Anthony Daniels isn’t prone to jitters when faced with new challenges. Less than a day after being elected the new NEA Student Program Chairperson, Daniels moved easily from interviews and garnering congratulations from NEA President Reg Weaver to getting back to work with his fellow attendees of the 2006 Student Leadership Conference in Orlando.

“I am just very passionate about what’s ahead,” Daniels said, before sounding a theme from his campaign: “All that I’ve done before now was just the chores. The work begins on August 1.”

Currently the president of the Student Alabama Education Association, the 23-year-old master’s student majoring in special education earned his bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Alabama A&M University. He is the first African-American man to become NEA’s student chairperson. He will take over for outgoing chairperson Mandy Plucker.

“He’s a young man who has a lot to offer our profession,” Weaver said Wednesday after embracing Daniels and offering him words of encouragement. “I think he’ll do an excellent job.”

During the next two years, Daniels will represent 60,000 members from 900 colleges and universities nationwide. It is a full-time job that will find him moving among the states to champion the student program goals of community partnerships, pre-professional opportunities, peer mentoring, and recruiting for a diverse membership.

Daniels said he will engage in frequent and direct communications with state and local student leaders and advocate for improved special education training for young teachers facing increased special needs populations and daunting NCLB mandates. He will also lobby for stipends and affordable housing for student teachers—financial pressure being just one area that he knows weighs on his colleagues. In an interview last year with "Tomorrow’s Teachers,"  Daniels spoke about his often-overwhelming experience as a student teacher. “When I was teaching fifth grade, I was so tired I would plan on the weekend so I could try and get a nap after school. I even slept 12 hours straight one night, I was so tired.”

There’s no time for Daniels to rest now, though. After leaving Orlando this week, he is bound for UCLA, where he will work for a month as NEA’s student representative at the National Equity Center ’s Summer Civil Rights and Social Justice Training Institute.

“In two years, I want people to say that I have been an excellent public servant,” Daniels said. Then he was off, working his way through the ballroom to shake hands and talk with fellow students from across the country—his new constituents.

--Cynthia Kopkowski

Related material:
 Anthony Daniels Biography
  Student Chair Begins Two-Year Term "Passionate about What's Ahead"
  Aspiring Teachers Share Tips for Surviving, Thriving in the Classroom

NEA Student Program

National Conferences

Student Leadership Conference, 2008
June 26-29, Washington, D.C.

Our annual convention for Student Program members will take place at L'Enfant Plaza Hotel. Students interested in attending should contact their state student organizers .

The conference agenda will include leadership training sessions on topics from assertiveness to time management, as well as political action training. Attendees will hear fabulous guest speakers, attend our awards banquet, and participate in the Outreach to Teach  school renovation project. Stay tuned for more details.

“NEA’s Student Program is a vital component for future educators. By developing student leaders, we are creating future advocates of public education and ensuring great public schools for every child,” said NEA President Reg Weaver. “We are proud of their commitment, and we look forward to working with them as professional educators.”

Outreach to Teach 2007

Hundreds of NEA Volunteers Revitalize Philadelphia Area Elementary School in Annual 'Outreach to Teach'

More than 300 college students, teachers, retired educators, higher education faculty, and education support professionals picked up shovels and dug in June 26 to give Gotwals Elementary School a much needed facelift. Students from as far away as Hawaii participated. Outreach to Teach gives a free makeover to a needy school in the host city of NEA's annual meeting. This is our 12th year.

SLIDESHOW | VIDEO | NEWS ARTICLE

Mandy Plucker NEA Student Program Chair

Notes from the Road

2006: January

2005: December | November | October | September | August | July | June | May | April | March | February |

2004: November 

January 2006

I came back from the holiday break rejuvenated and energized for the new year.  I met with NEA Vice President Dennis Van Roekel about student membership and the direction of the program. I also worked with Kim Anderson a staffer in our Government Relations department. Additionally, I began planning for the June 25-28 Student Leadership Conference in Orlando.   

We have been working with a coalition for Free Exchange on campus. Free Exchange supports students and faculty to use their First Amendment right to free speech.  

