfax Education Association

VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | JUNE 2020

NOT WHAT TEACHING IS ABOUT When we closed in March, we were just days away from our first-grade performance for their parents. “These are snow days,” we kept telling ourselves.

And then we closed for longer...and longer. Everything was cancelled—the sixth-grade All County Chorus festival, the fifth and sixth grade chorus play, the Sword Dance. I grieved for several weeks, not sleeping well, sad and afraid for all of us.

When teaching finally restarted, we tried office hours for specialists, but that was only supposed to be for questions about the asynchronous lessons we had posted. And then the system crashed.

When we restarted again, office hours

for specialists were no more. That meant that we would be posting lessons without even a chance to see a child’s face.

And that’s the way it has been for the past six weeks. Then classroom teachers started asking us to visit. I nearly cried when I sang our “Hello” song for our self-contained special ed class and the kids broke out in huge smiles!

Personally, this has been incredibly lonely and frustrating. Without seeing the children, without singing together, dancing together, playing games, discovering new things to hear in a piece of music together...well, this just isn’t what teaching is about. But this will get better and we will eventually return to students in classrooms. I will keep the faith.

Pam Wilson, Fairfax Education Association

WORKING HARDER FROM HOME After COVID, I found myself working harder than I did during the school year. I have a class of 17 second-graders and I made copies for two weeks at a time and delivered them to 16 of the 17 students.

I provided material to do science experiments and everything they needed to complete their work. I got to see firsthand where these children live and I can now understand better some of their behaviors.

I was never compensated for my travels. I did it for my students. I have three children at home, one with autism. I feel for the parents who have special needs kids during this time

Ramona Copenhaver, second grade teacher, Wythe County Education Association

KEEPING IN TOUCH I am a middle school librarian. I had a Google Classroom set up with all the students in the school enrolled, and I’ve been able to reach out and share free online sources for reading, offer virtual book clubs, and fun challenges to add a little fun and socialization into their lives.

Kathy Doren, Chesapeake Education Associationl

For the Latest on the Coronavirus and Our Schools We’ve got your back!

On VEA’s website (veanea.org), you’ll find answers to frequently asked questions about COVID-19 and schools, uplifting stories of how our members have responded, self-care tips, and other resources.

Also, check VEA’s Facebook page (facebook. com/VirginiaEducationAssociation) to view the twice-weekly updates we’ve been broadcasting since the pandemic began.l

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Photo of child by iStock

or satellite that are sufficient. I use my cell phone as a hot spot and paid for additional high-speed data for two months so that I could Zoom and chat with the students who showed up.

I can only imagine the plight of my students.

I do not have answers, but I do know that a return in the fall is likely to be very similar to what we just experienced. Stress doesn’t begin to cover what this will be like to begin a new school year. I am willing to help in any way possible to gather information and look to options for all of us.

Zooming, Flipping, and other Roads to Success Distance learning looks like it will be with us in 20-21.

Educators offer ideas to make the most of it.

By Melva Grant, Anne Keo, Sueanne McKinney, Mercedes Rivera, and Val Schwarz

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online instruction. The mission is to find the technology that best meets your teaching needs and the learning styles of your students.

ZOOM IN! Zoom is a video collaboration tool with real-time conferencing, and it’s become a hugely popular way to connect teachers and students. For many, “Zooming” has become synonymous with online learning and is an effective way for teachers and students to check assignments, clarify misunderstandings, and socialize.

Other technology options are available to help with free resources in this new learning environment.

Educreations is an easy-to-use platform to create video lessons on a whiteboard, which you can then easily share.

The barrage of resources educators are, in many cases, becoming suddenly aware of can be overwhelming.

Trial-and-error and certainly random clicking and exploration will help you navigate new resources. It’s a challenging transition, as many teachers are discovering that even their years of classroom experience and materials don’t necessarily translate easily to

FLIP IT! Flipgrid is a free platform that facilitates group discussion and allows a teacher to see and hear each student.

You can give protected access to students and incorporate a program you may already be using, such as Google Classroom or Schoology, or others.

A feature of Flipgrid is the Grid, where educators create a topic and students respond with their own creative videos. Microsoft provides an Introduction Topic that you can customize or use as is. Students access the Grid and respond using either a computer or mobile device with wi-fi and the Flipgrid app. You set parameters for student videos, such as focus and length, and students can record in segments, include whiteboard sketches, and apply filters. When students are satisfied with their videos, they are prompted to take a selfie that is then displayed to identify their video response. Students can watch video responses from their peers and leave reply videos.

Teacher-created topics can be presented in very simplistic or complex manners, including an original video of your own; a video taken from YouTube or Vimeo; images (e.g., picture, Giphy, Emoji); files (e.g., static Microsoft files or dynamic Google files); platforms (e.g., Kahoot or Nearpod); and more. You’re limited only by your imagination and expertise. A more complex topic might introduce students to something, pause the presentation for students to create

OVID-19 has tested us all, forcing many teachers into online instruction and turning many more parents into teachers. We’ll all be affected for years to come, and it appears that distance learning will still be in place, in some form, when next school year arrives. Nonetheless, we’re committed to keeping on with the best educational opportunities we can provide our students.

