Pitfalls and Potholes

NEA Professional Library Book Cover

A Checklist for Avoiding Common Mistakes of Beginning Teachers
By Barbara A. Murray and Kenneth T. Murray
NEA Checklist Series
56 pp. $4.50 NEA members, $5.95 nonmembers
NEA Professional Library, www.nea.org/books

[Book Excerpt]
The nation's workforce of beginning teachers is changing. New teachers are coming to the profession with higher levels of maturity and more varied life experiences. Many of these teachers also leave the education field for other professions because of job dissatisfaction growing out of concerns about a range of issues, from managing student conduct, to balancing school and home life, to dealing with legal issues.

Not only is this attrition a serious loss of good teaching talent, but it is also a waste of the time and resources that went into readying those ex-teachers for the classroom.

Many of the pitfalls encountered by beginning teachers could be avoided if new teachers were simply forewarned, so they would know what to look for. This publication is...a road map around many of the potholes that beginning teachers can encounter on the road to success....

Managing Student Conduct
Teachers and administrators agree that a major concern of all educators is managing student conduct. Our survey of administrators shows that the most troublesome behavior for beginning teachers is the confrontational student.... Remember that effective teachers manage student conduct with the force of their personalities. Focus on preventing student conduct problems so you can spend less time and effort remediating such problems. School principals suggest that beginning teachers should observe the following practices to ensure effective management of student conduct.

• Recognize that you are always the adult, and refrain from getting too close to the students.

• When working with students on school-related projects such as musicals, drama productions, and athletic events, engage only in those social activities that are designed to build rapport and encourage the students. Prudently invite other professional adults such as assistant coaches, directors, and, perhaps, parent booster club members to provide additional support for you and the activity.

• Learn the building policies related to student conduct. You may be able to avoid many student conduct problems simply by being able to recite specific behavior expectations, along with the procedures for administering consequences.

• Familiarize yourself with school policy regarding weapons, threats of physical violence, and school safety in general.

• Resist the temptation to make threats that you do not have the authority to carry out. Most state laws, for example, limit the authority to suspend a student from school to the building principals and their designees.

• Make a practice of speaking privately to individual students about inappropriate conduct. Do not "bait" the student, requiring him or her to save face in front of friends. This could result in a shouting match or worse.

• Establish and regularly communicate classroom rules and procedures. Post and review them frequently with students.

• Manage the class by "walking around" and achieving proximity with as many students as possible, especially those students who are easily distracted.

• Plan your activities to maintain instructional momentum. For example, take attendance while students are engaged in some seat work.

• Learn to do more than one thing at a time. For example, begin orienting students to lesson topics while distributing materials.

About the Authors

Barbara A. Murray is associate professor of educational leadership at the University of Central Florida. She has been a district superintendent, high school and middle school principal, and a teacher at the elementary and secondary levels. She has a Ph.D. in educational administration at Indiana State University. Kenneth T. Murray has worked in public schools as a teacher, high school principal, and superintendent of schools. Now an associate professor of school law at the University of Central Florida, he has a Ph.D. in school administration from Indiana State University and a J.D. from Indiana University School of Law.

NEA Professional Library Resources

More books for beginning teachers. Order online at www.nea.org/books or call 800-229-4200.

The First Year Teacher Teaching with Confidence (K-8), Revised Edition
By Karen Bosch and Katherine Kersey
168 pp. $16.95 members, $20.95 nonmembers
NEA's guide for beginning teachers offers step-by-step daily plans, scripts for parent-teacher conferences, strategies for managing paperwork, and solutions for common discipline problems.

Bright Ideas: A Pocket Mentor for Beginning Teachers, Revised Edition
By Mary C. Clement
56 pp. $4.50 members, $5.95 nonmembers
A handy guide filled with practical tips for new teachers--how to prepare personally and professionally for your new job, how to create a workable classroom management plan, and winning techniques for communicating with colleagues, administrators, and parents.

Best of Teacher-to-Teacher; The Ultimate Beginner's Guide
Teacher-to-Teacher Series
120 pp. $12.95 members, $15.95 nonmembers
Beginning teachers from around the country share their favorite chapters from NEA's teacher-to-teacher series.

The Discipline Checklist; Advice from 60 Successful Teachers Revised Edition
By Ken Kosier
56 pp. $4.50 members, $5.95 nonmembers
Sixty successful teachers share their secrets for maintaining discipline and motivating today's students.

