This Active Life -- March 2003

A Message from the President

NEA and NEA-Retired--Together and Growing

Chances are, you got into public education because you had a passion for helping children. And you joined NEA because the Association held the promise of helping you do your best for the benefit of America's children.

NEA-Retired holds a similar vision. We continue to support the worthy goals of Active teachers and support professionals, because our passion for helping public education has never wavered. NEA-Retired is a strong advocate for programs and initiatives that support a quality and productive life in retirement. These programs benefit not only current retirees but also those who will join our ranks down the road.

Now, NEA-Retired faces increasing competition from other organizations seeking Retired educators as members. One of our most pressing concerns is making sure Active and Retired educators know more about NEA-Retired and how it can help them live more productive lives. We've heard numerous accounts of Active and Retired educators being recruited by competing organizations that do not have the priorities of public education as their focus. Many folks are confused about which organization they should join when they retire.

Let's set the record straight. NEA-Retired is the only national retired organization affiliated with NEA, dedicated to the mission and goals of NEA; the only one that puts the needs of children and public education first. No other organization has the membership and resources we have--the 205,000 dedicated members of NEA-Retired and the 2.7 million Active NEA members with whom we join hands as advocates for strong pensions, health care, and quality public schools.

In the upcoming year, you'll continue to see the results of our efforts to sharpen NEA-Retired's identity. The more we get the message out, the better the chance the NEA team--Active and Retired members alike--will succeed in its worthy mission in "making public schools great for every child."

--NEA-Retired President Jim Sproul

This Active Life -- March 2003

People

Cuddling for Fun and Health

What parent doesn't wax nostalgic about the bliss of cuddling a newborn infant? Let's face it, only the sweet murmur of a baby sleeping on your shoulder gets you through the night feedings and foul-smelling diapers.

Arizona member John Campbell isn't a new dad, but he's head-over-heels in love with his volunteer assignment as a "cuddler" of premature infants born at the Thunderbird Samaritan Medical Center in Glendale.

"It's heaven," says Campbell, now in his third year as president of the Arizona Education Association-Retired. "The cuddlers, the nurses, and the babies all benefit from the program." Under the supervision of a developmental nurse specialist, the volunteers cuddle newborns who are born prematurely or face other issues, such as absent parents or a drug addiction.

"The human touch and the rocking is very beneficial to the babies," Campbell says. "They're often cranky, and when you rock them, that quiets them right down." Campbell is a volunteer cuddler once a week for four hours. He also volunteers at a hospital information desk another four hours a week (a post he held prior to being chosen as a cuddler).

After going through a training program, John's first assignment was cuddling Brandon, who was born three months premature and weighed just two pounds. "I had a thought that maybe I can't do this," he confesses. But Brandon gradually made strides and was ready to go home when he reached four-and-a-half pounds.

Campbell says he also leaves the hospital feeling better. "I've had two heart attacks, and I can tell when I'm quietly cuddling a child it brings my blood pressure down and I'm much calmer. I told one of the nurses that maybe [cuddling] should be part of heart attack rehabilitation!"

Frontier Teacher

Nebraska member Janet Gardner takes students back to a time when math was called arithmetic and cold pancakes or potatoes were the lunch of choice.

It's still 1888 at the Flowerfield School in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, where Gardner has served as a "school marm" for four years. Rebuilt on the grounds of a museum, the school now serves groups of fourth graders who visit to walk in the shoes of real frontier schoolchildren. Since 1987, more than 10,000 students have taken part in the unique curriculum, which is offered each fall.

Always striving for authenticity, Gardner dons a bonnet, brings her lunch in a pail, and wears a dress of her grandmother's. The students are to "sit up straight, with feet to the floor." Gardner is always asked about the dunce cap that sits on a stool; fortunately, she's never had to use it. It does spark a discussion on discipline in the late 1800s, when misbehavior was cause for a spanking or a rap on the knuckles with a pointer. Before lunch, students wash their hands with lye soap, and they aren't allowed to bring items like bottled soda or processed, packaged foods. In addition to working on their penmanship, students read from McGuffey Readers (circa 1879) and have a spelling bee at the end of the day.

Gardner loves being a school marm, and after 20 years of teaching she says she's still learning about Nebraska history. "This has been such a wonderful experience, and it's a great way to keep my hand in teaching."

--Lorinda Bullock

Legendary Straight Shooter Returns

Michael Jordan and Mario Lemieux did it, so why not Karla Roberts? Skeet shooters beware, after a lengthy hiatus, Missouri member Roberts is rested, relaxed, and ready to get back into competition.

Missouri member Roberts, you see, is a former world champion in skeet shooting (winning 13 ladies championships in different divisions) and a member of her state and national hall of fame. She remains the only woman ever to win five .12 gauge championships in a row.

Skeet shooting, Roberts explains, involves shooting at 25 clay pigeons launched in sequence in a prescribed course. Competitive skeet shooters shoot 100 targets in four gauges. After trying the sport on a whim back in the 1970s, Roberts got hooked and soon dominated her division.

Why did she stop? "It's an expensive hobby," she says. "My son was going off to college, and I just got more involved in teaching and coaching speech and drama." She also gave considerable time to NEA, serving as local president for four years.

Having recently retired, Roberts again has set her sights on honing her shooting skills. "I like it because it's an individual sport," she says. "You're shooting against your own skills, always trying to improve." In retirement, Roberts looks forward to more time traveling and competing. If her comeback is half as successful as the twilight heroics of Jordan and Lemieux, however, don't be surprised to see her in the winner's circle again.

This Active Life -- March 2003

News Briefs

Maryland Members OK New Governance Structure for Retirees

Diligence has paid off for NEA-Retired members in Maryland.

Culminating years of groundwork laid by Retired members in concert with their Active colleagues, the Maryland State Teachers Association recently passed a new bylaw that creates an official governance structure for Retired members. The MSTA-Retired will have a governance structure modeled after the NEA-Retired structure, including an Advisory Council and the offices of president, vice-president, and secretary/treasurer.

NEA-Retired member Roz Yee of Maryland says she studied other affiliate governance structures and "gleaned what we felt were the best points of each." A bylaw was then drafted and presented to MSTA members at its most recent Representative Assembly, where it passed easily.

Phyllis Parks Robinson, who chaired the state's retired issues advisory committee, says that the new bylaw means that "Retired members will really feel that they have a home within MSTA."

A former president of the Montgomery County Education Association, Robinson noted that MCEA already officially recognized local retirees in its governance structure. And local retirees have responded, for example, by working tirelessly to support pro-education candidates for office. "Retirees feel much more valued as members when they have a structure where they can have some influence," says Robinson.

The Advisory Council for the new MSTA-Retired was set to begin work early this year.

This Active Life -- March 2003

Member Profiles

Pre-Retired
Trudy McKendry

Background
I'm a school nurse-teacher at Narragansett Elementary School in Narragansett, Rhode Island. I've been a school nurse for 27 years. During that time, I've been a building rep, secretary, president of our local, and Narragansett's representative to the state Delegate Assembly. I've also served two years as an area vice-president.

Why I Chose to Become Active in NEA
I believe in unionism. My father was a union rep for the Providence firefighters, so I grew up around union issues. I just feel that the union has so much to offer, not just for job protection, but for so many other aspects of your life. The union can help with the financial considerations and insurance, and it also has very positive social benefits. Until people get involved, they don't know what they're missing!

Recently Retired
Marilyn Franklin

Background
I taught for 13 years at Oakes Elementary School in Okemah, Oklahoma. During that time, I was a building rep and president of our local, which is small but growing steadily.

How I'm Spending My Time
I'm working in real estate part-time. For two days a week, I work on a character education program organized by the Boy Scouts in two schools. I'm an avid fan of the Oklahoma Sooners football team, so I travel to a lot of games without now having to worry about school on Monday morning! Also, I'm working with Active and Retired members on issues like improving our health insurance. Unlike state employees, retired teachers do not get fully paid health insurance, so we're working to get that changed.

Active Retired
Helen Holloway

Background
I taught for 32 years, mostly as a social studies teacher, in DeValls Bluff, Arkansas, before retiring in 1994. I've served as president of the DeValls Bluff Education Association, been a member of the Arkansas Education Association-Retired Advisory Board, and now serve on the AEA legislative cadre.

Greatest Recent Thrill
Last summer, the University of Central Arkansas endowed a scholarship in my honor for $100,000 to attract minority students to higher education in central Arkansas. The chairman of the UCA Board of Trustees, Rush Harding, was a former student of mine, and I had earned my master's degree at UCA. The scholarship made me very proud because the money is going to help deserving students go to college in an area where a lot of them need the extra help.

This Active Life -- March 2003

Letters

Limit Spending on Drug Ads
Thank you for the excellent article, "Fighting for Fair Drug Prices" (January). The high cost of drugs is a major issue for retired citizens. Here's one possible solution I have not heard put forth: Limit the amount that pharmaceutical companies can spend on advertising.

I understand that the drug lobby is very powerful, and we would be fighting the advertising lobby as well. But I worry that without such a limit, the cost of prescription coverage would be prohibitive, and taxpayers will still foot the bill through added costs for Medicare. Pharmaceutical companies claim that drug research is what keeps their prices high, but we know that advertising is the culprit. Let's come up with a solution more creative than adding a prescription drug benefit to Medicare.

Janis Grosenick
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Don't Take Benefits Away
I was happy to see the letters responding to your article about the Social Security offsets ("The Tale of the Shrinking Pensions," September). However, one letter writer advised that "teachers need to plan ahead and utilize 403(b) plans and IRAs." That's not the point! No matter what kind of preparations you made for your retirement, the government does not have a right to take away part of that benefit, nor do they have the right to punish spouses by not allowing them to receive all of an earned survivor benefit.

Mary Ella Bergmann
Bridgeton, New Jersey

Call for Riders
Contrary to stereotypes, many retirees like to get out and enjoy the open road on motorcycles. I'm interested in linking up with other retirees who ride to plan tours or, perhaps, attend rallies. If you're interested, please contact me at 6823 National Pike, New Salem, PA 15468; or e-mail paulbierer@hotmail.com.

Paul Bierer
New Salem, Pennsylvania

Contributions

Many stories and features that appear in This Active Life are inspired by letters and e-mails we get from NEA-Retired members with ideas and concerns to share. Over the next month, we'd especially appreciate hearing from you if you'd like to contribute to the following story:

Avoiding Fraud and Cons. Senior citizens are common targets of mail and telemarketing fraud as well as old-fashioned con artists. We're looking for the stories of members who have been victimized, so that we can help others avoid becoming victims. Your name will be withheld at your request.

In addition, we are always looking for members with interesting hobbies, or who exemplify a commitment to service, for the "People" section of the magazine. Please send your ideas to John O'Neil, Editor, This Active Life, NEA Communications, 1201 16th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20036. Or e-mail joneil@nea.org.

Newsletter Editors, Take Note:
Please consider entering your local or state Retired newsletter in the 2003 NEA-Retired Newsletter Awards competition. The competition recognizes newsletters that do an outstanding job communicating with local and state Retired members. Newsletters should be well written, visually appealing, and should serve as an effective organizing tool. For an entry form, contact NEA-Retired, 1201 16th St., N.W., Suite 410, Washington, DC 20036.

News Flashes

Medicare Debate Looms
At press time, the Sunday talk shows and op-ed sections in major newspapers were heating up over the latest proposal to revamp Medicare. In his State of the Union address, President Bush formally introduced his plan to add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare. But the benefit is directed at those willing to forgo traditional Medicare and join privately managed plans. Moreover, the administration's estimate of the funding required is far less than what many health care experts believe would be required. Look for competing proposals to emerge from Congress as the debate continues.

Online Drug Savings Help
The National Coalition on the Aging recently launched a unique service that might help you with your prescription drug bills.

"BenefitsCheckUpRx" is a free Web-based service that can help you determine if you qualify for any state or federal programs to reduce your drug costs. It takes only a few minutes to fill in a form, and your personal information is confidential. You'll be informed of discount programs for which you qualify and told how to apply. For more, go to www.BenefitsCheckUpRx.org.

Identity Theft Rising
An estimated 30,000 people were victims in a huge identity theft scheme uncovered by authorities recently. The bust was a reminder that you should take care to safeguard your identity to reduce the chance you'll be a victim of fraud. Some suggestions: Check your credit report annually, shred documents with personal information before throwing them out, and don't give out any personal information over the phone unless you initiated the call. For guidance on how to protect yourself, browse the website of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse at www.privacyrights.org.

This Active Life -- March 2003

Health

A simple fall can lead to myriad physical problems. Here's how to prevent them.

One of every three older Americans--about 12 million seniors in all--fall each year. And that simple misstep or stumble can have devastating consequences.

An estimated 10,000 Americans age 65 and older die from falls each year, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Another 340,000 break their hip, with tragic results for their health. One-half of them are never able to live independently again, and one-quarter die within a year of the injury, Judy Stevens, an epidemiologist at CDC, says women are particularly prone to these tragic mishaps due to osteoporosis--a disease characterized by low bone mass and deteriorating bone tissue. But osteoporosis isn't the only reason for falls. "Falls usually involve many factors, so the most effective approach to preventing them is multifaceted," Stevens said.

How do you prevent someone you care for (or yourself!) from taking a bad fall?

Making environmental changes such as clearing pathways, lowering beds, and repairing or replacing damaged stairs, railings, or other unsafe surfaces, is a good first step. Where needed, consider adding grab bars in the shower or around the toilet. Keep necessary items out of top cabinets so that no stool is required to reach them.

Improving visibility and lighting in the home is crucial, experts say. Many seniors have vision problems, which increase the risk of falling by 60 percent. Consider adding night-lights in hallways or other areas to make night-time excursions a little safer.

A regular exercise program can improve balance, strength, and coordination, decreasing the odds of a fall. Possibilities include weight-resistance training or a movement routine such as Tai Chi or Pilates.

Regular medication reviews also help reduce the risks of falling for seniors. Many older adults who suffer from chronic health problems take medications that have side effects such as drowsiness and dizziness. Such side effects have been clearly linked to falls, according to Stevens. Taking four or more prescription drugs also puts seniors at increased risk for falls.

"Older adults can't bounce back from an injury like a younger person can," says Dr. Christine Branche, director of the Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. "For an older person, a fall can be a life-changing event."

--Jozen Cummings

Quick Tips

Remove Obstacles
To reduce risks at home, clear pathways, remove throw rugs, add grab bars in bathrooms, and lower beds.

Exercise
Tai Chi or weight-resistance exercise can improve balance, strength, and coordination, reducing the risk of falling.

Monitor Medications
The side effects of some medications--such as drowsiness and dizziness--contribute to falls. Make sure to consult your physician on the proper dosage of certain medications, as well as side effects to watch for.

This Active Life -- March 2003

Cover Story

Reclaiming Hope

Most of us have at least glimpsed the wreckage of Amer-ica's broken promises. Shattered urban neighborhoods pockmarked by boarded-up shop windows and stripped bikes. Rural trailer parks where children, clad in ragged hand-me-down clothes, play in the dirt. Places seemingly devoid of hope. We see--but many of us avert our eyes. Not Chloe Giampaolo, Bernadette Ortega, or Grady Yancey. These NEA-Retired members, and others across the country, are sowing seeds of hope by tackling some of the toughest issues confronting their communities. Their passion for changing lives--which first propelled them into education--still burns.

"A man's greatest fear in prison is dying at the hands of another man--and it happens all the time," says Chloe Giampaolo, explaining what draws two dozen inmates to the conflict resolution workshops she facilitates at the Maryland Correctional Institute at Jessup (MCIJ). "The men who come into this program are very concerned about changing their lives."

Men like "Miracle Marvin." A convicted drug lord, Marvin was serving a lengthy sentence at MCIJ when he participated in the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP), for which Giampaolo serves as an external facilitator. He took the program's messages--respect yourself, and expect the best in others--to heart, becoming a program facilitator to aid other inmates.

One day, a former rival dealer--a man who had murdered Marvin's kid brother--was sent to MCIJ. Swift retribution was expected. "Marvin's homeboys told him, 'We'll take care of him for you,'" Giampaolo says. But Marvin responded, "Don't touch him." Some time later, Marvin approached the other inmate and told him, "I forgive you."

Founded in 1975 by inmates and Quakers in New York state, AVP helps participants shed destructive impulses and build positive attitudes and skills for dealing with others. Through role playing and other problem-solving activities, participants learn that when you respect yourself and others, creative nonviolent solutions are more likely to emerge.

Maryland member Giampaolo, who taught in public schools for 35 years, has conducted AVP conflict resolution workshops since 1989. When she asks men who go through the training how it has affected them, their most common reply speaks volumes: "It saved my life."

"I'm not a bleeding heart," Giampaolo says, "but I've gained a healthy respect for people who are incarcerated that society has disowned. I've always been in awe of the talent and intelligence of the men I work with. I tell them, 'Your behavior at one time did not match the good person inside you. I choose to believe that good person existed then and exists now.'"

Some might find the prospect of going into a prison frightening, but Giampaolo says she's never been apprehensive. "I know the men I work with would lay down their lives for me." Ironically, some of the best inmate facilitators in the program are "lifers": men who know they will never again walk freely outside prison walls. "These men see that they can make a difference to the younger men coming in," Giampaolo explains. So the spirit of giving is passed from one to another.

For her part, Giampaolo says the program has helped her grow as well. "It's hard to explain just how, but it's made me more of a whole person," she says. "It gives me a great feeling to work with men who want to change, and to serve as a vehicle for change. That's what keeps me going." (For more on AVP, e-mail Giampaolo at jonpaul65@aol.com.)

Santa Fe, New Mexico, with its drop-dead gorgeous landscape and vibrant cultural scene, is a mecca for bon vivants. It's also home to numerous hard-working public and private employees struggling to cope with inflation and lousy pay.

The chasm between the city's working poor and well-off tourists and second-home part-timers is one reason New Mexico member Bernadette Ortega hit the streets this past January morning, getting signatures on a petition backing a city ordinance to guarantee a living wage for private sector employees in Santa Fe. NEA-New Mexico and its Santa Fe affiliate are part of a community-wide coalition pushing the campaign, even though public school employees will not be directly affected.

Ortega, a retired instructional assistant and NEA-Santa Fe vice president for Education Support Professionals, knows firsthand how rising local costs have strapped local workers. Rents in Santa Fe start at about $700 a month for a one-bedroom apartment, and prices for gas, food, and other essentials are well above costs in other New Mexico towns. Santa Fe wages are 23 percent below the national average, while the cost of living is 18 percent above the national average. When Ortega retired after 21 years as an ESP, her salary was just $16,827.

Santa Fe approved a living wage ordinance last year for full-time city employees (boosting minimum hourly wages to $10.50 by 2005), but public school employees were not included in the package. Neither would they be covered by the current drive for private-sector employees, but Pat Chavez, UniServ consultant for NEA-New Mexico, believes the initiative will create competition to support higher wages for ESPs at the bottom of the pay scale. Moreover, many ESPs moonlight at second jobs that would be covered under the new living wage proposal.

On a recent day, Ortega visited several of them. Joanna Vijil, who works in the cafeteria of Cesar Chavez Elementary School, is at work at 5:45 every morning and works a second job when she leaves at 1:30. Her parents watch her 10-year-old son after school, and she normally doesn't get home until after 8 in the evening. "I barely make it from paycheck to paycheck," she told Ortega. Raising her pay would mean "I wouldn't have to work a second job, so I could be home for my son after school."

Then it was off to see Andrea Harvey, an instructional assistant at Agua Fria Elementary School. Harvey works a second job waiting tables--where she earns more than she makes helping children in school full-time. "I could quit here and go to the restaurant, but I stay here for the kids," she told Ortega. She and her husband and three kids, she said, "want to live in a real house, not in a mobile home park."

Having moonlighted during her own career, Ortega knows firsthand how stressful the combination of high living expenses and low wages can be. "I know when I was working two jobs it was such a struggle," she says. "They work in jobs that are very demanding from the minute you walk in, all day long, there is no letup."

Her empathy for the city's working poor drives her as she collects signatures on the petition. At press time, she and others in the local living wage network had collected 1,400 signatures, and the City Council was set to vote on a living wage ordinance in late February.

"A state legislator told us a few years ago that we in Santa Fe ought to be happy with what we're making because the ambiance makes up for it," Ortega says. "I told him: 'We are the ambiance. We are the waiters, the bartenders, the people who work at the opera and at all the different shops during peak seasons." (For more, contact bravoortega@webtv.net.)

They come into Grady Yancey's classroom at the St. Philip A.M.E church in Atlanta with varied life paths, as young as 17 and as old as 76. They have one thing in common: a desire to better their lives.

Whether they are sent by the courts or sign up because they have reached a dead end in their jobs, the students who come to Yancey's adult literacy classes are assured of his commitment to their cause. If they attend class regularly and carry out the assignments, he'll do everything he can to help them read, write, and compute successfully.

"Most of the students are working toward their GED," Yancey says. "Many of the younger ones have not completed school because of poor attendance. The older ones usually come in because they're having problems finding a job, or they've been downsized and are trying to get a GED before going on to junior college and learning additional skills."

The first step in the program, which is sponsored by DeKalb Technical College, is an entrance exam to determine each student's skill level in language arts and math. (Some test at only a third-grade level, Yancey notes.) Then, Yancey designs an individualized lesson plan for each of them and finds appropriate materials to teach them. From then on, each pupil works at his or her own pace. Reading and mathematics are the main subjects, but Yancey also does activities to work on students' self-esteem.

In two years of teaching adult literacy, Yancey, a former social studies teacher and president of the Georgia Association of Educators (GAE), has helped about 80 students improve their literacy skills. Many have gone on to get their GED. Although the program doesn't do formal follow-up on all graduates, "the students who have finished say that the program has been very helpful for going on to the next step, such as vocational schools or to college," Yancey says. "Some have gotten better jobs and have improved their earnings."

Although Yancey more or less fell into the job ("A friend of mine who did the program had to leave and thought it would be ideal for me"), others say his commitment typifies a lifetime of service to others. "Grady is a person wholly committed to giving," says Annice Reynolds of GAE-Retired. "He truly embodies the volunteer spirit--contributing without any push for recognition."

Yancey says he enjoys the program so much he hasn't missed a day since he started. "It's extremely rewarding for me to work with people so interested in improving themselves," he says. "My greatest satisfaction comes from helping people--period."

Additional reporting by Mary Kershaw

Redefining Your 'Golden Years'

When they quit work, some seniors actually quit working.

But the number of retirees spending their golden years on the golf course or playing endless hands of bridge is dwindling. Instead, more of them are volunteering to tackle some of society's toughest issues.

It's part of a worldwide redefinition of aging, experts say. As life expectancy has climbed, seniors are living longer after retiring from full-time work. Today's seniors have unprecedented skills and expertise. And the pool of potential senior volunteers will rise as the baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) continue to retire from full-time employment.

"The coming wave of aging is more educated than ever. They have considerable skills, knowledge, and expertise," says Marc Freedman, President of Civic Ventures and author of Prime Time: How Baby Boomers Will Revolutionize Retirement and Revitalize America. "This is a win-win of staggering proportions."

A recent survey of Americans ages 50-75 conducted by Civic Ventures found that despite the downturn in the economy (which has eroded the retirement savings of many seniors), older Americans "are turning out in record numbers to serve their communities." More than half of those surveyed had volunteered in the past three years, and one in four volunteer at least five hours per week. When asked what kinds of volunteer work they most enjoyed, working with children was the top response of those surveyed.

Civic Ventures' report spotlights the benefits of volunteering for the volunteer as well as those being helped. Those who volunteer reported being more optimistic about their future, compared with those who didn't, and also were more likely to say they were accomplishing a lot. What's the payoff for all this positive thinking? Well, recent research conducted by Yale University and the Miami University of Ohio found that Americans 50 and older who think positively lived an average of seven and a half years longer than those with a less positive outlook.

To download copy of Civic Ventures' The New Face of Retirement, go to www.civicventures.org.

For More

Interested in volunteering? It's a good idea to check in first with your local and state affiliates about opportunities. NEA local and state Associations carefully choose partnerships and service arrangements that bring help to those who most need it.

Other resources:

• Civic Ventures runs Experience Corps, a program that links older Americans with programs serving children and youth. Volunteers help children with homework, mentor, serve as role models, and support activities such as book drives and parent involvement campaigns. For more information about opportunities, go to www.experiencecorps.org.
• Senior Corps. A program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, Senior Corps offers services such as foster grandparents, senior companions, and "RSVP" (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program). Go to www.seniorcorps.org to learn more and find a program near you.
• The National Mentoring Partnership provides resources to strengthen mentoring programs. At www.mentoring.org, you'll find information on the benefits of mentoring, an online mentoring training guide, and resources to help you find local programs.
• Don't forget the Peace Corps. The number of seniors signing up for Peace Corps assignments is rising. For information and a list of regional recruiting offices, go to www.peacecorps.gov.

This Active Life -- March 2003

Computers

Introducing OWL.org
NEA's Web Location for Education

There's an old saying that good things, like fine wine, take time. That has certainly proved to be the case for OWL.org, the new online community for NEA members. Nearly three years in the making, OWL.org took flight last fall with a wide variety of tools and features designed to appeal to a broad spectrum of members--including members of NEA-Retired.

For ease of use, the site, www.owl.org, is organized into channels--much like broadcast or cable television:

• "My Profession" provides information and tools to help educators in the classroom and the workplace. NEA-Retired members who substitute, volunteer in the classroom, or serve as mentors for new teachers will find lesson plans, professional development information, and the popular Works4Me tips in this channel.
• "My Life" features information on topics related to members' personal interests, such as finance, health, and leisure activities. Interested in how to shop safely online or how to make sure the Social Security Administration is calculating your benefits correctly? You can find these articles and many more in the "My Money" section. Is the Atkins Diet really what it's cracked up to be? Check out the "My Health" section to find out.
• The NEA channel keeps you up-to-date on important federal legislation and issues that affect members, as well as Association news and background information on vital topics.
• The State channel presents news and information from members' state affiliates. Currently seven "pilot" states--Connecticut, Delaware, Tennessee, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Washington-- have a state page on OWL.org. Other states will be added this spring.

In addition to this useful information, OWL.org presents education news from around the country and offers opportunities for members to form online communities by participating in discussion boards. Topics such as "Education and Politics" and "ESEA Implementation" are proving to be popular with Association members.

Retail therapy? OWL has that, too! Click on "OWLShopper" in the "Marketplace" section, follow the instructions for downloading a small software application, and find savings at over 200 high-quality online stores such as L.L. Bean and Barnes & Noble. A portion of each member purchase comes back to OWL.org to help add new features.

Check out OWL at www.owl.org. Registration is free, quick, and easy.

Finally...OWL wants your feedback! The site will evolve based on feedback from the community of users. You can help OWL grow by sending your comments, ideas, and contributions to asktheowl@owl.org.

--Brian Bauer

To learn more about the NEA-Retired program while you're surfing the Web, go to www.nea.org/retired. You'll find information about NEA-Retired activities, grant opportunities, and much more.

This Active Life -- March 2003

Books

A Celebration of Reading
Take Off with NEA's Read Across America March 3...

NEA-Retired members are back in schools this month to lend a hand to NEA's Read Across America (RAA) campaign.

Each year, NEA-Retired members join Active teachers, politicians, celebrities and other role models to celebrate what would have been the birthday of Theodor Geisel, known worldwide as Dr. Seuss.

"Retired members have been instrumental in the success of Read Across," says NEA staffer Anita Merina. "They coordinate book drives and other Read Across activities. Retired members are the heart and soul of reading events across the country."

Iowa member and RAA volunteer Sue Wiele is a case in point. She'll be helping out on March 3 at Lincoln Fundamental School in Davenport. RAA dovetails nicely with the volunteer work she's been doing at the school since she retired 13 years ago. Wiele has been busy sending out invitations to retired teachers, police officers, and other role models, encouraging them to read to children during RAA. One of her favorite activities is recruiting older students to go into kindergarten classrooms and read to younger pupils. "Anything to convince the kids that reading is worthwhile."

Maryland member Roz Yee is another stalwart. During the six years NEA has organized Read Across, Yee has volunteered her time by answering questions for an RAA hotline and sending out resource kits to those planning to commemorate the tradition.

This year, Yee is donning another hat: a cat hat. Newly appointed the official Read Across Cat in the Hat, Yee takes the role very seriously. She should. After all, Yee is the successor to the late Jack Kinnaman, who was so dedicated, people called him "Mr. Cat." When Yee transforms into her feline alter ego for various Read Across events, she isn't allowed to speak nor be seen without being in complete Cat regalia.

A former teacher and reading specialist with 33 years of education experience, Yee believes that retirees who help children read aren't just boosting reading skills, they are preparing kids for other subjects as well.

"Reading is very fundamental," says Yee, "it provides the basics, the building blocks for children to learn all the other subject areas."

...And Support the Literacy Drive Year-Round

NEA's Read Across America, commemorated on March 3 this year, draws more than 40 million participants--young and old alike--to events across the country.

One of the things distinguishing RAA is the hard work of NEA's Active and Retired members to ensure that the focus on boosting children's love of reading never wanes after the last book is read March 3.

If you haven't already done so, get connected to boost literacy in the schools and community organizations in your area. Some ideas:

• Set up book collections for homeless shelters, children's hospitals, or homes for abused and battered children. In fact, RAA is teaming up with the Heart of America Foundation to collect books for children in need.
• Help your local NEA affiliate connect with a community partner. Read Across has 40 partner organizations, including the National Council of La Raza, Reading is Fundamental, the National Football Players Association, and the Boys and Girls Club of America, whose local affiliates are eager to get involved.
• Use NEA's RAA Resource Kit to plan reading events each month. A literacy calendar is included in the kit.
• Volunteer to provide one-on-one help tutoring a child who is having difficulty reading or who finds reading a chore.

The evidence is clear that kids who learn to read well--and enjoy it--will find more success in school. Won't you help them make reading a lifelong habit?

(For a Resource Kit to help you support reading in your community, contact: Read Across America, 1201 16th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20036; call 202/822-7387; or browse the resources at www.nea.org/readacross.)

Lorinda Bullock, Anita Merina, and Sabrina
Holcomb contributed to this feature.

Books Kids Will Talk About

If you've gone recently to buy a book for a child, or tried to select a good book that matches the interests of a student you tutor, you know that the choices are sometimes overwhelming. In the face of all those choices, recommendations from a friend or librarian are like gold.

Books Your Kids Will Talk About!, off-press next month from the NEA Professional Library, promises to help educators and parents (and grandparents) successfully navigate the expanding universe of children's books. Authors Susan Hepler and Maria Salvadore have pooled their considerable expertise in children's literature to create an annotated list of thought-provoking books guaranteed to inspire discussion among young people.

The publication's comprehensive booklists are organized around themes that are especially germane to a child's world: making friends, going to school, living in a family, growing up, making choices, and other important topics.

Each chapter begins with a brief discussion of the theme and an inspiring classroom anecdote or author interview. Books! aspires to create a community of book lovers by fostering active discussion and self-exploration among young readers.

What follows is a snapshot of some of the books featured in Books Your Kids Will Talk About! Keep these pages handy next time you're looking for a great book to recommend to a grandchild, niece, or nephew. And consider getting Books! when it is published in April. (It also would make an excellent gift for a teacher you know.) For more information, visit www.nea.org/books or contact NEA Professional Library, 1201 16th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20036.

Reading Level Key:
P = Primary (Kindergarten-Grade 3)
I = Intermediate (Grades 3-4)
U = Upper (Grades 4-6)

Books About Living in a Family

Attaboy, Sam! By Lois Lowry. Illustrated by Diane deGroat. Houghton Mifflin. (Series) (I, U). This funny novel presents a preschooler with a problem: What to give his mother for her birthday? He decides to mix all of her favorite scents in one bottle and let it ripen in his closet. Many families have celebrations that feature surprises. What makes a celebration memorable? How do different families celebrate special events? The "Sam" series also features his big sister Anastasia, who has her own series as well.

Aunt Flossie's Hats (and Crab Cakes Later) by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard. Illustrated by James Ransome. Clarion. (P, I). Using the device of hats to call up memories, a beloved great-great-aunt shares her stories with two girls, thus passing along family tales and traditions. It's a good invitation to talk about treasures.

Emma's Yucky Brother by Jean Little. Illustrated by Jennifer Plecas. HarperCollins. (P, I). Emma is excited when her family adopts four-year-old Max, but he's not nearly as cute or as little as he was in his pictures. The transitions are difficult for everyone as Max moves from foster care into a permanent home--and for Emma, who is no longer the only child in the family. This short, expressively illustrated chapter book raises many discussable topics, such as adoption and a child's conflicting feelings when a new sibling comes into the house.

How Tía Lola Came to Visit/Stay by Julia Alvarez. Knopf. (U). When T'a Lola moves from the Dominican Republic to Vermont to help out, Miguel is mortified by her flamboyant character and her willingness to make friends with anyone. Miguel is still smarting from his parents' divorce, moving to a different community, and being different from neighbors and schoolmates. The book invites readers to talk about new situations and how families come through them.

The "Yang Family" Series by Lensey Namioka. Illustrated by Kees de Kiefte. Little Brown. (Series) (I, U). Four separate novels, each from a different family member's perspective, show how the variously talented Chinese-American siblings find their way in a new culture. Issues include the importance of music, helping parents understand the younger generation's concerns and desires, making friends, and earning money.

Books that Inspire Kids To Change Their World

Edwina Victorious by Susan Bonners. Farrar, Straus & Giroux. (U). When Edwina discovers her great-grandaunt Edwina's feisty letters to the editor, it gives her courage to write to the mayor about a neglected neighborhood playground and other civic blights. But young Edwina is too shy to write in her own voice and adopts instead that of the aunt with mixed consequences. This book introduces the concept of community activism, writing letters about matters that need changing, and learning to speak up.

Silver Packages: An Appalachian Christmas Story by Cynthia Rylant. Illustrated by Chris Soentpiet. Orchard. (I). Near an Appalachian mining town, Frankie waits each year by the train tracks for the annual Christmas train from which a present is tossed. He hopes for a play doctor's kit that never arrives, but as an adult doctor, he returns to work in the community that raised him. This story is perfect for talking about ways we can give back to the people and places that influence who we become. Silver Packages can also be found in Rylant's short story collection, Children of Christmas.

Something Beautiful by Sharon Dennis Wyeth. Illustrated by Chris K. Soentpiet. Doubleday. (P). Depressed by the negative graffiti on her apartment building, the homeless person sleeping on the sidewalk, and the debris cluttering a vacant lot, a little girl searches for something beautiful in her life. As she talks to people in her neighborhood, she gathers enough goodwill to think of something she can do to make her world more beautiful. The little girl's encounters with the people in her daily life--her teacher, the waitress at the coffee shop, the corner grocer, and her mother--help broaden her notion of just what is "beautiful."

Tomás and the Library Lady by Pat Mora. Illustrated by Raul Col-n. Knopf. (P, I). A child of a migrant farm family is changed forever by his experiences at a library and his fleeting summer friendship with the librarian. The book is based on a true incident from the life of Mexican-American writer Tomás Rivera, who journeyed from working as a laborer to becoming a university chancellor. Children learn just how powerful books can be. How can books and reading change a person? What books could be influential in our lives?

This Active Life -- March 2003

Ask the Expert

Preparing for International Travel

Q: I want to plan a trip abroad this summer. What do I need to do?
First, you need a valid passport. If you don't have one, make sure you apply for one at least three months in advance. Second, read up on the culture, people, and history of the places you will travel. Discuss all your options with a licensed travel agent or tour operator. Finally, confirm that you are adequately protected for any medical emergencies.

Q: Will Medicare pay for my medical expenses abroad?
The Social Security Medicare program does not provide for payment of hospital or medical services obtained outside the United States. However, some Medicare supplement plans offer foreign medical care coverage at no extra cost for treatments considered eligible under Medicare. You must pay the bills first and obtain receipts for reimbursement. Many of these plans have a cap on covered expenses per trip. For details, make sure to check your policy and consult your provider.

Q: How can I protect myself in the event of medical problems that might occur abroad?
Obtaining medical treatment and hospital care abroad can be expensive. If your Medicare supplement or other medical insurance does not provide protection while traveling outside the United States, it's wise to buy additional coverage. The names of some companies offering short-term health and emergency assistance policies are listed in the Bureau of Consular Affairs flier Medical Information for Americans Traveling Abroad. The flier is available by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Bureau of Consular Affairs, Room 6831, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC 20520-4818.

Q: Should I consider any other type of insurance for my trip?
Yes, consider purchasing trip cancellation insurance. Except for tickets on regularly scheduled airline flights, almost any travel package you purchase will have a penalty for cancellation, and some companies will give no refund at all. Airlines usually give a refund if an illness or death in the family forces you to cancel a reservation on a regularly scheduled flight. Make careful note of cancellation penalties for any other large travel purchase you make, such as a tour package, charter flight, or cruise.

Q: Anything else I need to do before I leave?
Include a change of clothing in your carry-on luggage. Otherwise, if your bags are lost, you could be wearing the same clothes you were traveling in during the entire time it takes to locate your luggage--an average of 72 hours. Do not pack anything you would hate to lose, such as valuable jewelry, family photographs, or objects of sentimental value.

--Doug Terwilliger
NEA Member Benefits

Quick Tips

Get a Passport
If you don't have a passport, apply for one at least three months in advance of your trip.

Check Your Insurance
Make sure to check your health insurance for rules regarding treatment overseas, and consider purchasing supplemental coverage that will protect you while you travel. Also, insurance covering trip cancellation is a wise investment, since travel packages often carry steep penalties for cancellations.

Pack Wisely
Always include at least one change of clothes in your carry-on luggage. Lost luggage can take two to three days to be located.