Each year People for the American Way sponsors a summit called 'Young People For.' This event unites college students across the nation who is working on social justice issues such as a living wage and health care. NEA staffer Kimberly Anderson and I presented a session on public education. We gave them basic information and hopefully piqued their interest in public education as an essential element of democracy. We also discussed teacher salaries, class size, and the rising cost of public education.

On January 19th I met with Allie Robbins and Max Toth about the campaigns that the United Students Against Sweatshops are developing. I was most interested in the Sweatfree and Coca Cola campaigns.

Later, it was off to the Midwest Regional Leadership Conference in Indianapolis. This year's theme was “Respect, Responsibility and Resources: Fast Track to the Future.” I was honored to present the session "Do you know what you are missing? Partnering up with the NEA Student Program." I gave active members an overview of what we do and offered ways to help them partner with us. The goal was to then leave them with a plan of how to work affectively with student chapters in their areas. Additionally, I facilitated the student caucus and shared information and upcoming deadlines with our student members.  

January 24th I attended a meeting of the Student Labor Action Project. This project is a joint effort between Jobs with Justice and the United States Student Association. They are planning their spring conference and wanted to talk about issues and themes that would impact most student members.

From January 27th-29th I had the opportunity to attend the Mid-Atlantic Regional Leadership Conference. The theme was: “Responsibility, Respect, Resources: Ringing the Bell for Great Public Schools.” The conference was hosted by the Federal Education Association and gave us an opportunity to learn more about this NEA affiliate that represents educators at Department of Defense schools. Also, the NEA Student Program led the caucus meeting.  

A few deadlines to keep in mind:

April 15  - NEA Student Program awards applications due

April 15  -  Jack KinnamanScholarship applications due

May 1 -  Deadline to Declare Candidacy so your name will be printed on the ballot (you will still be eligible to be a write in candidate but must declare at the Candidates meeting at the Student Leadership Conference in Orlando )

December 2005

I attended a dynamite conference in Louisville of the National Council of Urban Education Associations. The sessions where right on target with what our members need. I personally loved the session on "How to Speak so People will Listen" by Gene Grooms ((It’s all about how you present). Additional conference highlights included a presentation of the Urban Grant award winners as well as an opportunity for members to give input at a budget hearing. I really learned a lot about urban education and how I can be an effective teacher in an urban setting.

Next up was Super Week which is always a busy time at NEA headquarters. The NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education held its awards dinner where grants were presented to teachers with innovative ideas for improving teaching and learning. This year’s big winner was Philip Forgit,  a teacher from Virginia. Learn more about NEA's Foundation and this year's winners.

About a year ago NEA Retired President Barbara Matteson and I were talking about issues that were affecting seniors and would affect young adults in the near future. They included Social Security and Health Care. Barbara encouraged me to try and be a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA). I of course was very interested in this topic so I wrote to my members of Congress and was appointed by Representative Stephanie Herseth of South Dakota to serve as a delegate. We ended the WHCOA conference with a list of ten top issues that will be presented to Congress. If you want to learn more visit the conference’s Web site.

November 2005

This was an exciting month for the NEA Student Program. Several members attended the All-Committee Weekend November 4-5. Here, student members applied for and were appointed to serve on NEA committees. Some very talented individuals will be representing you.

The Advisory Committee of Student Members is comprised of nine students including myself. Each year we complete tasks assigned by the NEA president. Agenda items at our recent meeting included strategies for the recruitment and retention of NEA student members, revision of the elections and awards policies, and an action plan for completing our remaining tasks. These two teams will present their progress in March.

Another charge given to the committee was to assist with the Fall Connections Conference  and the Summer Student Leadership Conference .

We held our Connections conference on the second weekend of November in Boston. The theme was “The University of NEA-Student Program.” We kicked off the conference with some amazing poster sessions from our local, state, and national leaders. During these poster sessions information was presented on recruiting new members, what to expect when you student teach, and how to become politically involved in and outside of the Association. Our featured keynote speaker was Dr. Adolph Brown of Hampton University, in Virginia. He captivated the crowd by disguising himself as a "gansta" in order to prove the point that regardless of a student’s appearance or their home environment, it is the teacher's responsibility to educate students equally. After Brown's moving speech attendees enjoyed a performance by the Blue Man Group!