How To Get Grants and Free Stuff
Teacher-to-Teacher Series
96 pp. $9.95 members, $12.95 nonmembers
Find out how enterprising teachers get free resources for their classrooms--fromcomputer equipment to thousands of dollars in grants.

Books by NEA Members

The First Year English Teacher's Guide to Beartraps: 103 Ways to Avoid Common Teaching Errors
By Jon Potter
Help is here for new English teachers from a fellow English teacher. Potter's book consists of four sections, each explaining how things really work in high schools and how to avoid the traps of over-commitment, classroom management, unruly student behavior, and school politics. Topics include office help, parents, substitutes, homework, plagiarism, and school policies and unwritten rules. 236 pp. $18.69 plus s&h from Xlibris Corporation. To order, go to www1.xlibris.com/bookstore or e-mail ser-pott@midcoast.com.

Try Kindness
By Richard L. Biren, illustrated by Harry Norcross
Bullying, fighting, lying, stealing...school principals spend a lot of time dealing with students accountable for these acts. Try Kindness, for grades 3-5, promotes positive student behavior by addressing an appreciation for honesty, respect, and a caring attitude. The book features 37 lessons, each having a defined purpose for developing and promoting kind actions in the classroom as well as at home. The author has more than 24 years' experience as a school counselor. 208 pp. $16.95 plus $6 s&h from Mar*co Products. To order, call 800-448-2197.

Student's Vegetarian Cookbook--Quick, Easy, Cheap, and Tasty Vegetarian Recipes (Revised)
By Carole Raymond
One hundred and forty-two low-cost, vegetarian dishes that require simple ingredients fill this book. Choose from the Hot Lips Fajita, Pad Thai, and Postmodern Chocolate Pudding. Or, go to the "Top 10 List of No-Time-to-Cook Meals" that the author includes. Raymond, a teacher, counsels people on diet and nutrition. 259 pp. $12.95 from Three Rivers Press, Random House Publishers. To order, go to www.randomhouse.com.

After Elaine
By Ann L. Dreyer
Dreyer, a special education teacher for 14 years, writes her first novel as an honest depiction of a family coping with tragedy. After Elaine deals with a rebellious teen's life and accidental death and of her younger sister Gina's struggle to understand the destructive effect it has on their family. Although Gina is aware of Elaine's mistakes, she feels herself experiencing the same anger and despair. 129 pp. $16.95 from Carus Publishing, Cricket Books. To order, go to www.cricketmag.com.

In Print

See Girls Succeed
Many successful women start out as average young girls, but to follow their dreams, they use ambition to overcome self-confidence issues. Dr. Sylvia Rimm's new book, See Jane Win for Girls: A Smart Girl's Guide to Success, helps young ladies realize their full potential and shape their own futures. The book offers motivational tips and lessons, along with advice from real women including congresswomen and TV news anchors. 144 pp. $13.95 from Free Spirit Publishing. To order, visit www.freespirit.com or call 800-735-7323.

Better Schools and Gardens
Schoolyard Mosaics: Designing Gardens and Habitats, by the National Gardening Association, offers advice and tips for creating schoolyard gardens and involving students in the process. Full of diagrams and instructions, the book includes 12 detailed school garden maps and provides examples of integrating nature into curriculums and educational goals. 56 pp. $19.95 from the National Gardening Association. To order, visit http://store.yahoo.com/nationalgardening/11-4508.html or call 800-538-7476.

From Fingers to Calculators
Teach children how numbers were developed and why we need them with Vivian French and Ross Collins' From Zero to Ten: The Story of Numbers. The entertaining book begins with cavepeople and travels through time educating young students on the basics of counting, money, measurement, time, and more. 32 pp. $16.95 from Oxford University Press. To order, visit www.oup-usa.org or call 800-451-7556.

Voices of Courage
Silent No More: Voices of Courage in American Schools, from ReLeah Cossett Lent and Gloria Pipkin, is a collection of compelling stories from teachers and administrators who voiced concerns over public education at the risk of losing their jobs. The narratives depict courage against harmful trends in education and the stories demonstrate love for students by those who truly care. This book will inspire you with tales of the narrators' victories. 160 pp. $17 from Heinemann. To order, visit www.heinemann.com.