While teaching this way is daunting for many educators, we wanted to share a few strategies for making it less intimidating and frustrating, and more collaborative and student-centered.

responses, and then continue after students have contributed. For ideas, teachers have access to a library full of topics created by the Flipgrid community for students at just about every level and in a variety of subject areas. Those topics can be customized or used as inspiration.

LITERATURE ACROSS THE CONTENT AREAS Literature is a way to gain new experiences and adventures and escape reality, but it can also be used to effectively teach different subject concepts. A carefully chosen book for a particular concept can serve many purposes. Reading activates prior knowledge with images and vocabulary, and introduces new vocabulary and concepts with clever stories or fun rhymes that can help ideas stick in children’s minds.

Infusing literature into different content areas offers numerous opportunities and advantages. Here are a few:

Connects learning to the real world. Children’s and young adult literature can present many complex ideas through authentic situations.

It also allows a connection to many informal ideas that your students or child holds.

Stimulates discourse. When students participate in meaningful conversations, they learn how to expand or alter their understanding of different ideas. Discourse also helps students engage in meta-cognitive behavior and assists them with terminology development.

Provides an avenue for problem-solving and investigations. Many literature selections assist students in

developing a deep understanding of different concepts, and some selections actually present problem-solving situations they can work out.

Introduces vocabulary. Books introduce vocabulary through the context of the story. This allows your students to have a reference and develop a conceptual base in learning new terminology.

AT-HOME LEARNING There are a variety of practical ways teachers can pass along to help keep students engaged in learning while out of the classroom.

Cooking/baking. From young to old, many children enjoy cooking alongside parents, whether the objective is something gourmet or from a box. Following directions, measuring ingredients, calculating time and temperature, and interpreting fractional amounts are all embedded parts of cooking.

Meal planning. If you’re making a grocery store run, having groceries delivered, or picking up take-out, there are plenty of ways to experience learning. Read through the grocery list or restaurant menu.

Discuss amounts to buy and what the cost might be. If you have a budget for food, are you staying within or going over, and by how much?

Weather forecast. Checking the weather is a regular routine. Use this daily (or hourly) event to record the temperature, degree of sun/clouds, precipitation. Create a graph for the week or simply use the weekly forecast to make predictions. What was/is the highest temperature, the lowest? How many days will we be able to play outside?

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Illustration by iStock

STORY TheFEATURE Virginia Public Education CoalitionTheThe

FEATURE STORY

Building with toys. Building with blocks, bricks, sticks, rocks, or any other material handy is a great activity (and fun) for just about any age. It encourages creativity and problem-solving skills, and provides challenges.

Playing games. Whether it’s with cards or boards, games are a great way to encourage learning.

Younger children can practice recognizing number amounts by telling the amount of shapes or dots on cards or dice. Adding, subtracting, counting, colors, shapes, reading directions and cards, strategy, and reasoning are all skills that apply to most games. Social skills can also be emphasized.

Puzzles. Working on a puzzle requires visual-spatial reasoning as well as comparing colors, patterns, shapes, lines, etc. Critical thinking, problem-solving, and reasoning skills come into play, as well. Whether it’s a physical puzzle, number puzzle, or a puzzle app, the commitment to actually finish it requires latent talents such as perseverance and determination.

Listening to music. Recognizing patterns doesn’t just happen with shapes and numbers. We can identify the rhythm or beat in a song and the rhyming pattern to lyrics. Music these days is timed, often with a countdown as well. Encourage skills with elapsed time – how many seconds/minutes of this song has gone by? How long will this playlist last?

Coloring, drawing, painting.

Being artistic and creative is a great way to practice visual-spatial skills, measurement, geometry, and knowledge of colors. Create without

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FEATURE STORY

purpose or provide a topic or subject to work from.

Taking a walk. Time how long you walk. Calculate the distance, speed, number of steps taken.

Count how many mailboxes, squirrels, worms, birds, or neighbors you see along the way. If you walked twice as long, how much distance would you have covered? Make predictions about what you plan to count or measure on your walk.

Cleaning/doing chores. Having your child do chores isn’t just helpful for your housework load.

While chores teach responsibility, accountability, and self/home care, it is also a great way for children to learn. How much time will a chore take? Where should it fit in the daily routine? If a child earns money, how much will she/he earn in one day, one week, one month? What could you buy with the money earned?

Daily tasks and routines. Every minute of every day doesn’t have to be planned out, yet setting some structured times and routines can help everyone feel normal. Children can decide which fun activities they want to include along with the required ones, when it fits best in the day, and can calculate times for a schedule. How long did a routine or task take? What time is it now? What time will it be after lunch is over?

Hobbies. Whether you have more time to devote to a hobby or start new ones because of all the time you have, hobbies are a great way to incorporate learning. In gardening, art, sewing, building, or bird-watching, learning can always be a part of the plan. Measurement, counting, basic facts, geometry, and

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principles of science, art and reading are skills required for lots of the hobbies we enjoy.

No matter what activities are part of a family’s daily or weekly routine, learning is taking place.

Pointing out specific content-related components, asking questions, and allowing your child to be independent and explore are easy ways to make any activity a learning activity.

Enjoy your time together.

