Up Front

February 2004 Table of Contents In this Issue Cover Story Features Getting Organized NEAFT Retirement People Last Bell ESP Health & Fitness Spotlight Departments Editor's Note President's Viewpoint Up Front Rights Watch State Report Leading the Way Debate Dilemma Resources Books by NEA Members Online Change Your Address/ Write a Letter Past Issues

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Enough Already!

Teachers and paraeducators may be the ones on the front lines, but that certainly hasn't stopped a whole host of other folk from joining the march against the Elementary and Secondary Education Act—the so-called No Child Left Behind law. The public already expressed its confusion and angst over the federal education law in one recent poll. Now come principals, superintendents, state governors, and even legislators with the plea: fix it or forget it. Some school districts are so fed up they're now telling the government to keep its money—and the strings that come with it.

According to a survey by Public Agenda, nearly one-third of school principals and superintendents think the law "probably won't work," while the remaining two-thirds think it "will require many adjustments" before it's even palatable. Their biggest problem: the law simply "relies too much on standardized testing." From Maine to Montana, governors and legislators are expressing the same sentiment, and some are pummeling Secretary of Education Rod Paige with pleas for change, not to mention funds that will help the law work.

"We all want to help our schools succeed," writes Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine. "However,...the [federal] law is focusing public attention on the negative consequences and is punitive in nature, rather than reinforcing and highlighting positive elements of school success." School districts, meanwhile, are crying out. At least two in Connecticut, and a handful in Vermont, say they're rejecting their Title I funding, while officials in Suffolk County, Virginia, are exploring the idea. Vermont, Utah, and Hawaii even considered turning down their state allotments.

It's not that these bold moves promise to shield schools from the mandates—federal officials still are trying to decide how to react. But it certainly sends a message that states are reaching their limits. Or are already there.

I hereby resolve... to keep my resolutions

New Year's resolutions—we all make them and by this time each year most of us break them. But 2004 will be the year we stick with 'em! If you're feeling a little wishy-washy on those newly minted promises, check out these tips guaranteed to boost your willpower and keep you on track.

1. Pace yourself. Set a gradual schedule for attaining your goal and measure your progress in baby steps. Instead of getting super-fit, vow to exercise just one more time a week for February, then two times for March. Trying to save more money? Set aside a few extra bucks from each paycheck, rather than one large lump sum.
2. Find a buddy. Team up with a neighbor, relative, or friend who's made a similar resolution and cheer each other on to success. If your resolution involves losing weight, exercising more, or learning a new skill, find a class in your area and sign up.
3. Go public. Go on the Oprah show and announce your plans on national television. Not glitzy enough? Then consider videotaping your pledge and sending it to a friend who will keep you honest.
4. Cut yourself some slack. Missing a day of exercise or sneaking an extra donut doesn't mean it's time to throw in the towel. Keep your expectations realistic and celebrate the progress you make each day.

A-B-Cs and 1-2-3s

American students are well on their way to mastering their multiplication tables. Seventy-seven percent of fourth graders and 68 percent of eighth graders performed at the basic level on the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), meaning students demonstrated a partial mastery of skills. That's up from 59 percent and 58 percent, respectively, 11 years ago. Students' reading performance, meanwhile, has remained relatively unchanged during that same time period—63 percent of fourth graders and 74 percent of eighth graders reached the basic level last year, compared to 62 percent and 69 percent in 1992. NAEP measures the academic performance of a sample of fourth and eighth graders in several subjects. The 2003 test covered math and reading.

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Strength in Solidarity

Photo: Nathan Ham

It wasn't easy. But in October, after a year and a half of negotiations, members of Michigan's Midland City Educational Support Personnel Association (MCESPA) secured their first contract as NEA members. The local, formerly part of the United Steel Workers of America, voted in May 2002 to join NEA. The switch made all the difference at the bargaining table, according to MCESPA Vice President Joseph Ostyn.

"Before, we had consecutive contracts where we had given monies away to the point of being ridiculous," says Ostyn, a custodian. "This time I felt like we didn't get walked over again."

The new contract implements a four-step wage schedule based on years of service and includes a 2.5 percent retroactive pay increase for the 2002-03 school year and a 1.75 percent increase this year. That brings the entry-level wage up to $10.42 an hour, with more experienced ESPs earning more than $12 an hour. Many ESPs had remained at an hourly rate of $9.64 since the wage was implemented in 1996.

"Our goal was basically to keep the same working conditions and improve pay," says UniServ Director Karen Sherwood. "In the end, that's about where we all arrived."

(Un)Healthy Bill of Fare

Think the new Medicare law only concerns gramps and granny?

Guess again. The 678-page law signed by President Bush in December is bad medicine for anyone who relies upon employer-provided comprehensive health insurance.

Most of the headlines about the NEA-opposed bill focused on the prescription drug provision for seniors, which doesn't even go into effect until 2006 and already has been attacked as inadequate in the face of increasing drug costs (up 17 percent last year).

But it's not just those on Medicare who stand to lose. An obscure provision in the law providing for Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) could cause premiums for comprehensive health insurance to more than double, warns the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington think tank.

Here's why. The new HSAs, which allow employees to put aside money tax-free to pay for qualifying medical expenses, will appeal primarily to healthier and wealthier employees: they won't lose much (since they're not using many health services now), and they gain a tax break. But pulling healthier employees out of comprehensive plans hurts those who remain because they're likely to be hit with higher out-of-pocket charges. That's hardly the only flaw in the new law. The bill also provides for a risky experiment to privatize Medicare services, and Congressional negotiators ignored an NEA-endorsed provision, passed by the Senate, that would have protected benefits for pre-Medicare retirees.

What to do? Oregon Education Association-Retired member Jerry Wilkins says think voting booth. "For those who pushed this [bill] through," he says, "there will be payback come election time." For more on why the Medicare law is bad medicine for you, go to www.nea.org/retired.

A Losing Bet

Edison Schools Inc., the for-profit management firm that can't seem to earn a profit, has a new—and rather unwilling—owner: school and other public employees in Florida.

In November, Edison shareholders approved the company's purchase by the Florida Retirement System, thanks to a questionable decision by one of the system's investment fund managers, Liberty Partners. In case you missed it, Edison is the private management firm launched by Chris Whittle that gets headlines by pledging to raise student achievement and provide more efficient management—and then skips out when it's clear it can't keep the promises.

That has Florida members like retiree Joan King hopping mad. "The Florida Retirement System receives contributions from our members to invest on their behalf. And now they're going to use our contributions to finance Edison, which could result in members losing their jobs," King says. "Why are they speculating on a dying company?"

Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who has led a massive drive to privatize government jobs in the state, serves on the three-member board that reviews the retirement system's investment decisions. Officials with the pension system deny that the investment was political.

If not, it's simply bad business. Edison's stock price has plummeted from $36 to $2 per share, and the firm was $73 million in debt before the buyout. The buyout is a boon to the irrepressible Whittle, though. He'll get a raise—to $600,000 plus a 275 percent bonus if the company does well, The Miami Herald reports.