A Librarian's Reference Book
Today's technological advances are causing various legal issues that can overwhelm libraries with new troubles. The Library's Legal Answer Book can help librarians overcome these obstacles. Written in question and answer form, Mary Minow and Tomas A. Lipinski's easy to use reference book moves smoothly from topic to topic, offering detailed, current solutions to more than 600 quandaries. 350 pp. $48 from the American Library Association. To order, visit www.alastore.ala.org or call 866-746-7252.

Fitness Made Simpler for Kids
An estimated 15 percent of children and adolescents are overweight, and poor nutrition and lack of physical activity have been proven to cause lower academic success. With Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper's Fit Kids! The Complete Shape-Up Program from Birth through High School, parents can help their children attain healthy lifestyles through diet and exercise. Training instructions, meal plans, and innovative ideas to promote fitness and mental achievement in young students are included. 418 pp. $14.99 from Broadman & Holman Publishers. To order, visit www.broadmanholman.com or call 800-251-3225.

What's Up at HIN

Enforcement of Gun Laws

NEA and the NEA Health Information Network are working with law enforcement and elected officials to improve enforcement of existing gun laws. Americans for Gun Safety, a partner in NEA's Gun Safety Project, produced a 2003 report revealing that 20 of the nation's 22 national gun laws are not enforced. Eighty-five percent of cases prosecuted relate to street criminals in possession of firearms.

Ignored are laws intended to punish illegal gun trafficking, firearm theft, corrupt gun dealers, lying on a criminal background check form, obliterating firearm serial numbers, selling guns to minors, and possessing a gun in a school zone.

For more about gun crime in your state, visit http://w3.agsfoundation.com/. For related resources from NEA HIN, visit www.neahin.org/gunsafety.

Radon Poster Contest

Did you know that 20,000 people in the United States die from lung cancer each year because of indoor radon exposure? Join NEA HIN in recognizing October as Radon Action Month! As part of Radon Action Month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with Healthy Indoor Air for America's Homes, are sponsoring the 2004 Radon Action Month Poster Contest for middle school children. Poster contest themes include: radon awareness, radon risk reduction, and the hazards associated with radon.

To find out how your school can participate, visit www.healthyindoorair.org or contact Barb Allen at 406-994-3531. The contest closes on October 24. For more on radon and its health effects, visit www.epa.gov/radon/.

Healthy Schools Caucus Launched

More than 100 delegates left the 2003 Representative Assembly ready to make a difference as members of the newly formed Healthy Schools Caucus. Launched by Pennsylvania delegate Tom Humensky, Oregon delegate Carolyn Smith-Evans, and Maryland delegate Claire Turner, the caucus co-founders hope to raise awareness about various school indoor air quality issues such as mold, asbestos, and chemical exposure. Other school health issues, including nutrition and stress, will also be addressed.

To read more about the Healthy Schools Caucus and to find out how you can join, visit www.neahin.org/programs/environmental/index.htm.

Add CLASS to Your Community

NEA Student Program members who want to make a difference in the community take note: your student chapter could be the recipient of the next CLASS grant. CLASS (Community Learning through America'S SchoolS) grants answer two of today's most vital needs: building community support for public education and addressing critical educational and social problems facing our communities.

To support the NEA student members making a difference, NEA provides grants of up to $1,000 to fund CLASS projects--outreach projects that address a specific community need and involve a local NEA Student Program chapter and a preK-12 teacher, education support professional, higher education, or retired affiliate.

CLASS Grants have funded local efforts to:

• have a book drive

• conduct a fund-raiser for school supplies and materials

• offer after-school tutoring

• work with a center for at-risk children

• participate in adult-learning programs

• support Big Brothers-Big Sisters of America Inc.

NEA CLASS grants are meant to be a one-time-only award used to fund the start-up and maintenance of the activity.

For more on applying for CLASS grants, visit www.nea.org/student-program/programs/class.html or contact Malcolm Staples at 202-822-7123, mstaples@nea.org.

Connections Conference coming

Don't miss this year's Student Program Connections Conference, November 14-16 in Las Vegas, Nevada, The conference focuses on professional development for future teachers. For more, visit the Student Program Web site at www.nea.org/student-program/.

Fund Your Big Ideas

The NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education (NFIE) offers hundreds of grants up to $5,000 per project to fund your BIG ideas. The mission of the Foundation is to ensure that all students succeed.