This year will not soon be forgotten. The home-and-school dynamic has changed dramatically, but our need to teach has remained constant. Teaching is a challenge for even the most seasoned educators, even before anxiety from a global pandemic, grappling with unfamiliar technology, non-equitable access to resources, and miles of distance between teachers and students.

What once seemed difficult can now seem insurmountable. Luckily teachers and parents are tenacious and resourceful. Let’s work collectively to make this a time of promise. l

Grant is an associate professor of math instruction at Old Dominion University; Keo is a member of the Goochland Education Association and an instructional coach at Randolph Elementary School; McKinney is an associate professor of elementary education at Old Dominion University; Rivera is a member of the Virginia Beach Education Association and a math resource teacher at Point O’View Elementary School; Schwarz is a member of the Richmond Education Association and a fourth grade teacher at Mary Munford Elementary School.

These experiences are not the last of what has and will happen, and in no way am I sharing these to lessen the experiences of the black community at this time.

My own partner, a black male law student with a PhD, was singled out by law enforcement and questioned about the disappearance of a bicycle in the park he was working out in that afternoon. There was a group of white teenagers sitting around a bicycle only 100 yards away, but the detective chose to only question the black man. These and so many more are the experiences of not only our peers but of our students.

My experience as a teacher has been shaped by my students’ stories and experiences as well as my own. As a latinx educator, I have been subjected to racial insensitivity and intentional ignorance that caused me to question the validity of my purpose and my position. The policy reforms and systemic changes I choose to fight for are meant to improve learning and living conditions for all people, but especially the marginalized.

I’ve had the honor of teaching in one rural school district, one somewhat urban, and one suburban in my eight years in education. I’m sad to report that the experiences of my students of color, particularly my black students, did not vary much.

That’s not to say I haven’t found loving and caring people from all walks of life who are actively trying to challenge antiquated education systems and policies.

Overall, the problems boil

YOU DON’T KNOW People of color are so much more than the color of our skin or the languages we speak.

By Christine Melendez

M

y life has been altered by how others have perceived my value based on the color of my skin, the languages I speak, and my Puerto Rican ancestry. I will never forget the day I was called a “dirty Mexican” by the older brother of a friend when I was in third grade. Or the time I showed up to a Longwood University basketball team party and nobody wanted to dance or talk to me because I didn’t look like them. Or the countless jobs I have applied to and have not even gotten an interview because of my last name or the fact that I proudly state the fact that I’m bilingual. Or feeling like I am always the token who ends up representing every latinx person’s voice in most spaces.

down to one thing: the systematic defunding of public education. Those in power, who think themselves superior to others because of their socioeconomic status or race, continue to take money away from public schools and services and choose to fund only the programs and services that serve people that look and sound like them.

For far too long, educators have stood by and watched their curriculums and standardized tests continue to focus on Euro-centric ideologies and histories. For far too long, education workers have allowed oppressive administrators, school boards, and government officials control every aspect of their lives, from their working conditions to their pay. For far too long, education workers of color have been met with discrimination and bullying in the workplace. For far too long, our education workers and students of color have spoken up fearfully about the traumas they experience and still do not receive proper mental health services and other supports.

Now is the time for all educators to stand in the gap for those that have been silenced time and time again.

Now is the time to call for fully funded schools. Now is the time to call for anti-racist professional development and curriculums. Now is the time to hold administrators, school boards, and local and state government officials accountable and push them to enact real policy change instead of releasing statements meant to pacify and distract educators and the public from inaction at every level.l Melendez, a member of the Chesterfield Education Association’s Board of Directors, is a Spanish teacher at Matoaca High School.

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FEATURE STORY

Why we need quality social studies in our public schools.

By Matthew W. McCarty

W

e need social studies in our public schools, and the reason is simple: Every student should understand the essential skills and ideas needed to be an informed and engaged citizen. Our public schools and our communities depend on it.

I believe that a high-quality social studies curriculum should be a national one and should meet priorities defined by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) in its 2016 strategic plan.

NCSS creates, sets, and monitors the teaching and implementation of social studies curriculum across the country.

Some NCSS members have become concerned that social studies curricula become ones susceptible to being quickly altered, revised, or even eliminat-

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ed in favor of the more emphasized and tested areas of English/Language Arts and Mathematics. However, I believe that a sound and strong social studies curriculum will not only enhance English/Language Arts and Mathematics instruction, but also help incorporate critical thinking and speaking skills into all instructional content.

The priorities targeted by NCSS in its strategic plan—collaboration, communication, innovation inclusiveness, influence, and leadership—should undergird the creating or refining of any local social studies curriculum. The first of these priorities, collaboration, is the foundational aspect. Successful collaboration includes opportunities for educators to work with local, state, and

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federal governments to provide field trips, speaking engagements, video conferences, and job-shadowing opportunities, such as page programs in the U.S. Congress, for students. Communication is simply creating or enhancing access to important resources for both students and educators. School divisions can purchase online databases such as Proquest, ERIC, or other sources of information that students can use for research and educators can use to craft quality, research-based lesson plans.

