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Shared Learning Environment

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Future Teachers Club Page 9

The official publication of the 133,000-member Illinois Education Association-NEA Vol. 10 Issue 1 September 2013

Advocate

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Illinois Education Association-NEA 100 East Edwards Springfield, IL 62704-1999

Colleagues,

very day you enter your school sites, ready to provide the best for your students, from pre-school through higher education. Yet, while all of us are working hard to help mold our students into productive, educatedcitizens, many in the business and political world continue to disparage our efforts. They claim we, as union members, only want status quo and arent willing to adapt. How wrong they are. In this time of increased focus on quality, we have the opportunity to change this long-held, inaccurate perception by embracing common core and by sharing what we do with the outside world. We, THE professionals, must lead the profession. What does that really mean? Partly it means bargaining language that provides us with the right resources, professional development, mentoring, etc. to deliver the best. But it also includes another part: embracing new methods, and pushing for quality for our students. It means learning the best way to deliver the common core standards and sharing units, lessons and ideas with each other. I agree with the challenge from NEA President Dennis Van Roekel. He has called upon educators to work to make sure that every local association not only focuses on contract and grievance issues, but also has a strong group of members who are focused on the professional issues we are facing, such as implementing new evaluation processes, implementing the Common Core State Standards and preparing for the new Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) tests. As with many issues, IEA members hold varying views on common core standards. The fact is, the standards are here to stay. Common core, because it is the process of providing the technique of teaching, gives all of us a chance to step into the spotlight. Who better to take charge of this than teachers? This is an opportunity to share ideas, embrace change, to work together for shared success to lead! There are many resources available to help you as these new standards are adopted. Please see the websites highlighted in the box below.
2Advocate SEPTEMBER 2013

Common core standards can help each person improve his/her teaching and is a way for educators to come together in designing great lessons. But, it cannot be just viewed as another list to merely check off in the curriculum. Common core standards, alone, arent the panacea for student learning. It still comes down to what all research shows that the biggest influence on student learning is the teacher. Education leader and presenter, Nancy Flanagan of Michigan, recentlywrote about the effect of poverty on student learning. Education can help move students out of poverty but education, alone, cant eradicate poverty. And then she went on to talk about common core standards, Pretty much everyone knows that standards, by themselves, have absolutely zero magical transformative power. If test scores improve as a result of the common core standards, it will be because teachers decide one at a time, school by school to reshape their own instruction, conforming to these national standards and the aligned tests. As I read those words, I thought of the many, many IEA members I have met who are doing incredible work with students teachers and ESPs from pre-k to graduate school, and I am confident that we can be the leaders of our profession Dennis van Roekel challenges each local to do, and as our students deserve. And then, I add another piece: we must make sure that we showcase our work. Truthfully, we should at least partially excuse the business and political leaders for their views after all, do we take the needed steps to showcase our work, invite them into our schools, broadcast our efforts? Just as we arent in their places of business to really know what goes on, they, too, arent in our schools every day to see

the incredible impact you all have on students. So, I say shout it from the rooftops, talk about all the positives as you meet people in the community, tell your students parents. You are THE professionals. And we, together in IEA, can be seen as leading our profession.

Advocate
IEA Advocate, Volume 10, Issue 1, Sept. 2013. The Advocate is published five times annually by the Illinois Education Association-NEA. Send correspondence to: iealistens@ieanea.org or IEA Department of Communications, 100 East Edwards Street, Springfield, IL 627041999. The IEA-NEA Advocate (ISSN #1540-482X) is the official publication of the Illinois Education AssociationNEA as a benefit of membership. A non-member subscription is available at $10 per year. Periodicals postage paid at Springfield, IL.

The Illinois Education AssociationNEAs mission is to effect excellence and equity in public education and to be THE advocacy organization for all public education employees. Cinda Klickna
Charles McBarron
Director of Communications

President

Bob Ray

Kathi Griffin
Vice President

Media Relations Director

Sarah Antonacci
Communications Specialist

Secretary-Treasurer

Al Llorens

Mark Ritterbusch
Graphic Designer

Denise Ward

Audrey Soglin

Administrative Assistant

Executive Director

Linda Rice
Secretary

Postmaster: Send address corrections to Illinois Education Association, attn: Membership Processing, 100 East Edwards, Springfield, IL 62704-1999

Please see these websites for more information on common core standards:

www.ieanea.org/resources/common-core-standards http://commoncoreil.org

Making a difference every day

Alton janitor gives students first jobs from own pocket

Gary Williams is much more than a
janitor at Alton Middle School. For many students there, he is a lifeline. Williams, who is set to retire this winter, graduated from Alton High School in 1968 and came back to work for the district in 1972. Over the course of those 41 years, he has become a fixture at what is now Alton Middle School. His care for these children you see it all around here how much he goes out of his way to make sure children are cared for said Brenda Powers, a sixth grade language arts teacher. Kids will go through here and maybe not remember a teachers name, but theyll always remember his. Williams has for years run a program in the school lunchroom where he hires students to help him pick up trays, empty garbage and do other lunchtime clean up activities. Since 1990, he has always paid those kids from his own pocket $6 an hour for the boss, $5 an hour for the assistant boss and $3 an hour for all the other workers. In return, the students must behave in school and get good grades. If they dont, their money goes into a kitty that is used to pay for school trips and other activities that kids might not be able to pay for on their own. But its not just any kids that get these jobs. Williams has a knack for choosing the shiest, the most disenfranchised, the kids who need something positive in their lives the very most. I remember a rough childhood and I wanted to see these kids get a good break in life. I know some kids go home to a rough life and I wanted them to be able to look forward to something. I want to be able to help them, he said. Before he was able to pay the students, Williams would give them a giant cookie on Fridays to reward them for a weeks work. They thought it was great. So, hed pick the kids who needed it most and hed tell them, When you get tired of working for me, go play with your friends. One day, he said, hed look around and realize he was working on his own. Id think, Well, thats the way it was supposed to work. Now they all had someone to play with. Camille Carpenter graduated eighth grade in the spring and said her time working for Williams was wonderful because she got to walk around at lunch when everyone else has to sit down and because she made good friends among the other kids working on the lunch crew. Hes super nice. Hes just super nice and friendly to be around, she said. Williams had to make a devastating decision last January when the amount of money deducted from his check for Social Security jumped. There was no way he was going to be able to pay his students and still be able to make ends meet at home. I got my paycheck in January and I knew I couldnt pay them. I got really upset. I wrote a letter to each principal and I had to tell the kids. Much to Williams surprise, the kids said they wanted to work for him whether they were going to get paid, or not. He was nice enough to pay us and he came and told everyone he was getting his pay cut, said Trevor Rister, another of Williams helpers who graduated in the spring. They said, Well, well volunteer, Rister recalled. His personality is so likeable. His funness. We just like working with him. He is a good guy. Its not about the money. Its about working. Williams isnt sure what hes going to do when he retires. He said hell likely sit around for a few months, but hes pretty sure hes not going to be able to stay away from the school. Ill probably come back and volunteer, or something.

www.ieanea.org

VIDEO

SEPTEMBER 2013 Advocate3

THE IEA IS EXCITED to announce a

new grant program SCORE designed to allow our early career members to identify needs in their communities and provide ways to meet those needs. SCORE Schools and Community Outreach by Educators is being funded by the National Education Association along with the IEA. The program was started after early career teachers and ESPs indicated theyd like to do more for their students if they had the means to do so. Our members with 10 years of experience, or less, have made it very clear that they want to make a difference in the lives of their students not just in the classroom or in the school, but in their communities, too, said Cinda Klickna, IEA president. We wanted to provide them with a way to do that. Nicole Kurtovich is a fourth grade teacher in Pekin who, through the IEA Student Program, became involved in Outreach to Teach projects where IEA members went to schools over the course of the summer and provided needed updates and repairs. Service, to her, is important. (These kinds of) projects show our students that we care about them, that we care about where they come from and we care about the communities they go home to at the end of the day, she said. Its about being a positive role model to them. Aaron Bolden is a Rockford music teacher who is a strong believer in community service by educators. Service is a reflection of doing something for more than your own means and your own standards and for the betterment of the people around you.
4Advocate SEPTEMBER 2013

The money is available to teachers or ESPs who have been on the job 10 years or less. Grant proposals of $1,000 or less are encouraged in order to fund as many projects as possible. Proposals of more than $1,000 will be considered, but may not be fully funded. We WANT to give the money away, said Meredith Byers, IEA Early Career Development and Student Program director. We encourage creativity in the ideas that are submitted. We know our members see lots of opportunities to be of service in their communities and we just want to be able to help their dreams of helping become reality. There are no limits on what kinds of projects can be funded from food banks, to homework programs to playground rehabs anything goes. The possibilities are limitless. Applications are to be received by Sept. 30 and grant recipients will be notified by Oct. 15. The money will fund activities that are completed no later than Aug. 15, 2014. Applications can be done in writing or by video. And, whatever the project is, there must be an element to it that is shared through some type of social media. There is much more information available about the program on the IEA website at www.ieanea.org/score.

Service is a reflection of doing something for more than your own means and your own standards and for the betterment of the people around you.

SCORE grant program

$1,000 or less, though larger amounts will be considered Application deadline: Sept. 30 Notification deadline: Oct. 15 To help with needs in your communities

Application procedure: Video or written submission MORE INFORMATION:

www.ieanea.org/score

Lena-Winslow school district gets makeover, thanks to IEA

MORE THAN 40 IEA members descended

upon Lena-Winslow School District #202 to spruce up the building, grounds and students learning environments. The June 7 project was coordinated through the IEA Student Program and the Lena-Winslow Teachers Association as part of IEAs Outreach to Teach, a service project that allows IEA members, who spend each day making a difference in students lives, to add a new component to that commitment. Many IEA-Retired members showed up to help out as well. Im so happy to have teachers from the school here who helped us, said Krissi Gashaw, an IEASP member and early childhood education major from Western Illinois University. Its amazing to be a part of a school district that was so prepared and organized and happy to have us here. Were so glad everyone loved it. Among the projects the crew completed were a complete repainting of the high school gym, using scaffolding and all. And, much work was done outside to the landscaping near the junior high and elementary building. The Lena-Winslow Teachers Association and the student program began working together through physical education high school teacher Susan Nicholas, a council member in IEA Region 19, who also helped with the project. The local president of the Lena-Winslow Teachers Association is Kyle Benson. It was an inspiring sight, said Mark Kuehl, a school administrator.

It was a great day for our community and for the association to help us out, he said. Retired teachers and students here helping the community. This means a great deal to us. They are a bunch of hard workers. I couldnt believe we could get done in an afternoon what weve done here. Outreach to Teach is a national service project completed by the National Education Association Student Program in the host city of the NEAs major convention each summer. Illinois student leaders take part in that yearly project and wanted to recreate something similar on a state level. Their participation has inspired them for the past several years to

reach out within IEA to active members in the hopes that their school districts would be willing to join forces with the student program to make a difference. Now that Ive graduated from college, I look back and realize how important this is. Students see the benefit of helping a community. This event made me fall in love with our organization. It made everyone come together and be cohesive. Its a great experience that I dont regret at all, Gashaw said.
www.ieanea.org

VIDEO

SEPTEMBER 2013 Advocate5

Have you ever thought

to yourself how much youd like to have a classroom pet? Or, have you had a great idea for a way to include technology in your classroom? Maybe youre looking for tips on best classroom practices or teacher evaluation. Take a look at these five spots to get free money and helpful advice.