Applications for Innovation and Learning & Leadership grants are accepted on an ongoing, year-round basis. Grants applicants who submit applications by February 1 will be notified by June 15, and applicants who submit applications by June 1 will be notified by November 15. Proposals received after these dates will be included in the next cycle. Grants fund activities for 12 months from the award date.

Innovation Grants fund break-the-mold innovations that significantly improve achievement for underserved learners. Learning & Leadership Grants provide opportunities to engage in high-quality professional development and lead colleagues in professional growth. These grants are available for all subjects, including the arts, literacy, science, and technology.

All practicing U.S. public school teachers in grades K-12, education support professionals, or higher education faculty and staff at public colleges and universities are eligible to apply, with preference given to members of NEA. The Foundation encourages grant applications from education support professionals and teachers and staff with less than seven years of experience in the profession.

Visit the NEA Foundation's Web site at www.nfie.org for complete program details, guidelines, examples of funded projects, and an application. Or call 202-822-7840.

Youth Leaders for Literacy Grants

Grants of up to $500 are available to fund a youth-run, reading-related service project. The grants come from Youth Leaders for Literacy, an initiative of NEA and Youth Service America (YSA) to help youth direct their enthusiasm and creativity into reading-related service projects and to provide them with resources to conduct reading-related activities that benefit others.

During the six-week program period and beyond, we hope to create a groundswell of literacy service in communities across the country.

For more information and to download an application for the 2003-04 year, visit NEA's Read Across America site at www.nea.org/readacross/youthleaders.html.

Other Grants, Awards, and Competitions

VFW Awards

For teachers--The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States' (VFW) National Citizenship Education Teachers' Award recognizes the nation's top elementary, junior high, and high school teachers who teach citizenship education topics regularly and promote America's history and traditions. Nearly 1,000 teachers are nominated from every state, the District of Columbia, and overseas. Fellow teachers, supervisors, or other interested individuals can submit nominations by November 1, 2003, to your local VFW Post.

VFW's National Citizenship Education Teacher Awards include:

• $1,000 cash award for professional development to each of the top K-5, 6-8 and 9-12 teachers

• $1,000 award for each winning teacher's school

• plaques for both the winning teacher and school

• an all-expense-paid trip to attend the VFW and Ladies Auxiliary National Community Service Conference in Washington, D.C. Teachers who win first place in each category will be invited to conduct a workshop at the conference.

For more information, an application form, and to locate your local VFW Post, go to www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=cmty.leveld&did=152.

For students--The Voice of Democracy is an annual national audio essay contest designed to foster patriotism by giving high school students in grades 9-12 the opportunity to voice their opinion about their personal obligations as an American and address their responsibility to our country. Created in 1947, the scholarship program annually provides more than $3 million in scholarships. Contestants write and record a three to five minute essay on an annual theme.

Each VFW Post's first-place winner receives an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., plus the opportunity to compete for national scholarships. The first-place national winner receives a $25,000 scholarship. All national scholarships are paid directly to the American university, college, or vocational/technical school as selected by the recipient.

All scholarship funding is held at National Headquarters in escrow for 10 years from high school graduation. The funds, which are disbursed as needed, may be used for tuition, books, laboratory fees, or other items relating specifically to the student's formal education. Clothing, room and board, and pocket money are not considered authorized expenditures.

The 2003-04 theme is "My Commitment to America's Future." Deadline for entries is November 1, 2003. For more, go to www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=cmty.leveld&did=150.

Toyota TAPESTRY Grants

The 2004 Toyota TAPESTRY program will award 50 grants of up to $10,000 each and a minimum of 20 "mini-grants" of $2,500 each to K-12 science teachers. Interested teachers should propose innovative science projects that can be implemented in their school or school district over a one-year period. Toyota TAPESTRY projects demonstrate creativity, involve risk-taking, possess a visionary quality, and model a novel way of presenting science. If you have a great way to make science come alive, apply for a Toyota TAPESTRY grant. For more information, visit www.nsta.org/programs/tapestry/index.htm.

Nominate a Coach of the Week

The Staples® Coach of the Week program awards 17 accredited K-12 schools $5,000 worth of school supplies each and a visit from their local NFL head coach.

Each week of the NFL regular season, a panel of NFL representatives chooses one head coach who has shown outstanding team leadership as the Staples® Coach of the Week. One entry submitted on behalf of a school in the winning coach's region is drawn randomly and that school wins $5,000 in school supplies from Staples plus a visit from the team's head coach.