Innovation and inclusiveness are essential to addressing social studies’ ever-changing topics. I have used virtual field trips, such as the Gettysburg Battlefield Virtual tour (www. battlefields.org/visit/virtual-tours/

gettysburg-360-virtual-tour), to give my students another, very important perspective on the most pivotal episode of the Civil War. Educators should be able to include cultural, civic, and community-based needs when designing and implementing lessons. Local school divisions can support these priorities by providing funds for exchange programs, virtual field trips, food days, and opportunities for students to attend cultural events.

The remaining two priorities, influence and leadership, are also critically important for local school divisions. I had the privilege of serving as lead social studies teacher while working in Wise County from 2009 to 2011. In that role, I organized curriculum committees that

school divisions to work with their state departments of education to provide rigorous, relevant licensing programs for prospective social studies teachers and to provide opportunities for post-graduate education. Local divisions can use the NCSS priorities to help develop great professional development opportunities for social studies teachers similar to those in English/Language Arts and Math.

With an emphasis on social studies, students will understand that when they graduate from high school and enter the workforce or post-secondary education, they are expected to assume the responsibilities required of all citizens. Young people will also be equipped with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions and guide them toward being good, participatory members of their communities.l McCarty, EdD, (mmccarty@pcva.us), a member of the Pulaski County Education Association, teaches in the Restorative Academy at Pulaski County High School, and is always interested in collaborating with colleagues and leaders.

Help with Lesson Planning The National Council for the Social Studies has curated a collection of classroom activities, reading material, and teaching strategies for all grade levels in its Digital Library. It’s searchable and can be accessed at www.socialstudies.org/teacherslibrary.l

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Photo by iStock

Moving Ahead, Together

created standards-based pacing guides for social studies classes at both the middle and high school level. This opportunity gave me the skills that I needed to advocate for social studies and to work with colleagues to improve instruction.

Professional development opportunities, such as graduate coursework, professional conferences such as the yearly NCSS and American Historical Association meetings, and chances to share expertise by serving on local and state curriculum committees, can help to create an innovative curriculum. The NCSS and AHA both offer memberships to PK-12 teachers that include teaching resources and opportunities to collaborate with colleagues.

I have been fortunate to have opportunities to engage and advocate with colleagues around Virginia, both as a teacher and as an administrator. In 2014, I served on the World History and Geography to 1500 Standards of Learning assessment committee. Our group of educators met to discuss the effectiveness and rigor of questions on the World History exam. As a building administrator, I have worked with teachers and central office colleagues to develop performance-based social studies assessments that can effectively gauge student understanding. An added benefit of advocating for social studies is being able to visit a World Geography class when a colleague has a food day and seeing the excitement in students when they have made cuisine from around the world for their fellow students and teachers to enjoy.

Used properly, these priorities will help ensure that students use critical thinking, self-monitoring, and decision-making skills and allow school divisions to craft rigorous and challenging curriculum. Such an approach should also seek to make sure that the background, cultural identity, and contributions of all students are included.

To further underscore the importance of social studies, school divisions must ensure that teachers are qualified and content-knowledgeable. It is important for

VEA Takes Fight for Racial and Social Justice Public, Calls on Members to Take Action The Virginia Education Association, and its Fitz Turner Commission on Human Relations and Civil Rights (FTC), is approaching this time of national upheaval as an opportunity to take a leadership role in promoting racial and social justice, a cause we have a long history of championing.

Shortly after the brutal murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, VEA President Jim Livingston issued a statement to the media, which can be found on the facing page. “All of us, as educators, have hurt for the injustice that faces people of color in America every single day. We hurt for ourselves, our colleagues, and our students,” Livingston says. “I feel very strongly that the Virginia Education Association must stand, very strongly and very publicly, against this and all forms of bigotry and hatred, and I wanted to put us on the record saying so very clearly.”

The FTC, a group made up of members and founded 43 years ago by VEA, is named for the former president of the predominantly black Virginia Teachers Association, which merged with VEA in 1967, has also issued a statement for our members, which is below.

Its statement is a call to action for educators at this historic moment. FTC members understand that different people will have different comfort levels in getting involved in this fight for justice, so they’ve also created a document with eight different ways an individual or local Union can step up. You can find that list on the VEA website, veanea.org. Click “Take Action” and then “Human and Civil Rights.” In addition, you’ll also find The National Education Association also has a lineup of helpful materials, including a resource guide for racial justice in education. You can access them at https://vea.link/NEAJustice.

“Our members, along with community supporters, should be fighting for racial and social justice because our children are watching,” says Shaniqua Williams, president of the Frederick County Education Association and FTC vice-chair. “They need to see that we care about each other and will stand up for what’s right no matter how different we look. Right now, people of color are fighting for the right to be treated equally and fighting for others to see and understand the disparities in the way the law enforcement interacts with us. We should be informed about situations affecting our students and their families, and by taking small steps now, through FTC’s call to action, you can be better prepared to interact with students of all racial backgrounds.”l

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STATEMENT OF VEA PRESIDENT JIM LIVINGSTON

Words cannot express our outrage at the senseless, immoral, and systemic murder of unarmed black men and women we have seen over centuries of American history, most recently at the hands of law enforcement who are charged with the protection of human life. It is clear that something is terribly wrong and to deny that fact is but another example of the privilege enjoyed by white America.