On Saturday, November 12 th students attended core sessions on classroom issues, health and wellness, human resources, and electives. Students in order to graduate had to attend one session from each core area. They covered everything from partnering up with support staff to transitioning from student to teacher.

The conference ended with a commencement speech from NEA president Reg Weaver and special guest Cathy Boudreau, President of the Massachusetts Teachers Association. The students all loved Reg and at the end of the ceremony everyone graduated!

October 2005

This past summer I worked with several groups on issues such as the Reauthorization of Higher Education and Social Security.  Since the United States Student Association (USSA)  and the NEA Student Program have some of the same things in common I thought it would be nice to meet.  Jenn Brown and Jasmine Harris from USSA and I met to get a better sense of what each other does and how we can help each other. USSA has a lot to do with student government (maybe even on your campus) and what we learned is that we have the same kinds of interests.  Visit them online if you’re interested in getting more involved.

As one of my responsibilities I sit on the Unit Accreditation Board for the National Council and Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).   We spend the week deciding which teacher colleges become accredited.

NCATE has six standards that college and universities are evaluated on and we are currently in the process of revising the standards.  The revision happens every seven years and it has been a really great experience for me to be able to represent future teachers. Each team gets assigned a certain number of schools that have gone through The Board of Examiners (BOE), then the team writes a report saying whether or not the school has met the standards. 

I was assigned two cases specifically to evaluate.  We read through all of the BOE reports  before making decisions.  Later in the week, we brought our findings to the joint audit team and they helped us determine whether we made the right decisions.  Friday and Saturday we discussed all the cases (this year we had about 93 schools seeking accreditation) and voted on their status.  As you can see this is a very long but very thorough process. It definitely takes a lot of preparation. On a personal note it is always such a great experience because you are seeing how great this process really is and how so many universities and colleges are seeing the value in being accredited by NCATE.

September 2005

I spent a lot of time at NEA headquarters in this month which gave me the opportunity to meet with a bunch of people. One of them was Dennis VanRoekel, NEA Vice President. We discussed a few different issues regarding the Student Program.  In education they always say that it is good to have a mentor. Lucky for me, Dennis is one of my mentors in the Association. 

During the 2nd week of September I had meetings with the Student Labor Action Project (SLAP) and with the Hip-Hop Caucus.  The SLAP meeting was in regards to the Jobs with Justice Conference (keep reading and I’ll tell you more about it).  The meeting with the Hip Hop Caucus was an informational meeting to better understand what they are doing and how they can possibly plug into the Student Program. Stay tuned for developments.

I attended the Jobs with Justice Conference in St. Louis, Missouri September 22-25. There were several exciting activities that took place at this conference.  First, I attended the pre-conference put on by SLAP.  The conference is a joint effort from the United States Student Association and Jobs with Justice.  I had the privilege of serving on a panel discussion spreading the word of what the student program members are doing.  Also on the panel were Allie Robbins, United Students against Sweatshops; Eddy Morales, United States Student Association; Kao-Peng Chua, American Medical Students Association, Sean Seller, Student/Farm workers Alliance.

The regular conference started the next day and a common theme throughout was the need for a livable wage.  One of our NEA members Debbie Minnick from New York presented at one of the sessions.  There was also a delegation of NEA members from Kentucky.  One of the most interesting parts of the conference was the National Workers’ Rights Wal-Mart Hearing.  We heard about the working conditions and the way Wal-Mart employees are treated.  They also had people from small towns express their feelings about having a Wal-Mart come to their communities and run out smaller businesses.  Here's more on Wal-mart and how they treat their employees.

Overall, the meeting was a really great experience for me.  I met new people who are interested in public education and the labor movement.  I highly recommend that you visit Jobs with Justice and get involved in your area.

“Super Week” at NEA Headquarters is week filled with meetings. The NEA Board of Directors comes to town. I start the week by meeting with the Executive Committee. The Government Relations department presents hot topics in Congress, then all of the members at the meeting go to to Capitol Hill to lobby their legislators. 

August 2005

August flew by as I prepared for our first NEA-Student Program newsletter.  I also continued to work hard with NEA's Government Relations department on issues that are affecting us. 