There are three ways to enter a school into the program:

1. enter online at www.staples.com/coach

2. enter by mail: Hand print your name, age school name, school phone number, school address, entrant's relationship to school and local NFL team name on a 3.5" x 5" card and mail to "Staples Coach of the Week," PO Box 5252, Ellenton, FL 34222-5002

3. enter by fax: Hand print the information above on 8.5" x 11" paper and fax to 866-430-4450.

The sweepstakes, which is a partnership with Staples, the National Football League (NFL), and CBS Television Network, ends on December 31, 2003. For complete official rules visit www.staples.com/coach.

Study in Japan

The Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program (FMF) provides American primary and secondary school teachers and administrators with opportunities for fully funded, short-term study programs in Japan. Funded by the Japanese government and administered by the Japan-United States Educational Commission, the program will provide significant professional development opportunities for individuals who traditionally may not have had such opportunities, while increasing the level of understanding between Japan and the United States. FMF Teacher Program participants are asked to commit to sharing what they learn about Japan with students, colleagues, and the community.

A minimum of two FMF awards will be given to each of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Recipients of the FMF grant will travel to Japan to participate in a three-week program that features an orientation to Japan followed by visits to primary and secondary schools, teacher training colleges, cultural sites, and industrial facilities. Meetings with Japanese teachers and students and homestays with a Japanese family are key components of the program.

Interested individuals may apply online at www.iie.org/pgms/fmf/ for 2004 study visits or call the Institute of International Education at 888-527-2636 for an application. The application deadline is December 10, 2003.

AIDS Prevention Education

Twenty million people, including tens of thousands of teachers, have died from AIDS. Currently, over 40 million people are infected with HIV. Education International (EI), the world's largest confederation of teacher trade unions, joined the fight against the virus in 1995 and has printed an AIDS prevention leaflet in continuation of its activism.

With its publication, "Teachers Against AIDS," EI hopes to motivate teacher involvement in AIDS education. The document, which states facts about the AIDS pandemic and offers methods for volunteering assistance and educating children, is being distributed among all teacher unions and education workers worldwide.

EI partnered with UNESCO, the World Health Organization, Education Development Center, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and UNAIDS to organize training programs and field seminars to raise teacher awareness and provide them with the skills needed to discuss AIDS in the classroom.

Copies of "Teachers Against AIDS" can be downloaded from EI's Web site at www.ei-ie.org/aids.htm or ordered from EI's main office at +32 2 224 06 11.

For more on EI's AIDS Prevention through Education program, e-mail Delphine Sanglan at delphine.sanglan@ei-ie.org.

On TV

I Want To Be
HBO Family, everyday during the Jam (preschool) segment of HBO Family (6 a.m. to 3 p.m., during the month).
This series, designed by Kristin Harris Design, is geared for preschool children, and uses their voices to tell their dreams. The two-dimensional graphics are bold, colorful, and captivating, but it is the text that parents and teachers will appreciate. The young children doing the voice-overs explain why they want to be people such as a marine biologist or a mail carrier. Each segment describes why the job is important and how the work can help others. Ten different careers are featured, from an architect to a truck driver; each segment runs 35 seconds.

The Kratt Brothers: Be the Creature
National Geographic Channel, October 5, 8 p.m., ET.
The 13-part series, hosted by the Kratt Brothers of the award-winning PBS shows Kratt's Creatures and Zoboomafoo, gives viewers the chance to "be the creature." The brothers will "live" with their subject for weeks on end to walk in their tracks, swim in their waters, see what they see. Among the animals featured are lions in Bostwana, manatees in Florida, and grizzly bears in Alaska.

Sports Figures
ESPN2, October 6, 4:30 a.m., ET.
Professional athletes use sports to demonstrate math and physics in this series of shows. "Reflecting on Billiards/The Math Reaction" features professional pool player Jeanette Lee as she uses billiards to explain reflection, angles of incidence, and congruent angles. In the second half, baseball player Troy Glaus examines reaction time, velocity, and gravity. Can be taped and used in the classroom with teaching materials located at http://sportsfigures.espn.com.

TLC Elementary School: "Geography of Canada"
The Learning Channel, October 10, 6 a.m., ET.
Part of a series designed for grades K-6, the 30-minute episode explores the climate, topography, demographics, and cultures of Canada's 10 provinces, including the rocky shores, coastal plains, and frozen tundra. The program consists of segments edited from original documentaries and can be used in the classroom for two years with teaching materials at http://discoveryschool.com.

