NEA Today Extra - April 2005

Is Your Retirement Safe?

The April NEA Today cover story examines attacks on Social Security and pension plans. Here's more of what you need to know to protect your retirement.

Fight Social Security Privatization

Join the more than 40,000 people who have already signed NEA's petition to protect Social Security benefits.

Visit NEA's Legislative Action Center for everything you'll need to become an activist on retirement issues. Learn about NEA's position on Social Security privatization, mandatory coverage, and offsets, and then E-mail your Members of Congress about the importance of protecting retirement benefits.

Table of Contents

Required reading: There's an overwhelming amount being written and said about privatizing Social Security. NEA's Legislative Action Center has pulled some of the best resources together. Also check out the Center for American Progress's quick reference guide to the numbers thrown around in the privatization debate, and two articles from The American Prospect -- "Why We Need Social Security" and "A Bloody Mess," a been-there-done-that look at the privatization of Britain's pension system.

Get a Retirement Finances Check-up

NEA Member Benefits' Web site is loaded with retirement planning resources, including a nifty online calculator to help you figure out how much you'll need to live on.

Consider the Benefits of NEA-Retired

Retiring sooner rather than later? Learn about the benefits of becoming an NEA-Retired member.

How about a peek into retired life, from a magazine just for retired educators? One of the best benefits of an NEA-Retired membership is a subscription to This Active Life, full of useful news and information on retirement issues, as well as features on how your fellow members are thriving now that school days are behind them.

Dream a Little

Is surfing the Pipeline or hiking across the Australian outback on your "to-do" list after you turn in your classroom keys? Share your retirement dreams with your colleagues on our discussion board. (NEA members only; registration required.)

Classroom Aesthetics

Make your classroom a place of harmony and focused energy. Read an excerpt from NEA member and New Jersey teacher Renée Heiss's book, Feng Shui in the Classroom: 101 Easy-to-Use Ideas.

Pretty is as pretty does: "A Beautiful School Is a Caring School," from School Business Affairs, describes how school aesthetics enhance student creativity and achievement --and build community support for schools.

The University of Georgia's School Design & Planning Laboratory offers tons of resources and links to school aesthetics tips and research, including information on how school building conditions affect student and teacher attitudes.

Building brain power: "The Brain and Well-Designed School Environments" gives tips on setting up classrooms and school buildings to stimulate kids' brain development.

Education, Not Incarceration

To cut spiraling prison costs, put more money into schools; there's hard evidence that quality education can keep people out of jail. NEA is developing a workshop to train members in using the "education, not incarceration" argument for better school funding. Engage your students in the issue with California teacher Jennifer Dannenberg's lesson plans. For more resources, visit Education Not Incarceration.

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