On August 18th and 19th I spent two days at the Clark County Education Association (Nev.)new-hire orientation.  It’s unlike almost any other new-hire orientation in the country.  For starters Clark County is the school district in Las Vegas.  According to a new teacher there, Vegas grows by 6,000 people every month.  This year 2,000 new teachers attended the orientation – that’s 1,000 teachers each day!

The process went so fast! New teachers literally had seconds to decide on which medical program to pick and if they wanted to become an Association member.  Association representatives at each table were patient and provided a lot of help. When I wasn’t watching the orientation process I was working the Minority Affairs Committee booth.  The Clark County Education Association’s Minority Affairs Committee does some great stuff. For example, they have professional development sessions on conversational Spanish to help teachers better communicate with English Language Learners and their families. 

The second day I was the Association representative at table 96. I’m proud to say that I signed up ten new members! It was a blast and I really learned a lot about recruiting.

Harry Wong, a noted expert in classroom management, was the featured speaker each afternoon. Wong and his wife co-authoredFirst Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher.   It was nice to be able to hear Harry talk about all of his experiences and some of his strategies. 

Even after that large-scale orientation, the district still needed to hire about 200-300 more teachers. I encourage you to check out the Clark County Education Association.

When I got back from New Teacher Orientation NEA staffer Kimberly Anderson and I finished planning the 2005 Fall Connections Conference.  We chose the theme: University of NEA-SP and was aimed to highlight all the stuff you don’t learn in college. Each participant will attend a certain amount of classes in order 'graduate' at the end of the meeting. We’ll planned a freshman orientation session and a “frat” party. 

July 2005

Nothing is more exciting than seeing NEA in action. Delegates assemble every year at NEA’s Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly (RA)  to voice their opinions, affect policy, and make connections. This year, almost 9,000 of us gathered in Los Angeles.

The RA starts off with a few days of exhibits that feature everything from Member Benefits to tools to help educators in the classroom. We also have a day of symposiums so members can see what NEA is working on.

This year, I participated in the opening ceremonies by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Our student members got involved by taking positions on issues that affect us. The student caucus meeting met every day to discuss new business items and policy. It was really exciting to see student members speak at the microphone in front of all the delegates.

Right now, we're planning for the Nov. 11-13 Connections Conference in Boston. I look forward to seeing you there.

We'll, I've got to get back on the road and recruit new members. I'll have a new update next month.

June 2005

The June Executive Committee meeting was a special one because NEA-Retired President Jim Sproul was leaving his position. We took him out for some of D.C.’s finest seafood. Jim has been my mentor and was always supportive of the Student Program. I enjoyed working with him and miss him.

Since I have been in the office most of June I have had the opportunity to work with other groups in town including: Americans United to Protect Social Security, State PIRGS, and Jobs with Justice. We need to know what other labor groups are doing around common issues that affect us. For example, I worked with some of these groups on an effort to keep student loan rates low – an issue that affects a lot of us!

June 8th I attend the MTV Rock the Vote Awards Dinner. It was amazing! NEA President Reg Weaver, Jenny and Bridget (our fabulous government relations interns), and other hard-working NEA staff also attended. I saw Senators Barack Obama (Ill. ) and John McCain (Ariz. ). Celebrities there included American Idol judge Randy Jackson (He called me “dogg.” – I thought that was so cool!). Pop group The Black Eyed Peas accepted The Patrick Lippert Award. Did you know 21 million young people voted this year? Isn’t that amazing? The evening really was about how young people are affecting change in the world. It’s your right to vote and get politically active and I highly recommend that you do so! Check out their Web site and get started!

On June 24^th I attended the State Executive Editors Meeting in Anaheim, Calif. NEA staff at this meeting are the folks who write your state association newsletters, Web sites, and other publications. I was one of four panelists talking about how to reach and engage younger members.

This year’s Student Leadership Conference (SLC) was held June 26-29 in Los Angeles  prior to NEA's Annual Meeting. Our theme was “Great Leaders Make Great Public Schools.” All sessions focused on being great association and classroom leaders for the upcoming school year. We were addressed by NEA executive officers. President Reg Weaver, Vice President Dennis Van Roekel and Secretary-Treasurer Lily Eskelsen shared stories about how they got started in union leadership and why they remained members.  