From the Page to the Stage

Photo: Sandy Schaeffer

With a $15,000 grant from NEA, the Ford's Theatre distributed more than 2,300 copies of The Grapes of Wrath to Washington, D.C.-area high schools in tandem with its production of the stage version of the story. About 150 local students also attended Ford's acclaimed theater appreciation workshop.

High-Tech Tots

Babies still in diapers might be more wired up and tech-savvy than a lot of adults you know. According to a study released by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, even the very youngest children are growing up immersed in media, spending hours a day watching television, using computers, and playing video games.

Children six years and younger spend, on average, two hours a day using screen media, well more than the mere 39 minutes a day they spend reading on their own or with a parent. And nearly half of them are on a computer by their sixth birthday. Meanwhile, this wired lifestyle is showing in children's waistlines, according to a study by the City University of New York Graduate Center. Children ages 4 to 14 who use home computers more than eight hours a week weigh about 12 pounds more than children who do not use computers at home, according to the study. These high-tech kids generally spend about three hours less each week playing sports and outdoor activities than their peers who do not use computers at all. Is it any wonder children are getting heavier? —Urmila Subramanyam

Coca-Cola 'Swerves' To Stay in Schools

What do you call a drink with all the calories and twice the sodium of Coca-Cola Classic?

Well, the Coca-Cola Corporation calls it Swerve, a new flavored milk drink sold only in schools—a "healthy" alternative to the traditional sodas that many schools have banned because of concerns about child nutrition and obesity. Swerve, which features a cartoon of a cow in sunglasses on its can (remind anyone of the cigarette industry's "Joe Camel?"), joins Coke-owned Minute Maid orange juice, Powerade, and Dasani water as products the soft drink giant is marketing in its fight to stay on school grounds.

Living Her Dream

When she was growing up, Tara Sparks wanted to be her teachers. In preschool, she wanted to be Miss Alicia, keeper of the toys and guardian of naptime.

Photo: Debra Angstead

Her third-grade hero, Mr. Washington, gave the class fun math projects and rewarded them with boogie time. Her eighth-grade muse was Mrs. Schukai, a drama and English teacher who inspired Sparks to follow in her footsteps. Sparks even envied the kids whose parents were teachers. There was a brief stint in the sixth grade when Sparks wanted to be an architect, but luckily for Missouri's students, she came to her senses.

Today, Sparks teaches eighth-grade English at Sperring Middle School in St. Louis, and like the teachers who inspired her when she was growing up, she's making a powerful impact on the academic and personal lives of her students. Although only 28 years old, Sparks already has an impressive list of career accomplishments. Last year, Sparks became Missouri's 2003-04 Teacher of the Year, making her the second youngest in the state's history. And two years ago she earned her National Board Certification after just four years in the classroom. What is Sparks' message to other beginning teachers? "Keep learning! That's how you rejuvenate yourself and your classroom," she says. Self reflection has helped Sparks most in her teaching career, she says, while professional development has helped her focus that reflection. "The fun and challenge of teaching," says Sparks, "is helping your students travel from point A to point B, and watching them arrive at that magical 'a-ha!' moment."

[ Nobody Ever Told Me ]

Wet Behind the Ears

Like many, I did my student teaching in a university town that used a lot of student teachers during the year. My turn came in January. I wanted to look good for my first day, so I dressed in my best suit coat and tie.

I was told to report to the high school for work. When I arrived, I found I had been assigned to teach ninth grade, which was located at the junior high school about four blocks away. Rather than drive four blocks, I decided to walk across a snow-covered field between the two schools. As I made my way across the field, which had about a foot of snow on it, I saw what looked to me like a sidewalk connecting the two buildings. As I stepped onto the sidewalk I heard a crack and found myself waist deep in a cold partially-frozen creek. I struggled out and debated whether it was better to show up late or wet. I chose wet and sloshed sheepishly into the principal's office and told him I was the new student teacher for the quarter. At least he held his laughter until I went into the hall to dry off.

—Robert L. Nichols
Retired art teacher, Eureka, Montana

Good Headlines, Bad Bottom Line

If you thought former Minnesota Governor Jesse "The Body" Ventura was an "X-treme" kind of guy, take a look at the education plan of Minnesota's current governor, Tim Pawlenty. He has proposed replacing teachers at underachieving schools with "super teachers" who, if they succeed in raising test scores, could earn up to $100,000 a year in salary and bonuses. The trade-off? "Super teachers" would have to waive union rights including tenure and job protection, says Pawlenty, so "we can hire who we want, fire who we want, and assign them when we want and how we want."

So, how do teachers feel about a gold-for-grades system with educators serving at the state's pleasure?

"The governor continues to come up with proposals that make good headlines," says Education Minnesota President Judy Schaubach. "But he has failed to come to grips with many fundamental steps that need to be taken to raise student achievement. Every child deserves a super teacher. We need to increase compensation for all teachers so that we retain our quality teaching force and attract bright new teachers into the profession." Other ingredients for success include small class sizes, parental involvement, up-to-date materials, "and students who show up."

Too Little, Too Late

Poky urban school districts may be causing their own teacher shortages, according to a report by the New Teacher Project.

The report, Missed Opportunities: How We Keep High-Quality Teachers Out of Urban Classrooms, blames sluggish hiring schedules for the loss of qualified teachers to other schools or districts. The districts have no problems recruiting teachers, according to the study. In fact, they typically attract large numbers of highly qualified applicants who are committed to teaching in urban settings. (One school received 4,000 applications for 200 openings!) But, in all of the cases featured in the report, the schools did not offer any jobs until late summer, long after the more qualified candidates had accepted other offers. Nearly half of those candidates said they would have taken jobs in the urban district if those offers had come earlier. That's a clear message to urban schools: Hire your teachers early!

—Amir Shoucri

The Anti-Drug: Family Dinners

Who would have thunk? Frequent family dinners may help protect teens against illegal drug use and stress—and even help them do better in school, according to a study from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.

As teens move from middle to high school—the years when teen substance abuse risks are highest—they eat with their families 29 percent less frequently. Not good. The study found that 12- to 17-year-olds who miss the evening meal more than twice a week are seven times more likely to use illegal drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes than teens who eat with their families five or more times a week. They're also more likely to have sex, encounter stress, and get into fights. "This is true regardless of a teen's gender, family structure, or family socioeconomic level," said CASA's Lauren Elbaum.

Pass the word.

—Tiffany Mitchell

Be Mine

Love is in the air and teachers everywhere are reaching for those tasty candy hearts with the funny sayings. Each year, the New England Confectionery Company, better known as NECCO, manufactures 8 billion of these little treats, called Sweethearts Conversation Hearts. And plenty of them end up in classrooms. With this in mind, the candy company last year released 10 new sayings that honor education. You'll now find phrases like "Let's Read," "Teach Me," and "School Mate" mixed in with old favorites like "Be Mine" and "Hot Stuff." Grab a handful.