An Era of Innovation
Discovery Channel, October 10, 9 a.m., ET.
This program celebrates the centennial anniversary of powered flight with a reenactment of the Wright Brothers' historic flight. The show can be taped and used in the classroom for one year with teaching materials available at http://discoveryschool.com.

Secret Lives: Hidden Children and Their Rescuers During World War II
Cinemax, October 14, 7 p.m., ET.
The Final Solution during World War II was directed at not only Jewish men and women, but also hundreds of thousands of children. Yet throughout Europe, some children were saved by non-Jewish families who hid these children in their houses or pretended the children were their own. Academy Award-winning filmmaker Aviva Slesin, herself a hidden child, details the many ways the children hid. The hidden children have experienced a lifetime of loss because of the separation from first their parents and then their host families. Even younger audiences will find this 71-minute documentary accessible and engaging. Teachers can access more information online at www.secretlives.org/.

On TV listings are provided by KIDSNET, a national resource for children's media in Washington, D.C., www.kidsnet.org, and by Cable in the Classroom's Access Learning magazine at www.ciconline.org.

Diversity Calendar

October

October 1-31--Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History Month
October is the nationally designated month to remember campaigns and efforts to eliminate discrimination and to increase respect and understanding toward individuals in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered community. For more, go to www.glsen.org/templates/issues/?subject=2.

October 2--Mahatma Gandhi's Birthday
Indian leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, born in 1869, practiced nonviolent resistance and led the movement for independence from British rule. He was assassinated in 1948. For more, go to www.time.com/time/time100/poc/runnerup2.html.

October 13--Canadian Thanksgiving
Canadians celebrate their harvest on the second Monday in October. For more information, see www.webholidays.com/canada/.

October 19-25-- National School Bus Safety Week
The National Association for Pupil Transportation sponsors this week to help promote a safe environment for bus drivers and students in all states. For information on contests and activities, see www.napt.org.

October 20--Birth of Báb
Since 1819 the Bahá'í observe this day as the anniversary of the birth of the prophet Báb. This is one of the nine holy days of the year when work and school are suspended for those of the Bahá'í faith. For more, visit www.religioustolerance.org/bahai.htm.

November

November 1-30--National American Indian Heritage Month
This month is the time to celebrate cultural contributions American Indian tribes have made to American history and culture. For more information, see www3.kumc.edu/diversity/ethnic_relig/naihm.html.

November 1--Day of the Dead "DÍa de los Muertos"
Throughout Mexico and in parts of the United States, people celebrate this day to remember and honor the deceased with food, drink, flowers, and gifts. For more history and information on this custom, visit www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/history/.

November 11--Veteran's Day
A federal holiday set aside to honor all those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. To learn more of the history on this day see www.va.gov/vetsday/.

Take Note

Test Help for Paraeducators

Plan on taking the ParaPro Assessment? A new book from NEA can help. Review and Practice: How to Prepare for the ETS ParaPro Assessment is a user-friendly guidebook offering tips on how to study for standardized tests as well as what topics to study in order to pass. Full of testing strategies, sample tests, and resources, the book aims to help paras learn what they need to become "highly qualified" under the requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

To obtain a copy of Review & Practice, contact your local UniServ director, or the instructional and professional development or communications staff in your local affiliate. Members can register at www.owl.org to download an electronic copy.

Preventing Marijuana Use

Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug among American youth. Research shows that youth marijuana use can lead to significant health, social, learning, and behavioral problems. The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign offers the following free marijuana prevention resources for community coalitions and other organizations to use in local outreach efforts. Materials may be downloaded at www.MediaCampaign.org/Publications/Prevention.html or ordered through the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at 800-788-2800.

• Youth posters--Two new marijuana prevention posters for youth audiences feature contemporary design and hard-hitting information about marijuana. When ordering by phone, ask for document number AVD 170 ("Words") or AVD 171 ("Skater").

• Youth postcards--Two colorful postcards list misconceptions about marijuana and provides tips on how parents can keep their children from using the drug. When ordering by phone, ask for document number PHD956.

• "Wake Up to the Risks of Marijuana: A Guide for Parents" brochure--This brochure helps dispel popular myths and misconceptions about marijuana and provides tips on how parents can keep their children from using the drug. When ordering by phone, ask for document number PHD956.

