People

NEA Members Making News Around the World

After the Fall

Two Oregon members went up a mountain as teachers— and came down with national headlines heralding their return.

After a horrifying 500-foot fall off Oregon’s Mount Hood in February, climbers Matty Bryant of Portland and Kate Hanlon of Wilsonville were lucky to be alive. Read more...

Raising Cane

There’s no better way for this Ohio guidance counselor to relax than by winding up reeds.

A-tisket, a-tasket, not many guidance counselors weave baskets. But Carolyn Abbey of Wellington High School in Ohio “fell in love with the art” after seeing a basket a friend had made. “I have knitted, cross-stitched, done some physical activities,” she says, “and I have never done anything I’ve enjoyed more than this.” Read more...

Double Vision

Identical twins Adam and Clinton Seal have shared everything from a womb to a dorm room, but in September they began sharing something more?a work place.

Before Clinton joined Adam at Challenger Elementary, he substituted for his brother. On one day, as students began coming in, he pretended to be Adam, but some of them didn?t buy it, saying he didn?t have the typical wild spiky hair or untucked shirt. Read more...

Grandmaster Flashcard

A California math teacher learns that rap is a quick way into his students’ memory banks.

When middle school students buy your music on iTunes, you know you’re cool. Alex Kajitani, of Mission Middle School in Escondido, might not be topping the radio charts, but he’s doing something potentially harder: making algebra cool for preteens.  Read more...

Teacher Without Borders

A New Jersey retiree aids in the recovery of a war-torn nation, one student at a time.

The thought of teaching in a country ravaged by war would turn most stomachs, but it’s where retired history teacher Charles “Chuck” Reinhardt (New Jersey Retirees’ Education Association) feels in his element. Since 2001, the former Highland Lakes educator has been teaching sociology, American pop culture, ethics, and conflict resolution in Bosnia.  Read more...

Love Fest

This Indiana teacher knows the quickest way to students' (and a special lady's) minds can be through their hearts

Marty Irwin can honestly say he’s written the book on love. Irwin, a guidance counselor at Greene Intermediate School in Indiana, has had two books of poetry published: Words from Within and The Celestine Poet: A Journey of Love.    Read more...

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