State Report

February 2004 Table of Contents In this Issue Cover Story Features Getting Organized NEAFT Retirement People Last Bell ESP Health & Fitness Spotlight Departments Editor's Note President's Viewpoint Up Front Rights Watch State Report Leading the Way Debate Dilemma Resources Books by NEA Members Online Change Your Address/ Write a Letter Past Issues

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South Carolina

The state of South Carolina proclaims that, legally, it need only provide a "minimally adequate" education. In response, eight rural districts have hauled legislators into court in a funding lawsuit. In their defense, lawmakers have blamed dismal school funding on the "recession." Richard Miller, executive director of The South Carolina Education Association (SCEA), thinks the only thing that's gone into recession is leadership. "Governor Mark Sanford and others have vowed to raise per-capita income by cutting the income taxes of the state's wealthiest citizens—not by investing more in public education, school construction, or job training for displaced workers," Miller says. "And our legislature failed to fully fund its standards and accountability model this year, yet held the Department of Education, our educators, and students to those standards!"

Don't think the business community isn't taking notes. "'I can't find the workers I need.' You hear that throughout South Carolina," the chairman of the state Chamber of Commerce testified at the school funding trial. Stay tuned.

Nebraska

The Nebraska State Education Association (NSEA) is joining with the Nebraska Coalition of Educational Equity and Adequacy (NCEEA) to file a school funding lawsuit against the state. NCEEA's brief will contend that, under current funding restrictions, Nebraska's public schools cannot give each child the equitable and adequate education guaranteed by the state constitution.

NSEA and its coalition partners are calling for more funding to ensure an in-depth curriculum at each school that "meets the requirements of an essential education for every student." The plaintiffs also cite the need for highly qualified and competitively paid teaching staff in each classroom—and adequate facilities and support services to help every child meet achievement standards.

Massachusetts

Through intensive organizing and mass lobbying, the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) and other unions have won a long fight to get the state to honor contracts it negotiated nearly three years ago for more than 13,000 public higher education employees.

Governor Mitt Romney has signed legislation, overwhelmingly approved by the legislature, that authorizes more than $34 million for stalled higher ed raises. But Romney says he won't build those increases into his next budget. So much for written promises. MTA President Catherine A. Boudreau says she's now "counting on legislators" to ensure that the state lives up to its word.

Colorado

A District Court judge has ruled for the plaintiffs in an NEA-financed suit against a new law creating a "pilot" voucher program in 11 Colorado districts. The judge has held that the law violates the "local control" clause of the state constitution and issued an injunction against program implementation.

This decision "reinforces our belief that our statewide system of public education is founded on the principal of local control," says Colorado Education Association President Ron Brady. "There is no doubt the state will appeal this decision. But we remain committed to focusing on the things that make a real difference in student achievement and we will continue to reject all attempts to bring vouchers to Colorado."

Michigan

At a November rally, NEA President Reg Weaver urged more than 400 Southfield teachers and support professionals to "keep up the fight" in their protracted contract dispute over wages and health insurance. Following a quarter-mile-long candlelight march to the Southfield school board meeting, Weaver urged board members to negotiate a fair contract with three Michigan Education Association locals representing nearly 1,400 district employees.

Delaware

Four Delaware State Education Association local affiliates in the Capitol School District have won an arbitration case over the superintendent's decision to force education support professionals and teachers to work or attend a Professional Development Day during a severe snowstorm in February 2003, even though schools were closed to students. If employees didn't show up, they were docked or forced to use a leave day. The arbitrator awarded the decision to all four locals and ordered the district to make the affected employees "whole" either through pay or paid leave and to "cease and desist from future violations of...contractual provisions on future days on which schools are closed for inclement weather."

California

The California Teachers Association (CTA) acted swiftly to provide help to members victimized by deadly fires in Southern California. Through its disaster relief fund, CTA awarded 59 grants totaling $59,000 and made 41 loans totaling $52,000 to members in need. CTA chapters also pitched in by donating meals and bedding, caring for pets, and providing housing for victims.

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Spotlight

Retirement Opportunities

February 2004 Table of Contents In this Issue Cover Story Features Getting Organized NEAFT Retirement People Last Bell ESP Health & Fitness Spotlight Departments Editor's Note President's Viewpoint Up Front Rights Watch State Report Leading the Way Debate Dilemma Resources Books by NEA Members Online Change Your Address/ Write a Letter Past Issues

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Going Global

Want to see the world—and help kids at the same time? These NEA-Retired members are continuing a lifetime of public service—while seeing the world with new eyes.

By John O'Neil

It was the baby boomers—fresh from college and full of idealism—that John F. Kennedy called to service when he launched the Peace Corps in 1961. Four decades later, boomers looking to reinvent retirement are once again trekking across the globe to make a difference in the lives of the less-privileged. We talked to NEA-Retired members serving children and their fellow educators in far-flung spots around the world: India, Thailand, Tanzania, and St. Lucia. A snapshot of what they're doing—and what they've learned.

Kolkata, India

When New Jersey member Rosalie Giffoniello arrived in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) in 1999 to work with Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity for eight weeks, the conditions facing orphaned children with disabilities shocked the former speech therapist.

"The kids were lying on the floor on mats or in cribs all day long," she says. "No stimulation. The kids had potential, but no one recognized it." During her service, Giffoniello taught some of the children to feed themselves or walk for the first time. And she decided to make a personal, life-altering commitment to the children of Kolkata's slums. "When I went home, I took early retirement from my job, gave away my possessions, and returned to Kolkata for good," she recalls.

Photo: Pravash Pradhan

Since then, Giffoniello, with friend Janet Grosshandler-Smith, has launched the nonprofit Empower the Children (ETC), which sponsors six small but vital programs to aid the destitute and disabled in Kolkata.

The "pavement school," for example, serves about 30 homeless children ages 4-16 who live on the streets, begging to survive. Until recently, the lessons took place right on the streets, but Giffoniello found space on the roof of a building. The children get lessons, lunch, and regular access to a mobile clinic. "We try to slowly reorient the children from the street to the classroom," Giffoniello explains. "You have to be patient, because the kids need a lot of attention. But, slowly, they begin to change their perception of themselves from beggars to students."

Giffoniello herself teaches children ages 3-5 in an innovative preschool class designed to stimulate children's creativity. The program uses curriculum materials developed by friends of ETC in New Jersey. Another ETC program provides two hours of tutoring in a coaching center for 15 girls from some of the poorest slums of Kolkata. Giffoniello teaches each Saturday at yet another program, a home for 50 young adults with mental and physical disabilities. On the drawing board: a new orphanage that will serve 30 boys. In the midst of some of the most impoverished conditions in the world, "We're trying to give them their childhoods back," Giffoniello sums up.