One day during the conference, June 27, was devoted to our annual Outreach to Teach project. This is always an amazing, worthwhile event. It was a day that 400 NEA members will remember for years. Annually SLC participants go into a school and make it a little bit better. This year we made over a middle school in Compton, California. In my opinion, this is one of the biggest projects we have ever done. The school holds about 1,500. Throughout the day student members worked alongside retired, active, and higher education members, and education support professionals to give the school a face lift. We painted 50 classrooms, put up several bulletin boards, planted around 200 shrubs and flowers, laid sod in the front of the school and in the courtyard. Our main goal was to give students an environment that was welcoming and beautiful.

The NEA-Student Program awards dinner was that evening. This year we were lucky to have BET executive Jeff Johnson as our keynote speaker. He was so motivating and really reached out to young adults.

I thought it might be fun to do something a little different for the awards banquet since we were in L.A. I wanted all of our members to participate. I had the Advisory Committee and the Student Board members give out awards. They introduced the awards and the nominees, and then the whole audience gave a drum roll while we opened up the envelope and announced the winners. It was a lot of fun.

Speaking of winners, here they are:

Local Chapter Excellence Award
100 members are less:
Baker  University
Kansas  Education Association

101-200 members:
University  of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Student Wisconsin  Education Association Council

201- 300 members:
University  of Wisconsin - Stevens Point
Student Wisconsin  Education Association Council

State Excellence Award
Indiana  Student Education Association

Outstanding CLASS Project Award
SOEA Outreach to Teach - Student Oklahoma  Education Association

Outstanding Local Student Leader
Hannah Sitzman
University  of Evansville    
Indiana  Education Association

Outstanding Local Advisor
Lonnie Bonham
Norfolk  State University
Student Virginia  Education Association

Outstanding State Student Leader Award
Malisa Russell
Kentucky  Education Association

Outstanding State Student Organizer
Michael Sears

Outstanding Local Web site
Norfolk State University

Outstanding State Newsletter
I Choose to Teach! California Teachers Association

Outstanding Local Newsletter
Kentucky  State University
Teaching Informing Pre-service Teachers (TIPS)

We also had an election to fill six NEA positions. Your newly elected officers are:

NEA Board of Directors

Amanda Froom
Lindsey Hewitt
Laura Walter

NEA Resloutions Committee

Ben Bobier
Tracy Davis
Erin Kinzer

The conference went well. I want to thank the Advisory Committee for their hard work. I also want to thank Cara Dillman, our elections chairperson for spending hours on elections policy and running a great election. I have to thank NEA staff members who devoted time and energy to make this year's conference a success. Big thanks to Student Program staffer Dina Simon -- we couldn’t have done it with out you!

May 2005

The board came to town as part of NEA's Super Week. I met with the Executive Committee.

This was also the last board meeting of the year for our Student Leaders. We were in fine form representing your issues. One of the highlights of the Board Meeting was the John Lennon Song Writing Bus that drove up to NEA headquarters for us to explore. The bus goes to different schools and teaches children how to play musical instruments and film music videos. During our down time we visited a D.C. comedy club.

During that weekend I also met with the NEA-Retired Advisory Committee. They asked me to help them with the Jack Kinnaman Scholarship. I enjoyed working with them and listening to association experiences.

I took a vacation home to South Dakota. My sister gave birth to my second niece so "Auntie M" had to spoil her. I also caught up with some of my college buddies and attend a dear friend's wedding.

Wisconsin Women in Government (WWIG) and Transition Training
At the end of May I traveled to Wisconsin. WWIG's goal is to help women build successful careers in government and encourage more to seek elected and appointed offices. This bipartisan organization promotes women's participation in public affairs by offering financial support and educational opportunities.

New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was the keynote speaker at their annual banquet and fundraiser. She was fantastic and hit home on the issues today that women are facing. More than 2,000 attended the event.

The following day I drove to meet with local and state leaders of the Student Wisconsin Education Association Council. Every year they do a transitions training. This is a time when the new local leaders are transitioned into their roles as local presidents for the next year. I believe this is what makes Wisconsin ’s student leaders truly successful -- they are given the tools upfront to do a good job and to continue building strong local chapters.