The Virginia Education Association condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the murder of and marginalization of members of the African American community and calls on all people of moral character to stand with our brothers and sisters of color in demanding an end to the hate and oppression created by racism. The VEA further calls on all educational organizations and institutions to work collaboratively and with intentionality for the elimination of racism and bigotry.

In 2020, civilized people would have expected that racism and bigotry had become an obscure part of our nation’s history, but instead we see the proliferation of a culture of “white supremacy” growing out of control. That culture of privilege has been on display for decades and is now highlighted by the current global health crisis in which people of color have suffered disproportionately.

From underfunded public schools and lack of social, emotional, health, and economic resources, to the murder of unarmed African American men and women in American streets at the hands of law enforcement, ours is a society in crisis.

The VEA is united in its belief that our communities can only realize racial justice through educational justice. We are committed to the necessary actions to ensure all marginalized students and their families are treated with dignity and respect, and that their lives are not only enriched by our educational system but that secured by a system of justice that provides for their equal protection.

Anything less is a betrayal of the American Dream.l

KUD

S

Four VEA Members Honored with Dawbarn Awards Four Union members have earned prestigious Dawbarn Education Awards, given annually in the Central Blue Ridge to honor outstanding educators who “inspire and encourage” learning.

Among this year’s winners are Heather Campbell, a Staunton Education Association member and a third grade teacher at Bessie Weller Elementary School; Janice Converse, a member of the Augusta County Education Association and a special education teacher at Fort Defiance High School; Michelle Freed, a member of the Staunton Education Association and a math coach at Bessie Weller Elementary School; and Mary Meade, a member of the Waynesboro Education Association and a science teacher at Waynesboro High School.

Each Dawbarn winner received $10,000.

In this time of COVID-created remote

teaching, Cox Communications awarded Heroes of Distance Learning” to several teachers across the state, giving each one $1,000 for a virtual classroom makeover. Among the winners were Emily Eichel of the Fairfax Education Association, a special education teacher at Island

FITZ TURNER COMMISSION STATEMENT The VEA Fitz Turner Commission for Human Relations and Civil Rights believes students of today are the seeds of the change we wish to see happen, and that VEA members must challenge prejudices such as racism, sexism, ageism, homophobia, and other forms of social injustice and hate in our schools and communities.

As commissioners, we are charged to monitor behaviors of extremists within the education environment and recommend action; thus, we will demand legislation requiring the Virginia Department of Education to provide guidance for anti-bias training for new educators and professional development for current public school staff in Virginia.

We will advocate for legislation that promotes a “true” historical perspective of the struggles of people of color and an anti-bias curriculum for our children.

We are calling on our Union brothers and sisters to join us in fighting for social and racial justice. We have provided a list of action items for you to take steps to dismantle institutional racism. We ask that you take action now!l

Creek Elementary School; Olivia Lawson of the Williamsburg/James City Education Association, the band director at James Blair Middle School; and Rachel Terlop of the Fairfax Education Association, a first through third grade teacher at Pine Spring Elementary School.

Loudoun Education Association member

Mary Jane Williams, a social science teacher at Loudoun Valley High School, was elected to the Purcellville Town Council in June.

Carla Okouchi, a member of the Fairfax

Education Association and a music teacher at Mosby Woods Elementary School, has been appointed to the Virginia Asian Advisory Board

Photo page 20 by iStock

MEMBERSHIP MATTERS

by Gov. Ralph Northam.

Kirk Dolson, a Loudoun Education

Association member and the principal of Park View High School, is the county’s Principal of the Year.l

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MEMBERSHIP MATTERS

Coronavirus and Your Finances: Advice from VRS The uncertainty created by COVID-19, in addition to making this school year one like no other, is leading many to wonder how the pandemic will affect their finances and retirement planning.

To help Virginia Retirement System members get some answers, VRS has created a new guide called “Coronavirus and Your Financial Health.” It features articles, tips and tools to help you stay financially well during this uncertain time and is frequently updated with new articles and information. You can find this digital guide through your myVRS accounts. Once you log in at myVRS.varetire.org, visit the Financial Wellness tab, click Get Started and then COVID-19. The content will also be available on the VRS website (varetire.org/financial-wellness) during the pandemic.

With millions of households now experiencing interruptions to their regular incomes, this guide offers resources that can help with everything from creating a payment strategy that is mindful of your credit, to information about mortgage relief options and student loan repayment. Once you have a short-term financial strategy in place, the guide offers pointers on how to create a long-term budget, prepare for unexpected expenses, and continue saving for your future.

Just like in a classroom—or a digital classroom—you gain confidence in a subject as you learn more about it.

With myVRS Financial Wellness, gain the knowledge and confidence to build the future you imagine.

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

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Just for YOU on the VEA Website If you’re a VEA member, there’s a section on our Union’s website offering information and resources only members can see. Getting access is a very easy process of registering, which you can begin on the site (veanea.org) by clicking “Membership and Benefits” at the top of the home page and then “Member Center” in the drop-down menu. All you’ll need is your name, personal email address, and your VEA member ID number, which you can find on the label of this magazine or by calling VEA at 800-552-9554.

Once you’ve registered, you’ll be able to access all your online benefits, as well as get exclusive information in areas including your UniServ program, legal services, and a wide range of resources created for members and leaders.