Rosalie now lives in Kolkata nearly year-round, returning to the United States primarily to see her family and friends; to speak about ETC's work to schools, colleges, and community groups; and to raise money to support ETC's work. Her message: "If you're more caring for others, you're bringing the world one step closer to peace."

And she says she welcomes volunteers to India to help out. Last year, she worked with 16 volunteers from the United States, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom. Several of them were making their second or third visit to serve the children of Kolkata.

"This is a perfect opportunity for a retired teacher," Giffoniello says. "Our volunteers say this is a life-changing experience. They go to sleep each night feeling very gratified that they're making a difference."

For more information, contact Empower the Children, 7 Ryans Way, Jackson, NJ 08527 or e-mail Rosalie at giffoniello@hotmail.com.

Arusha, Tanzania

In this desperately poor African nation, where teachers often lack books and 100 primary-grade children may cram into a single classroom, Nebraska member Mary Jo Huelle works to keep alight a small beacon of hope.

The Mwangaza Teachers' Center (mwangaza is Swahili for "enlightenment"), which Huelle and her colleagues helped to build in 1997, represents a step forward for Tanzanian teachers, who must cope with shortages of materials and few avenues to improve their skills. Huelle first went to Tanzania in 1996 as part of a teacher exchange project run by the Lutheran church. She returned in 1997 and again for six weeks last summer to help construct two new additions to the center: a seminar room and a hostel wing that will provide lodging for teachers who travel from other parts of the country for training.

It's the latest accomplishment of the Mwangaza Education for Partnership project, which operates teacher exchanges and training programs aimed at helping teachers enhance their skills. Although some Tanzanian teachers hold college degrees, many do not, and training opportunities are scarce.

Huelle points to Tanzanian teachers like John Kavishe, who "considered himself a mediocre teacher" before participating in the program's training. After going through the training, he announced to his fellow students and staff, "You don't know me anymore, because I have been transformed." He now serves as a facilitator supporting other teachers receiving training, says Huelle.

Huelle, who retired last year after 32 years as a teacher in Gering, Nebraska, now serves as president of Friends of Mwangaza, a nonprofit that supports programs at the Mwangaza center. Since her first trip to Tanzania, she's been back three more times to help out—spending about $2,500 of her own money for each six-week visit.

"I return because the needs are so huge; you do so little, yet it means so much because it can help change children's lives," she says. "Education is the only thing that's going to make things better for them."

For more information about the work of Friends of Mwangaza, contact Huelle at mhuelle@actcom.net.

Soufriere, St. Lucia

Visual Domain, Ltd.

While Western tourists bask in the sun and gorgeous scenery of this jewel of the Caribbean, Peace Corps volunteer Tom Mechtenberg is on a more serious mission: improving the odds for St. Lucian students with special needs.

"Their education system has never had a special program of any sort for children with mild or moderate mental or learning disabilities," says Mechtenberg, a former school social worker from Port Huron, Michigan. "Those kids have been left on their own in the regular classroom. Most teachers have at least 30 students in their classes, so they weren't getting any kind of special attention."

Mechtenberg's main priority is helping St. Lucians create more support services for these children. He works with school principals, provides training for interested teachers in monthly workshops, and models lessons in the classroom. Halfway through his two-year Peace Corps assignment, Tom's also introduced an assessment tool to diagnose students' strengths and weaknesses and is currently working with teachers on using a new skill-building program in reading.

Peace Corps volunteer Tom Mechtenberg.

In one school last year where they were able to set up a resource room staffed by a teacher full-time, "We saw big improvements," says Mechtenberg. "The kids got more attention, and they wanted to be there for more than an hour a day." Unfortunately, not all the schools he works with could devote a full-time teacher to work with special-needs students, so the gains there have been harder to come by.

Tom's wife Mary, a former nurse, also volunteers for the Peace Corps, working in AIDS/HIV prevention. The couple lives in the lower level of a rented house in Soufriere that has a spectacular view of the Pitons (the twin peaks highlighted in all the tourist brochures) and get their exercise from the one-mile hike uphill to their home. Tom is also copy editor of a quarterly news magazine, Serious Ting, circulated among Peace Corps volunteers in the Caribbean.

"Overall, the experience has been gratifying," says Mechtenberg. "I'm happy that I've been able to use my experience in special education to start a new program here. I've also gained a new appreciation for the quality of life we enjoy in the United States. You have to take the long view, and the long view is that progress takes time."

You can reach Tom at mechtenbergs@hotmail.com.

Sobprap, Thailand

For 33 years, Barb Gosh taught at every level in Mundelein, Illinois, volunteering whenever a new class or course needed a teacher. Within six months of retiring, she was volunteering again, putting her Peace Corps application in the mail on the first day of the new millennium.

"As a teacher, you get a chance to see people—both students and parents—improve in some way and feel good about themselves," she says, explaining her decision. "I wasn't ready to retire from helping people make their lives better."

Within a year, this Midwesterner, who had never lived outside a cold climate or traveled to any other country besides Canada, was on her way to SobPrap, Thailand, where she recently completed her Peace Corps assignment.

"I was the only Westerner assigned to a town of 7,000 that was National Geographic beautiful," says Gosh. "You looked through the village, and over the rice paddies to rows of mountains." Gosh lived in a small house "about the size of a two-car garage—and it was one of the bigger ones in the village. I was delighted to have snakes in the house, because they took care of the mice."

Gosh's role in SobPrap was to identify several schools interested in modernizing their instruction, and then work with two or three teachers at each school. She coached the teachers on strategies to enhance students' problem-solving and introduced hands-on activities, which are rare in Thai schools. One of her favorite projects addressed the absence of globes and atlases in SobPrap schools. Gosh assisted teachers and students on a project that had students creating a mural of a world map on a school building wall.

While in Thailand, Gosh got help from her friends with the North Lakes Illinois Education Association-Retired chapter, who donated money to support the publication of an activity book and audiotape as well as scholarships to send students to high school. High school attendance in Thailand is not free, and, tragically, some poor children who cannot pay are sent by their parents to Bangkok to work as prostitutes. Gosh looks at the money in human terms, saying it was "something that will keep four kids in school and out of prostitution for two years."

Since returning, Gosh has lectured on her experience to groups of retired teachers, schools, and to her chapter of the American Association of University Women. "It was amazing—mentally, physically, culturally, and professionally challenging and satisfying," she says. "Yes, I'd volunteer again."

E-mail Barb at bgosh9876@aol.com.

Retiring soon? Be sure to check out joining the NEA-Retired program or information from your state affiliate.

Catch the Dream

Thousands of Americans have broadened their horizons teaching English overseas, but that's hardly your only option. Play your cards right, and you might find a group that will send you out to excavate archaeological sites, restore Buddhist temples, or help to catalog insect species in the rain forests of the Amazon basin.