Collaboratory:
www.teachingquality.org/ collaborator
The Collaboratory is a virtual community for connecting, learning and innovating with teachers to transform education. Its meant to serve as an incubator for teachers bold ideas and innovative solutions. Once you join Collaboratory, you can participate in one or more content labs for focused discussion and collaboration. Those labs include the areas of classroom practice, school redesign, common core, teacher evaluation and innovative leadership. There are blogs and pertinent news, as well.

The NEA Foundation: www.neafoundation.org/pages/grants-to-educators. There are a number of grants available through the NEA Foundation, including student achievement grants and learning and leadership grants. The foundation also offers on its website great resources for submitting winning applications. Student achievement grants may be used for resource materials, supplies, equipment, transportation, technology or scholars in residents. They can be used to support outside-of-school programs, pay stipends, conference fees and other items. Learning and leadership grants are awarded to support public school teachers, public education support professionals and/or faculty and staff to fund participation in high-quality professional development experiences or grants to groups to fund study, research or mentoring. Great Public Schools:
www.gpsnetwork.org
The Great Public Schools Network has launched. It is NEAs online professional network and resource tool that connects members and the community together to promote student success and improve public education. There are multiple professional networks (group discussions) available and if theres a topic thats not addressed, you can add one. In addition, there will be grants awarded through the site, so watch this fall for further information about whats being offered and how to apply.

Pet Care Trusts Pets in the Classroom:

www.PetsintheClassroom.org
Heres a unique grant. The Pets in the Classroom program is accepting grant applications for the 201314 school year. Pre-kindergarten through 8th grade teachers who want a pet in the classroom or who already have one and are searching for help paying for its care are urged to apply. Teachers can obtain grants for the purchase of new pets, pet environments or pet food and supplies for existing classroom pets. There are seven types of grants available, including two new ones this year.

IEA Pinterest page:

http://pinterest.com/ieanea
Follow IEA on Pinterest. IEA searches for interesting classroom ideas, great art projects, education theory and tips on teacher evaluation, among other items. Next time youre on Pinterest find us and follow us!

6Advocate SEPTEMBER 2013

www.ieanea.org/members/retired/

Retired teachers cant stay away from school, run for boards, win
VOTERS AGREE. Theres no one who knows local education needs better than retired educators. Thats why in Aprils elections, at least five former teachers and IEA members were elected to their local school boards. I was very frustrated with the direction the school board was going at the time. In my opinion, there was a very strong faction that believed the purpose of the district was to put on football games for Friday night entertainment, said Terry Waldron, who retired from the district in 2011 and was not only elected to the board in the spring of 2013, but also named president. They spent a lot of time and money recruiting coaches and buying equipment while cutting back on textbooks and other classroom items at the same time. So, Waldron decided to do something about it. He ran for the board. He and two others helped unseat the football-loving faction and he now gets a say in the districts direction, where money is spent, the budget, common core curriculum and other things that impact his former students and fellow teachers everyday. Bob Blade, a former teacher and the retired vice president of the IEA, returned to Cumberland County and thought his experience might be valuable to the board of Cumberland Unit District 77. I was a fairly decent teacher and I have two granddaughters in high school and a grandson who will be starting kindergarten this year and I want to make sure

At least five retired educators and members of IEA-Retired won spots on their local school boards in the spring 2012 elections. They are: Bob Blade, Cumberland Unit District 77

Terry Waldron, president of Sparta Community Unit District 140 Alida Graham, Decatur Board of Education Kim Kearby, Round Lake Unit District 116

they all get quality educations. He said there was nothing the board was doing that made him feel compelled to run but that he felt he had a civic duty he should perform. After all, he graduated from the district and taught in their district, too. Blade said there havent been any major issues that have arisen during his short tenure but he has seen one place he wants to make a difference. One rude awakening happened when I took the oath of office, he said. There is a line in there about protecting the taxpayers interest but there is nothing about providing a quality education for the kids in the district. I was just floored by that. Hes right. The oath asks board members to uphold Illinois laws, encourage and respect the free expression of opinion, respect the privacy of students and employees, to

Linda Volkman, Streator Elementary School District 44

recognize that he or she has no legal authority as an individual but only as part of a majority of the board, to promise to abide by the boards decisions and to respect taxpayer interests by serving as a faithful protector of the school districts assets. Nowhere does it mention the quality of the districts education. Blade intends to draft some sample legislative language and talk to his fellow retired educators who also serve as school board members across the state to come together to see that the language of the oath is changed. I can certainly understand being mindful of community resources, but we also ought to care about quality education. When youre sworn into office, that ought to be the priority, in my opinion, not taxpayer dollars.
SEPTEMBER 2013 Advocate7