If you encounter any problems during the registration process, contact us at info@veanea.org.l

It Works4Me! And it Will for You, Too Nobody knows better what works with students than your fellow professionals, the ones doing the work in our schools every day. Through the National Education Association’s e-newsletter, you can benefit from the tried-and-true methods of educators across the country. NEA’s been collecting their wisdom for over 10 years now.

Signing up is easy. Just visit www.nea.org/tools/Works4Me.html.l

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VEA to Get New Statewide Leadership in August Dr. James J. Fedderman, an Accomack County music teacher and VEA’s Vice President for the last four years, will take over as President on August 1. His two-year term is the result of elections held by VEA convention delegates this spring. Fedderman will be the first African American male to serve as VEA President.

Carol Bauer, a fourth grade teacher from York County, was elected Vice President and will also begin a two-year term in August. Bauer is a past president of the York Education Association and has also been a member of the VEA and NEA Boards of Directors.l

Micro-Credentials Macro-Beneficial

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

It’s Been a Great Honor I’m sitting staring at a blank screen trying to decide where to begin. The first line is always the most difficult and, while it seems so very insufficient, the first thing that comes to mind is, Thank You!

Thank you for not only the opportunity but the honor of a lifetime. I clearly remember speaking to my first Delegate Assembly as VEA President and sharing that at no point along the way in my educational career did I ever dream of attaining such an office.

I have always been one who believes that challenges are actually opportunities in disguise because as my mother once shared with me, “Nothing worth doing is ever easy.” While serving these past four years as your President has been anything but easy, I can tell you without qualification it has been worth every minute because of you, my Union brothers and sisters.

Together, we’ve accomplished much in the past four years and that’s because of the tenacity and dedication of you, our members, dedication to our students and our profession, and our determination to not give up. You know, as I do, that ours is a profession worth fighting for and we have certainly been fighting all along the way.

From “Going on Offense” to “Building Power” to acting in “Solidarity with a new Vision” for the future, the VEA is now recognized as having the power and influence to get results on the Virginia political scene. Having elected

a pro-public education Governor and General Assembly, we’ve not only written and rewritten education law and policy, we’ve ushered in the foundation for the return of public sector collective bargaining in the commonwealth.

In redefining ourselves as a social justice organization, our newly-created Office of Human and Civil Rights is leading the way in calling out the lack of diversity in our teaching ranks.

Our Teachers of Color Summits have resulted in groundbreaking legislation and have been duplicated in state after state.

We’re updating our technology and begun to think more creatively and strategically through the use of data to enhance and further our work.

We’ve begun to demonstrate the real value in VEA membership by our growth. After declining following the Great Recession, our membership is growing, and doing so with a plan and strategy to continue that growth. Ours is a Union on the move!

All these accomplishments and the many more are the work of not just one person, but many. When we work collaboratively to be “proactive instead of reactive,” we’re what a Union can and should be.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your President. I’m proud of our Union because I’m proud of you! #VEAStrongl

There’s a new wave in professional development called the micro-credential, and the VEA is making it happen for Virginia educators.

Micro-credentials are a competency-based online form of certification, in which you choose an area you want to develop your skills in and, when you’ve done the online activities and shown your mastery, you receive a digital badge. These badges can be used for relicensure points and other demonstrations of professional growth.

The National Education Association has been making micro-credentials available and the VEA is set to launch our very own portal that will make it easy for our members to use the NEA program. NEA’s micro-credentials are currently certified by NEA’s Center for Great Public Schools and Digital Promise.

Here’s VEA’s link: https://nea.certificationbank.com/Virginia.l

VEA-Retired Spotlight:

Richmond’s Vashti Mallory Vashti Mallory has seen public education and the VEA from just about every angle possible. She spent 38 years teaching every elementary school grade except second in schools in Hampton and Richmond. She’s been a local president and a delegate to numerous association conventions, including no less than 17 consecutive NEA Representative Assemblies. She even served for four years as a UniServ Director.

These days, she’s co-chair of the prospering Richmond Education Association-Retired group. Along with Lola McDowell, she’s helped REA garner three consecutive grants of between $3000 and $5000, which REA-R has put to use in membership growth and recruitment, events, community projects, and a coming mentoring plan for new educators.

She’s also a member of the VEARetired Council, proving that once you’re an educator, you’re always an educator.l

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INSIGHT ON INSTRUCTION

INSIGHT ON INSTRUCTION

COMING TO TERMS

Rockingham students pen letters to the coronavirus

One of the assignments Cheryl Reynolds gave her students this spring was to write a letter to the coronavirus and let it know how it was making them feel. Here, the Rockingham Education Association member and English teacher at Montevideo Middle School talks a little about how that assignment worked out:

D

uring our distance learning, I asked my students to write about things that mattered to them. They spoke loudly, sharing not only their frustrations, anger, and sadness, but their joys, too. When I assigned them

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the task of writing COVID-19 a letter, we were several weeks into distance learning, so my students had time to fully realize the good, the bad, and the ugly this pandemic had brought to their lives. I wanted them to talk about all the things the coronavirus had done to them and their families, and I only had a few requirements: it needed to be school-appropriate, it needed to be set up like a letter, and it should be written in paragraph form.