If the idea of service overseas appeals to you, a great place to start is How to Live Your Dream of Volunteering Overseas (Penguin Publishing, 468 pp., $17) by Joseph Collins, Stefano DeZerega, and Zahara Heckscher. Among the book's tips:

Check your motivation. Volunteering takes commitment, so if your primary motivation is to have an adventure, you might be better off with traditional travel options. Don't volunteer to escape a bad situation, or expect that your short-term assignment will change the world.

Talk with program grads. If you're getting serious about volunteering overseas, interview several people who have been through the program that's piqued your interest. Their observations are likely to be more realistic than glossy brochures. The volunteer organization should be able to supply names.

Hone your fund-raising skills. Many organizations that offer service opportunities require you to pay fees, which can add up to several thousand dollars depending upon the locale and length of assignment. You needn't shoulder the financial load yourself, though. Work with your business and social contacts, as well as community and religious groups, to offset the cost of service.

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Resources

February 2004 Table of Contents In this Issue Cover Story Features Getting Organized NEAFT Retirement People Last Bell ESP Health & Fitness Spotlight Departments Editor's Note President's Viewpoint Up Front Rights Watch State Report Leading the Way Debate Dilemma Resources Books by NEA Members Online Change Your Address/ Write a Letter Past Issues

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Improving Comprehension:
Ten Research-Based Principles

NEA Success in Reading Series

Gerald Duffy, Editor
72 pp. $10.95 NEA Members, $12.95 nonmembers
NEA Professional Library, www/nea.org/books

[ BOOK EXCERPT ]

Text Is More Than Books

We tend to think of text as books. While classrooms should have many books, there should also be many other forms of text at all grade levels. There should be lots of student-produced texts, instructional charts, posters, magazines, and computers, to name just a few examples.

Because reading is used in all subject matter, it cuts across the school day and includes many different kinds of texts. Consequently, comprehension must be taught at all grades and in all school subjects. It cannot be confined to "reading/language arts time." Although we sometimes think of reading as a general skill, different texts require different kinds of reading. Reading fairy tales, for instance, calls for different strategies than reading a set of instructions, a historical treatise, a math word problem, or a recipe. How we read depends on what we read. Thus, children need to learn to comprehend different kinds of text in many different situations.

Different Kinds of Text

Three major kinds of text that children learn to comprehend are narrative text, expository text, and procedural text. Students frequently encounter stories in primary grade reading materials such as basal textbooks. Besides stories, students may encounter such narrative text forms as drama, fairy tales, folk literature, biographies, epic poems, fables, historical fiction, and mythology. Each form of narrative has a distinguishing structure, and each structure requires a slightly different approach to comprehension. The more experience a reader has with various narrative structures, the more he or she is able to use that experience to anticipate meaning.

There are also many different kinds of expository text. Readers may encounter historical texts, news articles, scientific articles, journal entries, and Internet text. As with narratives, the more students know about various kinds of expository text, the better they will comprehend, because they use prior knowledge about a text's structure to help them construct meaning.

Being able to comprehend procedural text—such as recipes, sets of directions, and math word problems—is increasingly critical to functioning in the world outside the classroom.

Different strategies are needed for different texts. Summarizing an expository text, where the focus is usually on the main ideas, requires different strategies than summarizing a story, where the focus is usually on the characters, setting, problem, and related events. Moreover, summarizing is usually an appropriate strategy for a narrative, for example, but not for complex directions.

Because a reader's comprehension strategies change depending on the text being used and the situation in which it is being used, we can expect comprehension instruction to vary from one subject to another.

To order, contact the NEA Professional Library or call 800-229-4200.

Help with Reading

NEA Resources

Word Power: What Every Educator Needs To Know About Teaching Vocabulary

By Steven Stahl and Barbara Kapinus

NEA Success in Reading Series
A good vocabulary is critical for success in reading, and every content area has vocabulary to master. Whether you're teaching a third-grade math lesson or high school science, Word Power offers K-12 classroom teachers proven techniques for effective vocabulary instruction. Learn how to provide multiple exposures to meaningful information about a word, and employ both definitional and contextual information about word meanings. This book gives teachers the tools they need to turn students into "wordophiles."
NEA Professional Library

Meeting the Challenge: Special Education Tools that Work for All Kids

By Patti Ralabate

Effective teachers need effective strategies to use with students struggling to overcome academic or behavioral difficulties. Meeting the Challenge gives you the tools you need to teach a classroom full of students with various skill levels and special needs. This tool kit provides specialized resources and time-saving strategies, as well as sample checklists, IEP goals, lesson plans, rubrics, and more. You'll find planning sheets and other resources you can copy and use or modify to your own special needs.
NEA Professional Library

Books Your Kids Will Talk About! A Guide to Children's Literature for Teachers and Parents (K-6)

By Susan Hepler and Maria Salvadore

Kids enjoy talking about their favorite books, and encouraging kids to talk about what they've read is a powerful learning tool that can motivate and inspire. Books Your Kids Will Talk About! helps educators and parents navigate the ever-expanding universe of children's literature. This comprehensive, multicultural, annotated booklist is organized around themes germane to a child's world. Teachers will find suggestions on how to integrate these books into their curriculum. Parents can use the books as a suggested reading list to foster lively discussion and self-exploration among young readers.
NEA Professional Library

The Effective Reading Series

This helpful series includes seven free pamphlets based on scientific research. For an effective reading program, check out the following titles: Characteristics of Teachers Who Are Effective in Teaching All Children to Read; Characteristics of Schools That Are Effective in Teaching All Children to Read; Beginning Reading Instruction: The Rest of the Story from Research; Ten Research-Based Principles of Comprehension Instruction; Advice on Reading from Experts; Steps for School-Wide Reading Improvement; and Research-Supported Characteristics of Teachers and Schools That Promote Reading Achievement.
NEA Student Achievement

Other Resources

Promising Practices for Urban Reading Instruction

Pamela A. Mason and Jeanne Shay Schumm, Editors

As the reading profession faces the challenge of high-stakes testing and standards-based curricula, it's essential that educators who plan and implement reading programs in urban settings have a professional development resource that speaks directly to urban education and diversity. This collection of articles is based on an International Reading Association position statement outlining what children need to become competent readers and writers.
International Reading Association, Inc.