April 2005

You won't believe the miles I logged last month.
See for yourself.

The most important part of my job is being an advocate for NEA's Student Program. I do this in several ways. One of them is by traveling around country presenting information and participating in State Association activities for student members.

Our members put a lot of work into their programs. I see this every time I attend a conference. I also gain an understanding of how NEA can help chapters achieve their goals.

I enjoy meeting student members as I travel. I also enjoy working with other constituency groups.

For example Amanda Froom, a Wisconsin  student member, and I attended a leadership training at the March Higher Education conference.

Then, I spoke to student members at the annual spring conference in Oklahoma. Sessions included "How to work with parents" and "How to work with students in poverty." Check out pictures from their Outreach to Teach Project. It was fantastic to see them in action!

After my trip to Oklahoma, I returned to the District to meet with our Advisory Committee. It's comprised of nine student members from various states. They bring a variety of backgrounds and perspectives. This group of students works with me on many issues. They are my "go-to folks" when I need input on important things that impact the Student Program.

During our meeting Tom Manatos, advisor to House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, spoke to us about Social Security. Even as student members, we need to be aware.

Also at the meeting we were joined by a representative from NEA's Professional Library. Did you know you can get discounted books on everything from classroom management to civil rights? Additionally, we got an update on Read Across America.

California Here I Come (March 13-18)
Next, I headed to California. I sit on the board for NCATE (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education) as part of my responsibilities. We reviewed the results of accreditation visits with an emphasis on NCATE's six major standards for colleges and universities.

Georgia  on My Mind
I'm not done yet. I then went to Georgia. They have a full-time student organizer, Michael Sears, who has really taken his job to the next level and recruited tons of new members. He has also been traveling to campuses around the state delivering sessions on taking the Praxis exam, parent-teacher conferencing skills, and Georgia ’s Code of Ethics. This state is on fire. Keep it up!

Lone  Star State (April 8-9)
The Student Program for the Texas State Teachers Association (TSTA) has a yearly theme. For 2005 it's “Stepping up to the Plate: Teaming up for Success!”  All of the students' work throughout the year was centered on it. While in Texas, I presented a session "Hitting a Home Run with The Student Program" to our members. It focused on ways to recruit new members and what NEA has to offer students. I also shared info on how they can get more politically involved.

Also, while I was there, the TSTA student members held a reading event on the lawn of the state capitol in Austin. Books were donated by Scholastic and hats were donated by Saturn. One of the most memorable moments was when one of the student program members taught some of the kids how to spell their names using sign language.

Intergenerational Mentoring (April 15-17)
I spent the next weekend with NEA-Retired I attended the Intergenerational Mentoring Training. The goal is to start mentoring programs in several states. That first year in the classroom can be rough, but our NEA Retired members have a lot of experience and they're here to catch our backs. I asked retired members to reach out to young people and invited them all to help us with this year's Outreach to Teachproject in Los Angeles.

Dodging A Blizzard (April 22-23)
Foul weather didn't stop me from attending the Ohio Student Conference. There was a training session for local leaders and I addressed students at a breakfast session. I focused on the four "Ps" of our program: Personal, Professional, Political, and Power.  

Students attended workshops by some of our nation’s finest teachers on topics like floor and board games and assessment literacy. Senator John Edwards in a surprise visit addressed the conference on the importance of our work.

Back in Washington  , D.C. (April 25)
I returned home Monday, but I wasn't finished. A delegation of students from Sweden was in town. We talked about the differences in our cultures and focused on student activities.

Not Done Yet
Traveling to promote NEA's Student Program has been quite an experience I'm excited about several upcoming events that include a transition training in Wisconsin and the June Student Leadership Conference (SLC) in Los Angeles. I'm excited about meeting new members and catching up with old friends at the SLC.

March 2005

NEA Read Across America

Read Across America is one of my favorite events. It’s hard not to love going into a classroom and reading to a group of eager children. This year I had the opportunity to attend some of the events in D.C.

On March 1 we held a reception at the NEA Headquarters for this year's Read Across Team Captains, pro football twins Tiki and Ronde Barber. I had the opportunity to talk with Tiki about his involvement with reading. In fact, he and his brother have written a book "By My Brothers Side."