Once the letters began pouring in, I learned so much about my students. Most people would think middle-schoolers would only be angry about not getting to see their friends and not getting to participate in sporting activities, band and choral concerts, the middle school musical, and other events they’d been anticipating. They were angry, but they also shared so many positive things the pandemic had done to them and their families. The positives seemed to outweigh the negatives, and that’s why I wanted to share their thoughts and feelings. These students found joy and happiness during a pandemic. Here are just three examples:

Dear COVID-19, I’ve gotten used to homeschooling now. In fact, because of you, I have more time to do my classwork. Also, I’ve learned new computer tricks that may become helpful in life. But not seeing my friends has saddened me, and some of the only forms of communication with them are unsatisfying. I do miss the days when we would gather around a book and read aloud to each other, smiling and feeling that nothing in the world could stop us from being happy.

But what you don’t want to know is that we are surviving. We have formed stronger bonds with the people we love, and although life as we know it will never be the same, we will change. Coping with loss and panic, gaining strength, and standing back up is something that you, COVID-19, can never change.

— Mina My first question is just why? Why do you need to take so many people from their families? Why do you need to be completely different from anything we’ve ever seen? You are wrecking lives. You are destroying families. You are preventing people from being with their loved ones, even as they take their final breath. Why? Because of you, parents can’t sleep. Because of you, children wake up in the middle of the night with nightmares of their family catching you.

You have ruined so many lives, but in a strange way, your curse is also a blessing. You have brought families that are stuck in the same house closer together. You have given so many people time to do things that they normally could only dream of. You have given me a new perspective on life. You’ve taught me not to take even simple things, like going to the store, or going to a friend’s house, for granted.”

— Dominic When I first met you, I wasn’t scared. You were so far away, and we didn’t know what your intention was, or what you were capable of doing. You kept your distance…for a while. Then you showed up in my continent, in my state, and in my town. You spread like a wildfire. You even hurt someone my parents knew, but you let him be free of you and return to his two new babies and wife. You tried to tear everyone apart by not letting us be together, but we just grew closer.

You showed me that I can get up every morning and breathe. I can give thanks for my life. I can focus on what I want for the future, and give thanks for what I have now. You have helped everyone practice sanitary habits. We clean more, but more importantly, we show more love. The crime rate has gone down.

We give (send) flowers to each other. We write letters and have the opportunity to be happier, and calmer when we focus on that.

Now, I have two requests for you: please help others to see the beauty in all things and all people. We need to take advantage of that. Second, please slow down so we can conquer you. This is all so complicated and hating you takes a lot of energy, so please do not return.

— Graciel

Look for signs of anxiety in body language, tone, and cadence. Understand that crisis behavior reflects a need and consider what it is the other person might want.

Challenging or exercising authority over a person can escalate negative behaviors.

Considering options you can offer allows flexibility to address both parties’ needs and desired outcomes.

Behavior can’t be forced, but setting limits can help us influence behaviors. Framing acceptable behaviors or outcomes can encourage the other person to choose the most productive outcome.

Don’t take behaviors personally. Stay calm.

Find a positive way to release the negative energy you absorbed during the conflict.

Keep in mind, you can only control your own attitude and actions.

Learn from the conflict and help the other person to learn from the experience. Focus on identifying and preventing the pattern of behavior in the future. Finally, put time and effort into repairing the relationship.

Visit www.CrisisPrevention.com/ReduceConflict, where you can find additional tip and information on how to maintain calm and de-escalate crisis situations. The tips are applicable for situations one might encounter in public to those in close relationships, including working-from-home parents and grocery, restaurant, and retail staff.

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INSIGHT ON INSTRUCTION

We Miss Our Teachers!

Photos by iStock

Sometimes, when you’re at the airport, you hear an announcement. The announcement is, “Please let the military personnel board first.”

Occasionally, they even ask you to give a round of applause. Why do you think they do that?

Soldiers in the army are important because they protect us. Teachers in a school are also important because they teach us. But you didn’t think that teachers were very important at a time before this, did you? I mean, you saw them five days of the week. You didn’t see them for only two days of the week. But now you don’t see them at all. Whether it’s a weekday or a weekend makes no difference. At first you think it’s amazing.

But then without anything to do on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, you eventually get bored and want your teachers to tell you what to do.

Well, if you miss your teachers a lot, then email them. If you can’t email them, then send them a letter or a present by mail. Because either way, you can’t talk to them in person.l Part of a letter to the editor written by a Montgomery County elementary school student, published in May in The Roanoke Times

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School Counselors are Good for Mental Health and Academic Success A recent study from the Center on Education Policy Research at Harvard University is shedding more light on the value of school counselors. Its findings indicate that while teachers and counselors both affect students significantly, what counselors do can move beyond boosting mental health and be similar to what teachers do when it comes to educational attainment.

Some key findings of the study, called “Beyond Teachers: Estimating Individual School Counselors’ Effects on Educational Attainment”: While it varies with skill level, school counselors have a significant influence on academic achievement beyond high school. An outstanding counselor affects the type of college a student chooses and what majors are chosen. Ninth grade counselors have a greater impact on high school graduation than counselors in later high school years, but 12th grade counselors have a greater impact on college enrollment. In addition, school counselors also affect suspensions and AP and SAT test-taking.

