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Magazine

NEA Today June 2020

In this issue, we explore the distance-learning challenge, how your union is helping during the pandemic, and offer some ways to destress this summer after a hard end to the semester.
Published: June 1, 2020

Cover Story: The Distance-Learning Challenge
When schools shut down due to COVID-19, educators and students found themselves in uncharted territory. Discover how some NEA members met the challenge of distance learning and what it could mean for the future of education.

Even When Schools Close, Unions Work for You
Find out what NEA and affiliated unions have been doing to ensure the health, safety, and financial stability of our members during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Make Time for You This Summer
As one of the most stressful school years in history draws to a close, we offer six ways to recharge, regroup, and reboot your life.

Welcome to WellVille
Forget the teacher’s lounge! A school district on Long Island, N.Y., created a spa-like wellness room to help staff unwind during breaks.

Our Heroes
Educators went to heroic lengths to educate and support students during the coronavirus outbreak. Here we celebrate our members and your amazing acts of bravery and kindness.

EDUCATION SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS

Empathy, Compassion, and Going the Extra Mile
Meet Andrea Beeman, NEA’s 2020 ESP of the Year, a stand-out paraprofessional who works with developmentally disabled students, a leader in her local union, and an unwavering advocate for her students.

Help Block the Hate
School internet filters often don’t catch websites run by hate groups. Learn how to keep students in your school safe.

First and Foremost
Public education champion Diane Ravitch discusses her new book; 2020 NEA Representative Assembly goes virtual; NEA members speak out on challenges during the COVID-19 outbreak; some public schools are forced to house charter schools; students struggle to tell fact from fiction online; and the number of homeless students is skyrocketing.

Issues and Impact
Educators gave Betsy DeVos a run for her money this school year. Check out five big wins for public schools. And meet Marcie Villanueva, a Delaware food service worker who is protecting students from lunch-shaming.

People and Places
A Minnesota high school band teacher and his students have a brush with fame; and an Ohio teacher launches Success Club, giving kids a leg up on skills they’ll need for college and the professional world.

Teaching and Learning
NEA’s Jump Start program supports and guides candidates for National Board Certification; plus, tips for teaching students to be responsible digital citizens.

Editor's Note
In our first issue since COVID-19 struck, we highlight the heroic efforts of educators during this crisis and the ways unions are fighting to help protect educators in their time of need.

Lily's Blackboard
Educators dug deep and rallied to support students in the most difficult of times. To all of our members, this has been your finest hour.

Talk Back

NEA Time to Fire Betsy DeVos

Betsy DeVos has no experience in education. (“We Need a Secretary of Education Who’s With Us”) She is quick to say she doesn’t deal with under-performing schools. … Funding charter schools is throwing money away to failing schools. Special education is taking a beating. It is time to have a qualified educator in this job, not someone who simply has money and friends in high places. —B. ROTRAMEL

 

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National Education Association

Great public schools for every student

The National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest professional employee organization, is committed to advancing the cause of public education. NEA's 3 million members work at every level of education—from pre-school to university graduate programs. NEA has affiliate organizations in every state and in more than 14,000 communities across the United States.