• "What Parents Need to Know about Marijuana"--Bilingual brochures are available in English and Chinese, Korean, or Vietnamese. A Cambodian-only version is also available. When ordering by phone, ask for document number PHD846 (Cambodian), PHD844 (Chinese), PHD847 (Korean), or PHD845 (Vietnamese).

• Debunking the Myths About Marijuana video--This seven-minute video highlights the latest research and features commentary by leading experts about the effects of marijuana on youth. When ordering by phone, ask for video VHS170, or view or order at www.MediaCampaign.org/Marijuana/Index.html.

• Youth posters (designed for American Indian and Alaskan Native audiences)--Three color posters feature young people and their Anti-Drugs--the things that stand between them and using marijuana. Download at www.MediaCampaign.org/ mg/Print.html or order copies by calling 800-788-2800. Ask for document number AVD155 ("Drumming"), AVD156 ("Pottery"), or AVD157 ("Dancing").

Other easy-to-use materials and resources are available in the Campaign's online Marijuana Awareness Kit that includes:

• the latest research and fact sheets about the risks of youth marijuana use

• suggestions for local outreach and activities and

• template materials, including a news release, letters to the editor, feature stories, and a presentation for use with community organizations.

Download the kit at www.MediaCampaign.org/Marijuana/ActionKit.html.

To discuss specific or tailored anti-drug information needs for your organization, contact the Media Campaign at nyac@aed.org.

Giving by Reading

It's never too early to start developing kids' understanding of the importance of philanthropy and how their individual efforts can help others through a unique "giving by reading" program. Scholastic Book Clubs has kicked off its literacy-based charity program, ClassroomsCare, which:

• teaches kids about the joys and importance of giving,

• shows kids the different ways they can contribute to the lives of other children

• gets kids reading more books!

Teachers of grades K-8 who order from Scholastic Book Clubs in October will automatically receive a free ClassroomsCare participation kit, complete with a poster to record classroom reading, as well as a take-home reproducible letter to get friends and family involved.

For each class that reads 100 books by December 31, 2003, Scholastic Book Clubs will donate 100 new books to one of four charity partners--Save the Children, First Book, the "I Have A Dream"® Foundation, and Reach Out & Read--for a total donation of 2 million books. Each charity will put these books into the hands of children in extremely under-resourced schools and communities.

For more information, go to www.scholastic.org/classroomscare.

On the Web

Colorín Colorado
Check out this site designed for Spanish-speaking parents to help their children learn to read and succeed in school. The bilingual site, www.colorincolorado.org, includes simple, powerful ways to help kids become better students. The site is part of Reading Rockets, WETA's multi-media initiative that provides info on teaching kids to read.

Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro--Virtually
Susan Martin, an eighth-grade science teacher, and Kerri Finlayson, an instructor at North Central Michigan College, will climb Mount Kilimanjaro in January. The trip will be documented at www.womenexplore.org. Interested schools can sign up to receive transmissions directly from the team via satellite phones so students can be involved in the trek and monitor the team's progress. The site will contain lesson plans and activities in math, science, social studies, and language arts to help bring the trip into class.

Connecting with Chemistry
The Chemical Heritage Foundation's site is loaded with online resources to help you teach the history of chemistry and other molecular related science fields. The Classroom Resources link contains history and information on prominent chemists, an events calendar for teachers, and a guide to popular chemistry books. Go to www.chemheritage.org.

Surf the Smithsonian
If you haven't visited Smithsonian's educational site recently, check out www.smithsonianeducation.org. Teachers can search for information by grade level and topic, and the site features plenty of online field trips, lesson plans, and professional development resources. Students can relive the Apollo 11 mission to the moon, make their own online art, and just about anything in between.

Scholarships Online
FastWEB lets students search for scholarships online and has access to 600,000 scholarships representing over one billion in scholarship dollars. Once students fill out an extensive online form, the search engine provides accurate, regularly updated information on scholarships, grants, and fellowships suited to students' goals and qualifications, all for free. However, Students should be advised that FastWEB collects and sells information (such as name, address, e-mail address, date of birth, gender, and country of citizenship) collected through their site. Go to www.fastweb.com/.

Science News for Kids
Scientists are finding ways to make a better French fry. Gecko feet inspire a new kind of adhesive. Astronomers have discovered the oldest planet in the universe. Find these and other science new items at Science News for Kids, a site maintained by the nonprofit Science Service organization. For those wanting to do more than just read about science, the site also includes suggestions for hands-on activities, Web resources, mathematical puzzles, games, and the chance for kids to submit their own work for possible Web publication. Go to www.sciencenewsforkids.org/.