Activities continued through March 2. Jaime Moreno of the pro soccer team D.C United stopped by NEA Headquarters. Later, I shuffled off to FedEx Field to hang out with about 100 local students. Four players from the Washington Redskins took time off to read to the kids. It was wonderful to see the students' faces when they met the athletes.

Another highlight was just being able to talk with the kids. We were discussing football when one of them said, "This is the best day of my life." The students saw how important reading was to the football players and how they should continue to be life-long readers. There's more to this about this event at http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=6006. Make sure you check out the photo album!

Finally, I encourage you to read to children in your area. It really does mean a lot to them. Read Across America doesn’t have to be just a one day event. Let’s keep the issue of literacy on the front burner all year long. Just remember: You're never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child!

February 2005

NEA Regional Leadership Conferences

Recently I’ve been on the road traveling to Regional Conferences. I have had the opportunity to attend the Western, Midwest, Northeast and Southeast Regional Leadership Conferences. Each was amazing and they're aimed at helping NEA members learn more about the Association.

Members at the Western Region (January 14-16) meeting chose tracks that were suited to their interests.

A variety of member constituency groups were represented by the range of sessions at the Midwest Regional Conference (January 21-23). I attended the “I Can Do It” sessions on classroom management. It helped me recall what I had learned while in school as well as a few new tricks.

A few students and I at the Northeast Regional Conference (January 28-30) networked and talked to states that are working to build their student programs. We also attend a great session hosted by New Jersey that described the wonderful strategies they use to recruit new members.

The Southeast Conference (February 4-6) was full of the Mardi Gras spirit. The advisory team for NEA's Read Across America put on a wonderful session for getting members involved with America 's largest reading celebration. We also had lively discussions during the open hearings on legislation, budget, and resolutions. It was a great way for everyone to find out what was happening with major issues.  

I would really encourage student members to understand Association work at the regional levels. The best way to do that is to attend a conference.  Check it out.

November 2004

Illinois Student Conference, Nov. 19-20

I attended the Illinois Education Association Student Conference. The theme was “What Works: Tools for Teachers."   I was invited to be a guest speaker at lunch on Saturday. I arrived Friday afternoon to find student members diligently working to get registration set up and the rooms ready. It was encouraging to see all of the hard work that they had put into the conference. I decided to relax and do a little shopping at the Harley Davidson store before supper. 

They also invited a wonderful keynote speaker Kay Toliver to kick off the conference.  She filled the student members up with hope and encouragement about being a teacher by sharing the joy it has brought to her life. She also showed a video of her classroom and some of her teaching techniques.  You can learn more about the video and Kay Toliver at http://www.fasenet.org/store/kay_toliver/gmmt.html.

Saturday was full of sessions to get those creative juices flowing! Some of the sessions I attended were Green Eggs and Agriculture, Free Classroom Resources and Answers to Questions I Didn't Know Needed to Be Asked.  I chose sessions that dealt with Agriculture because they offered fun hands on activities as well as free resources students can get from their own states. Visit Agriculture in the Classroom  for free lesson plans and ideas for adding agriculture to your lessons. 

The lunch session offered student members a chance to get together and discuss some of the workshops they had attended.  Plus, the student members were able to hear from some of their state executive members about reasons to join the Illinois Education Association and the kinds of benefits they could receive.  hey also talked about a project they were doing to help teachers in Florida who lost most if not all of their classroom materials because of the hurricanes.  The Illinois Student Program members are making themed games to send to schools in Florida and they gave an update on how it got started.  I wrapped up lunch and spoke about why I became a member and the importance of staying a member once I become a teacher. I discussed some of the benefits I have received and stressed some of the great connections I have made and some of the wonderful friends I have met and continue to stay in contact with. 

The students ventured off to more sessions and they ended the day by giving out door prizes.  Student members left this conference with lots of tools for entering the teaching profession.

Mandy Plucker
NEA Student Program Chair

North Dakota - Wyoming

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

*Computed from NEA Research, Estimates Database.

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Salaries for 2005-06 school year.

*Computed from NEA Research, Estimates Database

Kentucky - North Carolina

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska