A Message from the President |
January
2005 |
Helping to Groom Tomorrow's Teachers
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NEA Retired President, Jim Sproul
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When I was growing up in Flat Lick, Kentucky, a teacher by the name of Marie
Croley decided maybe I had a little talent in music. So she started me on piano
lessons. My family couldn't afford it, so we paid her with vegetables from our
garden. Later, when I was a high school junior, Marie gave me the opportunity
to be student director of the band.
From then on, I was hooked on music, and, I'm happy to say, made a wonderful
career out of it teaching music to young people. Over the years, Marie was my
teacher, my mentor, and my friend.
Many teachers benefit from the guidance of someone like Marie. But not all.
Many young teachers leave the profession because they don't feel respected or
appreciated. Or they may lack the skills for supervising a classroom that a
veteran teacher takes for granted.
That's why NEA-Retired launched the Intergene-rational Mentoring project several
years ago. The program matches up Retired members with young people studying
to be teachers. Participating Retired members come away with the satisfaction
of continuing to support the profession they love. And our Student members gain
a coach, and a friend, to help them figure out the world of schools and guide
them through the rough spots. If you have not signed up to take part in this
project in your state, I encourage you to find out how you can help. See this
month's Cover Story for more details.
NEA-Retired also is helping groom new teachers through the Jack Kinnaman Scholarship,
which goes to a deserving member of the NEA Student Program. In the two years
we've offered these scholarships, three outstanding young people committed to
joining our profession have gotten a helping hand. We need your contributions
to sustain the program. Please send donations to: NEA-Retired Jack Kinnaman
Scholarship Fund, c/o NEA-Retired, 1201 16th St., N.W., Room 410, Washington,
DC 20036. For information on scholarship qualifications, go to: www.nea.org/retired/programs/awards-kinnaman.html.
The deadline for applications for this year's scholarships is April 15, 2005.
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