Counselors have the greatest impact for low-achieving and low-income students. A high-quality school counselor boosts graduation rates for low-achieving high school students by 3.4 percent and increases their attendance rates to four-year colleges by 8 percent. Having a counselor of color also benefits students of color, as their chances of high school graduation and college attendance both grow by 3.8 percent.

Counselors’ impact comes more from the information and assistance they provide than from improving students’ cognitive or non-cognitive skills. While the study’s author points out that school counselors do many things that can’t be measured, their largest measurable impact is on college readiness and selectivity.l

INSIGHT ON INSTRUCTION

Illustrations by iStock

A Good Word A recent study shows that if teachers use more praise and fewer reprimands in elementary school classrooms, students seem to do better at both staying on-task and behaving better. The study’s lead, Paul Caldarella of Brigham Young University, notes that the higher the teacher’s praise-to-reprimand ratio, the higher the students’ on-task percentage was, based on three years of observation in K-6 classrooms in Missouri, Tennessee, and Utah.l

Turn the Robots Loose!

Science fiction and fantasy do not need to provide a mirror image of reality in order to offer compelling stories about serious social and political issues. The fact that the setting or characters are extraordinary may be precisely why they are powerful and where their value lies…

Let them read science fiction. In it, young people can see themselves—coping, surviving, and learning lessons—that may enable them to create their own strategies for resilience. In this time of COVID-19 and physical distancing, we may be reluctant for kids to embrace creative forms that seem to separate them psychologically from reality.

But the critical thinking and agile habits of mind prompted by this type of literature may actually produce resilience and creativity that everyday life and reality typically do not.l Esther L. Jones, Associate Provost and Dean of the Faculty, Clark University

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FIRST PERSON: NARRATIVES FROM THE CLASSROOM

2020: What a Strange Trip it’s Been — Courtney Cutright 2020 wasn’t the school year any of us imagined.

I usually count down to the last day of the school with my students. It begins when we return from spring break and summer looms. We excitedly track the days on the white board as we squeeze in last minute lessons before standardized testing.

Textbooks are collected, laptops and library books returned, and yearbooks distributed.

This spring has undoubtedly been very different amid a global pandemic. In recent weeks, I’ve found myself checking and re-checking my calendar because the actual “last day of school” seems so abstract. For many teachers and students, school ended in March with the governor’s order to close.

Then in mid-May, the school year ended for me again when I had to clean out my classroom for summer. I fought back tears as I removed bookmarks from books unintentionally abandoned by my students. An Instagram post (by k_is_for_ kinderrific) captured the sentiment: “Packing up your classroom without saying goodbye is like unpacking from a trip you never got to take.” Preparing my room for summer did not provide the sense of closure it normally does.

As I write this, there are still a few days left on the school calendar. Though technically this year has not ended, already I’m worrying about what next year will bring. There are many unknowns. How will the virus and social distancing guidelines affect K-12 education? Will the school year begin on time? Will schools operate on hybrid schedules to limit the number of students in the building? How will learning occur, and will it be different than what we experienced virtually this spring? How will my role as an educator continue to evolve?

It is difficult to plan ahead and even harder to reflect while we are still – and will be for quite some time – battling this virus. Professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe said it

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VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | JUNE 2020

well during the “Graduate Together” virtual high school commencement: “We don’t currently have the benefit of hindsight. We can’t yet look back at all we went through and crystallize what we have learned. These moments can feel powerless, purposeless and overwhelming.”

I can say as a teacher thrust into working from home while simultaneously parenting and educating my own second-grader, I felt it all – powerless, purposeless and overwhelmed – at one time or another. In those low moments, I looked to the students and educators in my school community and was touched by the hard work, inspiration, and kind gestures that have surfaced during this public health crisis.

Several times the bright spot of my days were the emails I received from students saying hi and telling me they missed school, teachers, and friends.

(At my school, while teachers telecommuted, ESPs bagged students’ belonging from more than 700 lockers pictured here). They rode buses every day during the first two weeks of closure, delivering meals and instructional materials.

Our music teachers arranged virtual concerts to showcase our students’ impressive talents, and the art teacher created a digital art show. I was blown away by our students’ work, while also pleased to see their happy faces.

Our librarian provided daily email updates with reading opportunities for both students and staff. Her efforts included a multi-day poetry challenge in April that surprisingly attracted more than 100 staff submissions and perhaps unintentionally drew us closer together.

Our administrators arranged for a drive-through lunch pickup during Teacher Appreciation Week. Many individuals helped bring our school community together when we were forced to be apart physically.

These actions, both small and grand, brought me comfort and peace knowing that not only we will overcome, but this may be our opportunity to make public education better. Because when times get tough, we step up – especially when the unexpected occurs.

Public education hit a number of roadblocks and detours this spring, but we will regain our bearings. Meanwhile, this could be the spark that ignites change. I’ve seen many social media posts calling for better pay and more appreciation for teachers now that parents are overseeing remote learning. Hopefully many students who are tethered to technology will realize they may have taken the classroom experience for granted.

Though we didn’t expect it, this pandemic may be the force that revamps public education.l Cutright (courtcut@gmail.com), a member of the Roanoke County Education Association, teaches English at Northside Middle School.

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