he Illinois Shared Learning Environment could one day provide information about a students history, learning styles and a full catalog of quality classroom material all in the touch of a few buttons. Called ISLE, the online platform that will be cloud-based is currently being developed to help personalize learning for students as well as to give teachers data about students past attendance, testing results, disciplinary records and more, even if the student switches schools or districts. According to its website, it will feature dashboards, learning maps and access to resources to help educators better connect with their students. This summer, two groups of Illinois educators were invited to focus groups to hear about ISLE and what it intends to offer when its complete. For some, ISLEs vision sounds promising. I would love to be able to work with a specific standard and find everything of quality around that standard, said Kelli Murray, a third grade teacher from Decatur who took part in the focus groups. At our district level, I have been involved for four years creating standards for math and Im picturing (ISLE) to do that on a much larger scale. If ISLE could provide something like that on a greater scale, that would be phenomenal. To have resources at our fingertips that are tried and tested would put teachers at an advantage. In addition, Murray said, being able to track students performance, attendance
8Advocate SEPTEMBER 2013

and disciplinary information from data stored in a cloud would be helpful. No matter where a kid was or what district they were in, it would be great to be able to pull from all those resources. There are a lot of good feelings for that. ISLE will use inBloom, a company that was created in response to school administrators requests to create a secure data storage resource for student information, and to meld that information with learning resources. Illinois is one of five states currently working on a pilot program to test inBlooms work. Whitney Vanderspool-Snell, another Decatur teacher who participated in the focus group for ISLE, said she has mixed feelings about the technology. I was impressed with the idea. Its revolutionary in its own way, she said. She thinks it could be a wonderful tool to be able to use in a classroom to get a read on a student. You can look at a student all the way across the board and see what that student needs. In bigger classes, and all of our classes keep getting bigger, its sometimes hard to think about the individual student and what we need to do for them. This would help. On the other side of that coin, though, shes concerned that relying more and more
For more information see

on computers and technology to teach students what they need to know eventually diminishes the art of teaching and even the need for teachers. Im afraid technology could end teaching careers because there would be no personal connection with teachers anymore, she said. Larry Frank, research specialist with the IEA, has been monitoring ISLEs progress through the Illinois State Board of Education. He understands Vanderspool-Snells concerns but said there is a lot of promise in offering some courses or materials online to students. What if you have a kid who is in a rural area and this kid is great at physics but cant take anything beyond Physics I because the school doesnt offer it, Frank said. In cases like this, a program like ISLE could be very helpful. Frank said the IEA is working to see that some core set of texts and analysis of student learning would be available without charge to all Illinois districts. Districts could then buy other things that inBloom would offer. He said the IEA has also been instrumental in making sure that the state board and designers understand in their development process what will actually be helpful to teachers in the classroom.

www.ilsharedlearning.org and www.facebook.com/ILSharedLearning

Future Teachers Club introduces students to profession at young age

Theresa Tippy, a child development
teacher at Streamwood High School in Elgin, believes a program within her district that allows students to get a taste of what being a teacher is really like is beneficial in more ways than one. The Future Teachers Club is sponsored by the Elgin Teachers Association and is getting ready to kick of its third year. Through FTC, students at each off Elgins six high schools get a chance to get into classrooms, visit schools that have strong education programs and build bonds with others who are interested in becoming future educators. Our ultimate goal is to get students interested in education by giving them hands-on experience in the classroom as much as possible, she said. Once we get them interested, wed like for them to get their education degree and teach in our district so we have teachers who have gone to school here and who come back home to teach. This grow-your-own idea is often used with public and private partnerships where businesses come in to schools to help train students or get students interested in certain fields of study. Its not as common for public schools to use the grow-your-own idea with its own students, but its hoped that the program will continue to be strong and prove successful so that the teachers better reflect the diverse population of Elgin schools. I would say that the majority of my classes, 70-80 percent, are Hispanic, said Tippy, who serves as one of two teachers at Streamwood who work as site coordinators for FTC. We have a nice cultural mix, but the majority of our district is Hispanic, so we have a strong representation in our group of that culture. I think thats great because if they come back and teach in our district, that would be fantastic for us and for our student population.

Each of the districts high schools has one or two people who serve as site coordinators for the program. They are responsible for organizing activities, scheduling meetings, recruiting members, etc. Twice a year, all the club members from every school get together to exchange notes and they all take field trips together. The ETA pays for most of those activities. We wouldnt have been able to do a lot of the things weve been able to do without the ETA. The ETA has been a great support, Tippy said. Tippy said her students at Streamwood pair up and go out twice during the school year to read to elementary school students and develop an activity for the younger students to do during class. Some also do the same for special education classrooms at the high school. They get the hands-on experience of being in a classroom and they come to the understanding that you have to have more skills than just standing up and reciting information in front of a room, she said.

In addition, the club takes field trips to community colleges and universities that offer education programs. She said several of her students have gone on to study education at the college level. Others have decided after being part of the program that education might not be their calling. I think its just as important that if they think they want to get into education, get into a classroom and work with students and think, Thats not what I want to do. Finding that out now is just as valuable, Tippy said.

For more information, visit the U-46 Future Teachers Club website at: http://schools.u-46.org/index.pl?iid=88176
SEPTEMBER 2013 Advocate9

Photos: Chicago Sun-Times

U-46
Book Bus connects transportation local with the students they care for
It was meant to be a one-time thing.
Paulette Walsh and others in the District U-46 Transportation Union in Elgin came up with an idea in the spring of 2012 that they thought could better connect their local association with the community at large. We were in the middle of negotiations and that can always be stressful and I was thinking that I wanted to do something that would alleviate the stress a little bit, give back to the community a little bit and make us really show our worth to the district, Walsh said. So, she came up with the idea of doing a book drive. The intent was to collect books from other drivers and give them away. But the idea quickly spread. School staff donated books. Parents did, too. A couple of stores joined in, as well. Before we knew it, we had so many books that we didnt know what to do with them, she said. They sorted through an estimated 2,500 books, categorizing them by age and weeding out those that were inappropriate. They took a 68-passenger bus and filled it front to back with two to three boxes per seat full of books. The giveaway was set for June 5, 2012. It was so successful that the transportation local decided to keep carrying on. To date, theyve participated in 10
10Advocate SEPTEMBER 2013