Reading to Learn: Lessons from Exemplary Fourth-Grade Classrooms

By Richard L. Allington and Peter H. Johnston

Fourth graders around the country face new, high-stakes standardized tests, drawing increased attention to the need for effective literacy instruction in the upper-elementary grades. This book offers a classroom view of the techniques and strategies highly successful teachers use to engage students, help them develop as thoughtful readers and writers, and bolster self-directed learning and literate conversation.
Guilford Press

Subjects Matter: Every Teacher's Guide to Content-Area Reading

By Harvey Daniels and Steven Zemelman

Finally, a book about content-area reading that's just as useful to math, science, and history teachers as it is to English teachers. Lively, and practical, Subjects Matter points the way to activities and materials that energize content and engage students across all subject areas. The book includes:

23 classroom activities that help students understand and remember what they read in mathematics, science, English, and more; an analysis of today's textbooks, along with specific ways to use them more effectively; and a new "balanced diet" of reading, including 150 real books of interest to teenage readers. Subjects Matter shows how young people can read and succeed across the curriculum, and how their teachers can help.
Heinemann

Differentiating Instruction for Students with Learning Disabilities: Best Teaching Practices for General and Special Educators

By William N. Bender

Whether your challenging students are identified as learning disabled or low-achieving, the strategies and tactics in this book can lead to significant gains in reading comprehension, language arts, and math. This book describes the type of differentiation in instruction certain students require and shows, step-by-step, how to implement the best teaching methods, reading and literacy instruction, criterion-referenced testing, peer-assisted learning strategies, and more.
Corwin Press and the Council for Exceptional Children

After Early Intervention, Then What? Teaching Struggling Readers in Grade 3 and Beyond

Rachel McCormack and Jeanne Paratore, Editors

Even with effective early intervention, many students continue to need expert, intensive, and focused reading instruction well beyond the primary-grade years. This resource helps intermediate and middle school educators develop instructional strategies for these struggling students. The chapters address the needs of children in a range of instructional settings such as general, special, and bilingual classrooms and learning contexts such as classroom, small group, individual, and tutorial.
International Reading Association, Inc.

Strategies for Integrating Reading and Writing in Middle and High-School Classrooms

By Karen Wood and Janis Harmon

This book is about dissolving the boundaries among subject areas and uniting them via literacy. The authors' main purpose is to improve students' understanding of content by increasing the amount of time they are engaged in actual reading and writing activities. The authors translate literacy research into classroom practice, providing teachers with strategies for improving students' performance and interest in course content. Each strategy is illustrated with classroom examples spanning all the subject areas.
National Middle School Association

Small-Group Reading Instruction: A Differentiated Teaching Model for Beginning And Struggling Readers

By Beverly Tyner

Author Beverly Tyner presents a model for effective reading instruction that combines guided reading and word study in small groups, allowing you to address the needs of beginning and struggling readers in a regular classroom setting. Each chapter has easy-to-implement lesson plans and activities to support the five stages of reading—emergent, beginning, fledgling, transitional, and independent—and the appendixes offer instructions on using the Early Reading Screening Instrument, word study materials, and word scramble and writing activities.
International Reading Association

Grants, Awards, and Competitions

It's never too late to apply for grants from The NEA Foundation

Do you have an innovative idea that will improve student achievement, but lack the funds to implement the project? The NEA Foundation's Innovation Grants can help.

Do you want to undertake professional development that will benefit your students and your colleagues? Look to the Foundation Learning & Leadership Grants. Did you miss the early February application dates? Don't worry. The NEA Foundation accepts applications for these grants on an ongoing, year-round basis, so it's never too late to apply for a grant of your own. NEA members just like you have applied for and received hundreds of grants throughout the years. Read about their projects at www.nfie.org, then submit your own idea.

Innovation Grants and Learning & Leadership Grants are available for all subjects, including the arts, literacy, science, and technology. Additional funding for arts education is available through Fine Arts Grants and Arts@Work Grants.

All members who are 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 encouraged to apply. We now offer bigger and better grants—up to $5,000 per project—to fund your BIG ideas. Applying for a grant is easy, so why wait? Visit www.nfie.org today for more information on all of our grant programs, including guidelines and an application, or call 202-822-7840.

Orphan Foundation Scholarships

The Orphan Foundation of America offers approximately 350 scholarships a year, ranging from $1,500 to $6,000, to students attending college. To be eligible, a student must have aged out of the foster care system having spent at least the one year prior to their 18th birthday in care. They also must be accepted into or enrolled in college or a vocational training program. The scholarship is renewable through the Bachelor's degree, but must be reapplied for every year. Applications are due April 1, 2004. Application forms are available at www.orphan.org.

Teacher Training Grants

The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) offers grants to teams of educators looking to help students link local history inquiry with community service learning projects. The teacher training grants are part of "CiviConnections: Constructing the past, creating the future," a project funded by a grant from the federal Corporation for National and Community Service. CiviConnections will involve more than 297 teachers and 7,425 students nationwide in grades 3-12. A team of three teachers can apply for a $7,500 grant to cover their costs for attending a summer workshop, implementing the program during the fall of 2004, and attending the 2004 NCSS Annual Conference in Baltimore. CiviConnections will engage selected teachers and their students in these activities: 1) students and teachers choose a current issue of concern or need in the local community; 2) students investigate the issue through their community's history; 3) students compare their local findings with learning about the selected issue in our nation's history; 4) students look at how the issue is impacted by one or more government documents, such as the Bill of Rights; 5) students design and conduct quality service learning activities to work on the issue and strengthen their community; and 6) students create a public display to educate the community and celebrate their collaborative service projects.

Teachers will develop and adapt these activities based on their students' interests and abilities, the needs or problems in the local community, and their local social studies curriculum requirements.

Interested educators must:

• apply in a team of three teachers from grades 3-12 in the same school district
• be members of the National Council for the Social Studies (or agree to join if your application is accepted)
• partner with at least one local community agency
• involve at least 25 students per teacher in at least 20 hours of service each (this may include community interviews, advocacy activities in the classroom, service with individuals in the community, and creation of the public display)
• attend one three-day summer 2004 workshop and the 2004 NCSS Annual Conference in Baltimore (all funding for the workshop and conference is to be paid from the $7,500 grant)
• implement the program during the fall of 2004
• comply with grant evaluation and reporting procedures.

For more information about CiviConnections or the application process, contact civiconnections@ncss.org. Applications are due April 30, 2004.

Middle School Awards for Positive Change

The Christopher Columbus Awards challenge middle school students to explore opportunities for positive change in their communities. Teams of up to four students and a coach identify a community issue and use the scientific process to solve it. Finalist teams win an all-expense-paid trip to Walt Disney World where they compete for U.S. Savings Bonds and the $25,000 Columbus Foundation Community Grant to help bring their idea to life in their community. Past winners have included a group of Native American girls who built a study hall out of straw on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana, and a group of students from New Jersey who developed a technology to help deaf athletes communicate with their coaches while on the playing field.

For more information and competition guidelines, call 800-291-6020 or visit www.christophercolumbusawards.com. Coaches may be teachers, parents, community leaders, or mentors. Teams do not need to be affiliated with a school to enter. The deadline for receipt of entries is February 17, 2004.

The Christopher Columbus Awards program is sponsored by the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation with support from the National Science Foundation. It is endorsed by the National Middle School Association.

High School Essay Contest

The Holocaust Remembrance Project, sponsored by the Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation, is a national essay contest for high school students designed to encourage and promote the study of the Holocaust. High school students across the United States and Mexico are invited to incorporate the project into their study of the Holocaust and to use it as a means to personally react to the messages of the Holocaust. Scholarships and other prizes will be awarded to students in first, second, and third place categories. First place winners will participate in an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to visit the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and other historic sites. In addition, scholarships of up to $5,000 will be awarded to the first place national winners.

Students responding to this year's contest should study and research the Holocaust and then, in an essay of no more than 1,200 words: 1) analyze why it is so vital that the remembrance, history, and lessons of the Holocaust be passed to a new generation; and 2) suggest what they, as students, can do to combat and prevent prejudice, discrimination, and violence in our world today.

For complete contest rules, guidelines, and entry forms, go to http://holocaust.hklaw.com.

In Print

Serving Proudly

African-Americans have played a large role in many American conflicts from as early as the Revolutionary War all the way up to today. American Patriots: The Story of Blacks in the Military from the Revolution to Desert Storm discusses how African-Americans have fought for freedom in foreign lands, even when they did not have that same freedom at home. This edition has been adapted for young readers by Tonya Bolden from author Gail Buckley's award-winning book of the same name. 240 pp. $15.95 from Random House. To order, go to www.randomhouse.com or call 800-733-3000.

Young, Gifted, and Black

Young, Gifted, and Black comprises three unique essays by college professors Theresa Perry, Claude Steele, and Asa Hillard. Their writings dissect the performance of Black students, examine the stigmas attached with achievement in the classroom, and provide new and compelling information on the ongoing debate between the disparity that exists between white and African-American students. 192 pp. $16 from Beacon Press. To order, visit www.amazon.com.

The Quilt That Clara Built

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, by Deborah Hopkinson with paintings by James Ransome, is a coming-of-age story of a young slave girl separated from her parents and sent away to live on a plantation. Clara learns to sew and decides to make a map that is actually a carefully crafted quilt that shows neighboring lakes, plantations, and roads. The quilt helps her find the mother she was separated from and find her way to freedom in Canada. The quilt helps others to freedom as well. 40 pp. $15.95 from Random House. To order, go to www.randomhouse.com/kids or call 800-733-3000.

A Smile as Big as the Moon

Author Mike Kersjes shares his amazing story as a small-town special education teacher who leads his learning disabled and emotionally impaired students to NASA's "Space Camp" for astronaut training. With his faith and persistence, Kersjes in A Smile as Big as the Moon turned his obstacle of getting support from administrators to getting his kids to camp, where they exemplified a triumph of the human spirit. 274 pp. $13.95 from St. Martin's Griffin.To order, visit www.stmartins.com.

The Write Stuff

The written word has been around for a long time, having evolved from pictures scrawled on a cave. In Write Around the World: The Story of How and Why We Learned to Write, authors Vivian French and Ross Collins enlist the help of six goofy birds to tour the world and show readers the evolution of writing from its earliest stages, to art, slang, and even secret codes. 32 pp. $16.95 from Oxford University Press. To order, go to www.oup.com or call, 800-451-7556.

Give Them Poetry!

Teachers can bring poetry into the classroom with Glenna Sloan's Give Them Poetry: A Guide for Sharing Poetry with Children K-8. Sloan, a poetry-passionate professor, features rich examples of classroom poetry and basis poetry and verse as a promoter of literacy. The book also has successful strategies for encouraging teachers to use poetry study with students. 91 pp. $17.95 from Teachers College Press. To order visit, www.teacherscollegepress.com.

A Letter to my Teacher

What do students wish teachers knew about them and about how they best learn? In Fires in the Bathroom by Kathleen Cushman, 40 high school students from urban areas advise teachers on how to better engage, motivate, and challenge; the crucial bargain students make with their most successful teachers; and how to improve student-teacher relationships. 190 pp. $24.95 from The New Press. To order, visit www.thenewpress.com.

The Handy Science Book

Why do golf balls have dimples? Why do leaves turn colors? The Handy Science Answer Book includes 1,700 of the most interesting, unusual, and frequently asked questions in this expanded centennial edition compiled by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. 660 pp. $21.95 from Visible Ink Press. To order, call 734-667-3211 or visit www.visibleinkpress.com.

Geography Fun for Young Explorers

"What does geography have to do with me?" A lot. Find out the differences and similarities that we have with other people around the world. Make Thailand's watermelon slush or predict the weather with your own weather station. Geography Fun: Cool Activities for Young Explorers offers fun ideas for discovering your world. 144 pp. $14.95 from Sterling Publishing. To order, visit www.sterlingpub.com or call 800-805-5489.

The Bangles Business

Learn how five young women with very little money from Bangladesh, Pakistan, begin their different businesses in Ginger Howard's A Basket of Bangles, for grades K-3. Sufiya's dream of owning a business turns into a reality. However, the women must learn to read and write and understand banking principles before they successfully operate businesses, selling items such as bangles. 25 pp. $21.90 from Millbrook Press. To order, go to www.millbrookpress.com.

On TV

Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parks
HBO Family, February 8, 7 p.m., ET/PT.

You might think you know her story, but this documentary peels away one more layer. "Mighty Times" shows us Rosa Parks as part of a strong community that instantly supported her on that day in December 1955 when she refused to give up her bus seat to a white man. After Rosa was released from jail, fliers were published overnight: "Do Not Ride the Bus." A popular DJ makes announcements over the radio about meetings, bicycles are brought in, and churches buy station wagons to take workers to their jobs. The boycott also launched the career of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who at 26 was chosen over other pastors to lead the community's response. The bus boycott lasted 381 days, which was the length of time it took for her case to make its way to the Supreme Court. From Tell the Truth Pictures, this documentary was nominated for an Oscar. KIDSNET has produced a study guide on Rosa Parks, which can be downloaded for free at www.kidsnet.org/pdf/rosaparksguide.

Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property
PBS, February 10, 10 p.m., ET, check local listings.

Nat Turner's slave rebellion is a watershed event in America's long and troubled history of slavery and racial conflict. A groundbreaking exploration of race, violence, and memory in American life, this film tells the story of that violent confrontation and the ways the story has been continuously re-told since 1831. Nat Turner was a "troublesome property" for his master and he has remained a "troublesome property" for the historians, novelists, dramatists, artists, and many others who have struggled to understand him.

INNOVATION
PBS, February 10, 17, 24, and March 2, 9 p.m., ET, check local listings.

This series examines technology and science from a first person perspective. One narrative follows two retired CIA officers who now train FBI agents in anti-terror surveillance, adapting techniques they developed in the Cold War. Another segment is about a blind woman who undergoes risky brain implant surgery to see again. Beyond the first person focus, viewers will appreciate the jargon-free, easily accessible presentation of science in this series. A companion site with materials is available from the series producer, Channel Thirteen in New York (www.thirteen.org). Other outreach activities will occur at science centers and museums across the country, and a special Sparks of INNOVATION magazine is available by request at guiderequest@thirteen.org.

Jazz Heroes
Ovation, February 10, 1:30 p.m., ET, check local listings.

Part of a series examining the world of jazz from 1946 to 1966, this episode, "Ella Fitzgerald: The Singer Not the Song," explores the overall impact of the legendary vocalist's life and career. The 30-minute show can be taped and used in the classroom for one year. Teaching materials are available at www.ovationtv.com/artszone.

Forced to Flee: Famine and Plague
Discovery Channel, February 16, 9 a.m., ET.

This documentary explores how Ireland's potato famine drove Irish immigrants to America and how the bubonic plague helped end feudalism in medieval Europe. Can be taped and used in the classroom for one year. Teaching materials will be available at www.discoveryschool.com.

JFK: A Presidency Revealed
History Channel, February 16 (part 1), February 17 (part 2), and February 18 (part 3), 6 a.m., ET.

This three-part profile of our 35th president includes White House audiotapes and Soviet footage from Kennedy's superpower summit. Can be taped and used in the classroom for two years. Teaching materials are available at www.historychannel.com/classroom.

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

February

February 1-29—Black History Month

Started by Carter G. Woodson in the 1920s as Negro History Week, the commemoration was expanded to a month to reflect on the culture and accomplishments of Blacks in America. For more, go to http://search .eb.com/blackhistory/.

February 1—National Freedom Day

Presidential proclamation established this date in 1949 to commemorate the signing of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery in 1865. For more, go to www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/es/pa/free_1.

February 24—Mardi Gras

This day is also called Shrove Tuesday and is celebrated in Brazil, Germany, and especially in New Orleans and the southern United States. This is the last feast before Lent.

March

March 1-31—Irish American Heritage Month

This period was set aside by a presidential declaration to celebrate Irish history and its influence on American culture.

March 1-31—National Mental Retardation Month

A month set aside to increase and promote educational awareness of the 7.2 million Americans living with disabilities. For more on groups who promote awareness in this field visit www.thearc.org.

March 4—First Woman to Serve in Congress

Jeannette Rankin was the first woman member of Congress—elected four years before the 19th Amendment guaranteed women the right to vote. She started her term as a congresswoman from Montana on this day in 1917. Go to http://womenshistory.about .com/library/bio/blbio_jeannette_rankin.htm.

Heads Up From NEA Member Benefits

 

Our new site?—"Outta sight"...

...is what people are saying about the revamped NEA Member Benefits Web Site. Introduced in December, the Site sports a sleek, new design that makes products and services easy to locate, eliminates multiple layers, and reduces the number of clicks needed to get where you want to go. If you haven't visited recently, sign on to www.neamb.com and peruse the Site's many great features including monthly giveaways and special offers, life cycle consumer guides, financial awareness bulletins, and home buying and retirement planning information with associated financial calculators.

You can also obtain quotes on various products and check your existing account information online. It's all there for you at www.neamb.com.

Looking for a way to make debt* disappear?

The NEA Personal Loan¨ may be your solution. You could consolidate your high-interest debt and save with low rates available exclusively for NEA members. This plan includes affordable monthly payments to fit your budget and terms ranging from 24 to 84 months. No collateral is necessary and it costs nothing to apply. For more information or to apply, call 1-800-545-4094 and mention priority code IRZ7 for a decision in as little as 10 minutes! Or, visit www.neamb.com/pl to apply online. TDD users, call 1-800-833-6262. This account is administered by MBNA America Bank, N.A. *MBNA may prohibit use of an NEA Personal Loan to pay on another MBNA account.

OWL.org

Cooking Up Reading Resources at OWL.org

This year's Read Across America (RAA) on March 2 will be the biggest and best celebration yet—and OWL.org is helping to make it happen! Members looking for ways to participate in RAA activities can log on to OWL.org and find fun-filled activities and resources available nowhere else. Browse through the "Book Buffet" to find a "Bread and Jam"-themed booklist perfect for the peanut butter and jelly set, or try "Eating and Reading Your Way Through History." Whatever your tastes, OWL has yummy book lists for all ages.

If you're looking for an alternative to green eggs and ham, this year's RAA menu includes special book "diets" of reading activities that teachers, education support professionals, and retired and higher ed members can use.

And if you can't resist Read Across merchandise, check out the cat-a-log for members-only items, including sweatshirts, neckties, and commemorative certificates. OWL has all this and more!

And don't forget to shop at your favorite online retailers through OWLShopper—you'll support both RAA literacy activities and OWL.org.

On the Web

 

Black History Biographies

Brush up on your African-American history on this Biography.com site that includes biographies ranging from George Washington Carver to Tiger Woods. Many of the life stories also come with video clips, as well as related links to the person being highlighted.

A Journey Through Slavery

America's journey through slavery is presented in four parts in this site designed by PBS. For each era, you'll find a historical narrative, a resource bank of images, documents, stories, commentaries, and a Teacher's Guide for using the site's content in U.S. history courses.

History Scavenger Hunt

Send students on a Black history scavenger hunt. Students can learn about famous Black Americans while polishing their Internet surfing skills. For students of all ages, the site organizes the scavenger hunts in fill-in-the-blank format with a list of Web sites where the information can be found.

Take the Ocean Challenge

"Clean Water for the 21st Century," part of the Wyland Ocean Challenge, is the first interdisciplinary art and science educational program for grades K-6 that addresses these issues. Developed by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (UCSD) and marine life artist Wyland, the site features free downloadable teacher's guides to enhance student's learning of adaptation, water cycles, environmental stewardship, and conservation.

For Custodians

CMM Online, provided by Cleaning and Maintenance Management magazine, contains news and feature articles on carpet and floor cleaning, environmental issues, industry trends, and legal and government compliance issues. The site also offers "how to" tips on floor and restroom care and mold remediation. Visitors can access an online bulletin board and e-mail forum.

Books by NEA Members

Meeting the Math Standards with Favorite Picture Books:

Lessons, Activities, and Hands-On Reproducibles That Help You Teach Essential Math Skills and Concepts

By Bob Krech

This book tells how to teach math through good literature—books and stories that inspire, amuse, and provoke kids into making connections and building skills. The collection includes math activities connected to 25 favorite children's books. Krech, an elementary math specialist, writes for learning standards-based math. Each featured title includes a plot summary and a list of primary content standards. (Grades 2-4) 80 pp. $12.95 from Scholastic, Inc.

Free Gondola Ride: A Summer With the Men Behind the Mystery

By Kathleen Ann González

Learn about the history of the gondola and at the same time, take a "free ride" with the author, a high school English teacher, as she uncovers the true lifestyles of Venice's gondoliers. Originally intending to interview these boatmen as a proper journalist, Gonz‡lez becomes fascinated with their unique occupation and finds herself drawn into their personal lives—getting to know their families, learning their language, and living an unexpected adventure. Thirty photos are interspersed within the text. 235 pp. $18.

Tundra Teacher: A Memoir

By John Foley

Becoming a schoolteacher in a remote Eskimo village on St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea is not what John Foley imagined. He finds out what it's like to be in the racial minority. His wife feels is