Heads Up From NEA Member Benefits

Members use their NEA credit cards an average of 104,000 times a day!
Credit card companies offer a lot more nowadays than just convenience. The market has become saturated with attractive "rewards" cards that appear more lucrative with each dollar spent. But be careful--a closer look may reveal that they also have high annual fees and limited reward choices.

Now NEA members can apply for the new, no annual fee, NEA WorldPointssm Platinum Plus® Credit Card available through MBNA America Bank. The NEA WorldPoints card offers preferred rates for members and comes with cash, travel, and merchandise reward options. It will be hard to find another rewards program that can beat it! To find out more about the rates, costs, and benefits, or to apply, call 1-800-822-7632 and mention priority code EO9K. You can also apply online at www.neamb.com. Start enjoying the rewards of NEA WorldPoints today!

Modern medicine and healthier lifestyles enable Americans to live longer lives, but the reality is the longer we live, the greater the chances we'll need long-term care.
Consider this: there's a 1-in-1,200 risk of a fire causing major damage to your home, a 1-in-240 risk of an accident totaling your car, but a 1-in-3 risk of your spending 2.9 years in a nursing home. While most NEA members wouldn't dream of not insuring their homes or cars, many haven't insured the risk that's most likely to occur. The NEA MemberCare® Long-Term Care Insurance Program protects assets by helping members cover the cost of care in a nursing home, assisted living facility, or at home.

For more info, call 1-800-884-2675, weekdays, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Central Time, or visit www.neambltc.com.

OWL.org Sports a New Look for Fall!

OWL.org, the professional Web site for NEA members, just celebrated its first birthday--and what an exciting year it has been! Tens of thousands of NEA members have registered on OWL.org to receive access to free online professional resources, tools, and features, or to take high-quality education courses from OWL's online partners. Participation in Works4Me, the weekly e-mail newsletter devoted to practical member-generated education tips, has quadrupled. And that's not all...

To inaugurate its second year, OWL has made some changes to the site to make it easier to use and put more useful information at members' fingertips. The main page of the site has been redesigned to give members a better sense of all the great lesson plans, classroom tips, and feature stories that await them once they register to get access to the members-only areas of the site. And the discussion boards have also been revamped and improved to facilitate member sharing of ideas and information.

If you haven't yet visited OWL and registered, come take a look. If you have registered, but haven't visited for a while, come by and see what's new. Just type in www.owl.org and you're there. And by the way...

Your ideas and suggestions for the site are greatly appreciated, so send us an e-mail with your thoughts and ideas to asktheowl@nea.org.

A Halloween Tradition That's Better Than Candy

On October 31, 1950, a small group of children went door-to-door in Philadelphia with their pastor, collecting Halloween candy for themselves and, at the same time, money to help children around the world. They came up with $17, which they sent to UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund. That was the beginning of Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, which has since raised $118 million and become so widespread that the U.S. Fund for UNICEF says one in four adults remembers taking part.

NEA supports Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF and 45 percent of participants are organized through schools. The money helps to provide children with health care and education-$1 can protect a child from polio, and $2.46 can buy a child basic school supplies, according to UNICEF. Teachers use the program to teach everything from geography to math.

During that first collection in 1950, John Roth was a year-old infant, but he grew up to become a social studies teacher. He says he became aware of child poverty around the world while preparing for a high school class on international relations in the late 1970s. "I saw videos about tiny, starving babies," he recalls, "and I'd see my own daughter, who had just been born, in the picture."

Roth was looking for something concrete that his students could do about child poverty, and he wanted ways to personalize the global problems they were studying. Trick-Or-Treat for UNICEF was one of the answers he found, and he continues to use it as a focus for lessons about poverty, sweatshops, and child labor around the world.

In Vermont, Joplin James uses the UNICEF program with much younger children, first and second graders at Shelburne Community School in the town of Shelburne. "They love breaking open the orange UNICEF boxes, pouring the money on the floor and sorting all the coins," he explains. UNICEF connected his children with a specific school in Afghanistan, and James says his children were amazed at how differently the Afghan children lived.

Fore more on how to take part in Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF this year, go to www.unicefusa.org/trickortreat/.