Book Bus giveaways. Retiring teachers are donating books, a local Catholic school gave them 500 and the United Way sent 10 to 12 boxes their way. They paired up with the local library, which has a summer reading challenge. Every place the Book Bus went, someone from the library was there encouraging kids to sign up for the librarys summer reading program. Then, Walsh said, the Book Bus paired up with Elgin Parks and Recreation. Parks and Rec had a free lunch program at lower income sites in Elgin. They provided a free, boxed lunch, activities and games and the Book Bus came along to provide free books. Theyve also been to the Streamwood Fest. This has been such positive exposure for our department and the district. We dont want to look like were just bus drivers. Were employees of the district. Were not a third party. We want people to know how much we care about our students. This was a great way to do it, Walsh said. Our community is very varied and has been affected greatly by the economy, so little stresses can seem huge when youre affected financially in one place or another. To have a program like this that is free and good for kids and gives parents a chance to build relationships with their bus drivers, can make a big difference. The program could be poised to grow even more.

For a year, mechanics at the garage would unload all the books from the bus after each outing, load them on pallets and use a forklift to put the pallets up into storage. Recently, Elgin decided to buy new buses and the district agreed to give a wheelchair accessible bus to the Book Bus program to use permanently. Its roomier, accessible and allows the books to be stored on the bus year round. Walsh is looking forward to the new school year and to new relationships the drivers in her local have made through the Book Bus. The first two weeks of school are crazy. Its not perfect. Theres a lot of tweaking to the routes, she said. But when you talk to someone person to person, you get a different feel for them. We dont just drive our kids to school. Were counselors, nurses, substitute parents, EMTs. Were not just driving a bus. When you talk to people, they understand that. Walsh said she hopes the idea catches on elsewhere. She said the biggest compliment to the Elgin Book Bus program would be if transportation locals in other districts started Book Bus programs of their own. Lets face it: We have competition out there and if we dont do more and do it better, then theyre not going to think were worth it. We have to do more.

Book Bus Facebook page is www.facebook.com/pages/The-Book-Bus/215804518565767

IEA members honored by state

Teacher by the Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Karen Brady-Popovich, Metea Valley High School in Aurora, as the Illinois High School Art Educator of the Year by the Illinois Art Education Association. Helene Caliva, Robert E. Clow Elementary School in Naperville, as the Outstanding Economic Educator of the Year by the Illinois Council for Economic Education. Kraig Conyer, Hinsdale South High School in Darien, as IAHPERD Adapted Physical Education Teacher of the Year by IAHPERD Jason Dane, New Trier High School in Winnetka, as IAHPERD Health Education Teacher of the Year by IAHPERD. Dawn Davis, Washington High School in Washington, as the IAHPERD Secondary Health Educator of the Year by IAHPERD. Kerry DiFusco, White Eagle School in Naperville, as a Star in the Classroom by the Illinois Council for Economic Education. Linda Egnatz, Lincoln-Way North High School, as the Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Teacher of the Year by the Illinois Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. Carl Erbsen, Eastland Elementary School in Lanark, as the Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom Teacher of the Year by the Illinois Farm Bureau. Patrick Fardy, South High School in Downers Grove, as a Star in the Classroom by the Illinois Council for Economic Education. Kimberly Greiwe, Maine East High School in Park Ridge, as the IAHPERD Dance Teacher of the Year by IAHPERD. Christopher Grodoski, Franklin Middle School in Wheaton, as the Illinois Middle School Art Educator of the Year by the Illinois Art Education Association. Audrey Hill, Collinsville Middle School in Collinsville, as the IAHPERD Middle School Teacher of the Year by IAHPERD.

Kate Leckenby, Pleasant Ridge School in Glenview, IAHPERD Young Professional Elementary Teacher of the Year by IAHPERD. Matt Maddox, Columbus Elementary School in Edwardsville, National VFW Teacher of the Year by the VFW. Dave Meyer, Sycamore Middle School in Sycamore, as a Star in the Classroom by the Illinois Council for Economic Education. Jerrine Roderique, Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora, named the T.E. Rine Secondary Mathematics Teacher of the Year by the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Brenden Schultz, Pecatonica High School in Pecatonica, as the Illinois Farm to School Teacher of the Year by the National Farm to School Program. Alison Upton-Dunmore, South Elgin High School in South Elgin, named a Star in the Classroom by the Illinois Association for Economic Education.

Twenty three IEA members were honored at a luncheon this summer for being outstanding teachers in their areas of expertise. The Illinois State Board of Education, IEA and the Illinois Federation of Teachers honored 36 teachers who had been chosen teachers of the year by various professional organizations to which they belong during a June luncheon at the Governors Mansion. The IEA is always proud to help sponsor the Teacher Recognition Luncheon, a wonderful way to thank and acknowledge Illinois many outstanding educators, said Cinda Klickna, IEA president. The award winners have shown exemplary teaching in each of their fields, and they remind us that great education is being delivered to our students every day in every school in Illinois. Those IEA members who were recognized were: Hillary Andrlik, of Hinsdale-Clarendon Elementary District 181, who was recognized as the Illinois Elementary Art Educator of the Year by the Illinois Art Education Association. Joe Barker, Lyons Township High School in LaGrange, named VFW Teacher of the Year by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Matthew Beck, Erie Elementary School in Erie, recognized as GLSENs 2013 Educator of the Year by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. Bryan Bergman, Lyons Township High School in LaGrange, as the IAHPERD Young Professional Physical Education

IEA members featured in Education Week

Kimberly Long, a reading and language arts teacher at Daniel Wright Junior High in Lincolnshire, wrote an article about the realities of co-teaching and how to make it work in an April edition of Ed Week. Long highlighted five lessons shes learned from collaborating with a response-to-intervention reading specialist in a seventh grade reading class. Among those lessons: Trust is a must; recognize that things will go wrong; clarify role definitions; communicate and reflect; and actually try it. Heres a link to her article in the IEA insider: www.ieanea.org/2013/04/23/ insider-18. And, Kimber Larson, a sixth grade teacher in Yorkville, also was featured in an April Education Week Teacher article where she wrote about grading donts that saved my classroom.
Continued on page 12 SEPTEMBER 2013 Advocate 11

Continued from page 11

Among the tips she uses: she doesnt mark down for late assignments; she doesnt assign zeroes; she doesnt award extra credit; and, she wont grade anything but end-of-unit assignments. She said she focuses on growth and development and relies on her behavior rules to guide students toward completing their work. Heres a link to her article in the IEA insider: www.ieanea.org/2013/05/07/ insider-for-may-7.

MARK BAILEY

IEA ESP selected for leadership program

Tracy Harper, a District 300, ESP has been chosen by the NEA for its Leaders for Tomorrow program. The program is a three-session training process held over an eight-month period that is open to ESPs who are nominated for the program that trains current and future leaders in leadership attitudes, skills and knowledge that will enhance their ability to be a visible, vocal advocate at the local, state and national levels of the NEA.

Bailey is the band director at Scott and River Woods schools in Naperville and has had a long career as a professional musician, music teacher and band director at private and public schools throughout the Chicago area. He is currently president of the Naperville Education Association and treasurer of IEA Region 39. He holds a masters degree in leadership and administration from North Central College in Naperville and a bachelors degree in instrumental music from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.

Two new trustees named to TRS Board

Rainy Kaplan of Schaumburg and Mark Bailey of Palos Park have joined the board of the Teachers Retirement System and started four-year terms this week.

Kaplan and Bailey are filling two of the four seats reserved under state law for active TRS members elected by other active members across Illinois. They take the place of RAINY KAPLAN Molly Phalen of Rockford and Jan Cleveland of Carmi, who are also IEA members who retired at the end of their latest terms after 16 years of service on the board. Kaplan is a Spanish teacher, head boys track and field coach at Westmont High School and a member of both the IEA and NEA Boards of Directors. She holds two masters degrees in administration from Concordia University in River Forest and teaching and leadership from St. Xavier University in Chicago. She completed her undergraduate work in Spanish and secondary education at Bradley University in Peoria.

Belden Boy updated to match Illinois curriculum standards

Patricia Harte-Naus, a teacher at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School in Glen Ellyn, has written two books about a fictional boy from the 1870s, Belden Boy, and the series is now aligned with the Common Core State Standards and the required programs of the states Bully Task Force. The Belden Boy series was inspired by a project HarteNaus worked on in the Galena area where she helped refurbish a one-room schoolhouse, a piece of the areas history. She wound parts of real, historic events that happened in the area with the fictional tale of a boy who gets bullied in school. She uses the books in her own class and hopes the work shes done spreads to others. For more information, visit www.beldonboy.com.

IEA BOARD OF DIRECTORS ROLL CALL VOTES MARCH 15, 2013

The budget for 2013-2014, including the staffing changes presented at the budget open hearings, shall be a maximum increase of $2 in dues for every full-time certified member and a maximum increase of $1 for every full-time ESP member. As required by board policies, a roll call vote was taken and is recorded as follows: Voting Yes (79): Almgreen, Austin, Bailey, Bear, Beaulieu, Borge, Bradish, Brave, Ann Brooks, Addie Washington for Clark, Collette, Copper, Darin, Diestelmeier, Dwan-Collins, Engfer, Flowers, Freaner, Grimes, Gunn, Hagemaster, Addie Williams for Hastings, Cann for Hiatt-Hecox, Hile, Hirshman, Horne, Hoynes, Ivey, Jedrzejewski, Jesuit, Johnson, Kaplan, Kilgus, Klausing, Brosteau for Kurtzhals, Lawhorn for Lartz, Light, Love, Lucke, Ludden, Bettis for Madson, Mahrt, McCleary, McGinness, McGrath, Kell for Meyer, Mikos, Miller, Moore, Palmer, Paulus, Piechocinski, Pomykala, Sebak, Sheehan, Shiller, Sholtis, Siegel, Cathy Stewart, Stodola, Susberry Hill, Travis, Triplett, Tully, Turner, Valenta, Vanderjack, Veach, Walker, Walkup, Wallace, Waltmire, Robyn Washington, Weber, Wycislak, Young, Llorens, Griffin, and Klickna. Voting No (1): Cassens-Mickle. Absent (10): Frank Brooks, Brown, ODonnell, Palombit, Pierr, Reppen-Lucas, Ricks, Beverly Stewart, Westerman, and Zumbrook. THE MOTION CARRIED.

For more information visit

www.ieanea.org

12Advocate SEPTEMBER 2013

2013 IE A R EPR E SEN TAT IVE A SSEMBLY AWAR D WINNER S

Congratulations
ESP of the Year Award Alex Wallace Illinois Nominee for NEA Foundation Awards for Teaching Excellence Dr. Beverly Love IEA-R Mary Lou and Keith Hauge Award Elaine Ferguson IEA Friend of Education Award Sen. Michael Frerichs and Rep. Raymond Poe

The IEA Reg Weaver Human and Civil Rights Award Jean Rogers

Bob Haisman Teacher of the Year Award Nicole Kurtovich

Bob Haisman Student of the Year Award Brittany Archibald

Courage Award Derrick Schonauer

Register online at www.ieanea.org

SEPTEMBER 2013 Advocate 13

DEADLINES
IEA Reg Weaver Human and Civil Rights Award

Do you know a member who deserves recognition, or are you planning to nominate a student for an IEA scholarship? Take a moment to review details of the awards that will be presented at the 2014 IEA Representative Assembly. An individual IEA-NEA member or an IEA-NEA group may be nominated for this award, which recognizes those who have performed an outstanding humanitarian/civil rights activity or community service above and beyond normal association endeavors. An application for this award, presented by the IEA Human and Civil Rights Committee, will be available on the IEA website, www.ieanea.org in October. Nomination inquiries before October may be directed to Kristine Argue, 847/359-0300, Ext. 5204. Send completed applications to IEA Human Services and Civil Rights Award, Attn: Kristine Argue, Illinois Education Association, 553 N. North Court, Suite 210, Palatine, IL 60067-8124, by Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2014.

Bob Haisman Teacher of the Year Award This award, named in honor of former IEA President Bob Haisman, recognizes the individual contributions of a new teacher (a teacher with at least one years experience and not more than five). Applications are due by Jan. 3, 2014. Haisman Student of the Year Award This award honors an undergraduate Student Program member working toward a degree in education. Nominations are due by Jan. 3, 2014. Applications for all of these awards, as well as details regarding eligibility and qualifications, are available at the IEA website, www.ieanea.org. Nominations and supporting data for the Retiree award, Teacher of the Year and Student of the Year awards should be sent to Linda Walcher, 617 W. Apple Street, Freeburg, IL 62243.

PROPOSED Bylaw Amendments for 2014 IEA RA

Proposed bylaw amendments must be received by the IEA Bylaws and Resolutions Committee, in care of the Presidents Office, Illinois Education Association, 100 East Edwards, Springfield, IL 627041999, no later than 5 p.m. Central Standard Time, Dec. 13, 2013. This will enable the Bylaws and Resolutions Committee to prepare the proposed bylaw amendments for presentation to the executive committee and for publication in the Advocate. Proposed bylaw amendments submitted after this deadline will not be printed in the Advocate, and, therefore, will need a three-fourths vote for passage at the Representative Assembly. Forms are being sent to the board of directors in September and also will be available from the Springfield Legal Services office at Headquarters. The IEA Bylaws, Values and Vision can be found in the About section of the IEA website, www.ieanea.org. The Bylaws and Resolutions Committee has also prepared Model Local and Region Bylaws and guidance to help locals revise their current bylaws. The guidance includes a narrated PowerPoint presentation. These resources can be found under Bylaws, Value and Vision in the About section of the IEA website. If you have questions, please contact Freddy Hatfill, Chairperson, Bylaws and Resolutions Committee, 23470 Hollow Avenue, Jerseyville, IL 62052, (618) 498-4559 or fhatfill@gtec.com.

ESP of the Year

This award is meant to emphasize the contributions of education support professionals to their association, their schools and their communities. A downloadable application and complete rules are available at www.ieanea.org. ESP of the Year nominations must be mailed to Cathy Wyzykowski, IEA-NEA, 2230 Point Boulevard, Suite 400, Elgin, IL 601239204 and be postmarked by Nov. 1, 2013.

IEA-NEA Scholarship Applications

The deadline for the 2013-14 IEA-NEA Education Grant is Dec. 3, 2012. Last year, this program offered 45 scholarships of $1,500 each to children/legal wards of IEA members. The scholarship program is designed to support those who wish to enter teaching as a career. Applications are available on the IEA website, from your Local President, from your IEA Region Chair or from your field office.

IEA-Retired Awards
Mary Lou and Keith Hauge Retiree Award Given in honor of the late Mary Lou Hauge, first chair of the IEA Council of Retirees, and her late husband Keith, former editor of the IEA-R Informer, this award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the IEA-NEA Retired organization. Applications are due by Jan. 3, 2014.

Legislative Platform Outreach

Please use this form to share your ideas with the Legislative Committee to assist in the development of IEA-NEAs Legislative Platform (one issue per form). Please indicate which section of the Legislative Platform your suggestion applies to (Employee Rights, Retirement, School Finance, Quality Education, or Electoral Process). If you would like to read the 2013-2014 Platform, please log on to the IEA web page at: www.ieanea.org/legislative/ My IEA-NEA legislative platform comment is: Section: Suggestion:

Rationale:

Use additional sheets if necessary. Please return your comments by Dec. 16, 2013 to: Legislative Platform Illinois Education Association Government Relations Department 100 East Edwards Street Springfield, IL 62704 Fax: 217/544-0691 Email: Bambi.Rohr@ieanea.org 14 Submitted by: Phone: Email:

ELECTION NOTICE: Student Delegates to IEA RA

Article VII, Section 2 of the IEA-NEA Bylaws states that student members shall be allocated one delegate for every 100 student members for the April 2014 IEA-NEA Representative Assembly in Chicago. Our membership records as of October 2013 will determine the number of delegates to be elected. Only student members who are enrolled for a minimum of 12 semester hours may be elected to positions representing student members. Delegates will be elected by open nomination and secret ballot. Please use the nomination form printed below and fill in all information. Online forms are available at www.ieanea.org/about/elections.

Timelines for the election:

Nov. 1, 2013 ................................................Nominations due Nov. 6, 2013 ..............................Sample ballots and bios sent Nov. 13, 2013 ........................................Deadline for changes Nov. 18, 2013 ..................................................Ballots mailed Dec. 11, 2013 ........................................................Ballots due Dec. 13, 2013 ................................................Ballots counted

Timelines for run-off election: (if necessary)

Jan. 3, 2014......................................................Ballots mailed Jan. 22, 2014 ........................................................Ballots due Jan. 24, 2014..................................................Ballots counted

Please type or print your name below exactly as you wish it to appear on the ballot. INCLUDE SPACES AND PUNCTUATION. ONLY ONE CHARACTER PER BOX.

Membership identification number Region Address City Home Phone ( Cell Phone ( Fax Student Signature ) E-mail Name of College/University ) State School Phone ( ) Zip Student Chapter

TO BE COMPLETED BY REGISTRARS OFFICE:

The above-named student is enrolled for a minimum of 12 semester hours. Signature Date and Seal

Please type or print your candidate statement in the space provided below. ONLY ONE CHARACTER PER BOX. SPACES AND PUNCTUATION COUNT AS CHARACTERS. Candidate statements are limited to no more than 100 characters. Statements must not include an exhortation to vote for the candidate and must be nonpromotional, factual and objective.

NOMINATIONS MUST BE CERTIFIED BY REGISTRARS OFFICE AND SENT BY CERTIFIED MAIL. PLACE ONLY ONE FORM PER CERTIFIED ENVELOPE. SEND TO: PRESIDENTS OFFICE, IEA-NEA, 100 E. EDWARDS, SPRINGFIELD, IL 62704
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Its Time for 2014-2015 Budget Input

CRYSTAL LAKE# Scott Moore (64)

# ROUND LAKE Terri Zumbrook (38) # CREST HILL

Eileen Darin (56) Every year at the IEA Representative Assembly (RA), WOODRIDGE # the IEA budget and the dues level necessary to fund it Mona Johnson (30) Budget # MOLINE are set by 2/3 of the RA delegates present and voting. Bonnie Lartz (18) Committee Although passage of the budget occurs at the RA, nu# SMITHFIELD Members merous opportunities for member input are given Ann Brooks (13) prior to the budget vote. # NORMAL The IEA budget committee requests your participaVickie Mahrt (14) tion in preparing a proposed budget for presentation #SPRINGFIELD to delegates at the April 2014 IEA Representative AsPresident Cinda Klickna (11) Vice President Kathi Griffin (35) sembly. Broad-based member input is critical in asSecretary-Treasurer Al Llorens (27) sisting the committee in developing a proposed budget aligned with member priorities. Two non-voting IEASO representatives You will have the opportunity to give the committee direction through the input survey to be to be assigned. distributed this fall. The survey will be available electronically through the IEA Board of Directors, IEA Committee Chairs and local presidents. In addition, the survey will be available on the IEA # SPARTA Members Only website. All surveys will need to be completed by December 1. Debi Klausing (4) In order for the budget committee to represent IEA members, we need input from all IEA members. This is the way that your voice can be heard. It is your way of informing the budget committee what areas of the budget you feel are critical. If you have additional questions or ideas, please contact one of the budget committee members, said Kathi Griffin. # MURPHYSBORO Once again, two non-voting members of the Illinois Education Association Staff Organization Beverly Love (2) (IEASO) will participate as part of the committee. This inclusion reflects IEA and IEASOs commitment to collaboratively carrying out the work of the Association.

ELECTION NOTICE: Retired Delegates to IEA-RA

Article VII, Section 2 of the IEA-NEA Bylaws states that Retired Members shall be allocated one delegate to every 500 retired members for the April 2014 IEA-NEA Representative Assembly in Chicago. Our membership records show present membership at 9,277, which indicates there will be eighteen (18) at large delegates and one (1) ethnic minority delegate. Delegates will be elected by open nomination and secret ballot. Please use the nomination form printed below and fill in all information. Online forms are available at www.ieanea.org/about/elections.

Indicate position sought:

K At Large Delegate K Ethnic Minority

Please type or print your name below exactly as you wish it to appear on the ballot. INCLUDE SPACES AND PUNCTUATION. ONLY ONE CHARACTER PER BOX.

Timelines for the Election:

Oct. 4, 2013..........................Nominations Due Oct. 9, 2013 ......Sample Ballots and Bios Sent Oct. 16, 2013 .................Deadline for Changes Oct. 30, 2013.............................Ballots Mailed Dec. 11, 2013 ................................Ballots Due Dec. 13, 2013 .........................Ballots Counted

Membership identification number Former Region Address City Home Phone ( Fax ( ) ) State Cell Phone ( E-mail ) Zip Retired Chapter

Timelines for Run-Off Election: (If necessary)

Jan. 3, 2014...............................Ballots Mailed Jan. 22, 2014.................................Ballots Due Jan. 24, 2014..........................Ballots Counted

Please type or print your candidate statement in the space provided below. ONLY ONE CHARACTER PER BOX. SPACES AND PUNCTUATION COUNT AS CHARACTERS. Candidate statements are limited to no more than 100 characters. Statements must not include an exhortation to vote for the candidate and must be nonpromotional, factual and objective. NOMINATIONS MUST BE SENT BY CERTIFIED MAIL. PLACE ONLY ONE FORM PER CERTIFIED ENVELOPE. SEND TO: PRESIDENTS OFFICE, IEA-NEA, 100 E. EDWARDS, SPRINGFIELD, IL 62704
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