NEA Today-Retired June 2020

Cover: How to Keep Your Brain Healthy

Educators have dedicated their lives to feeding students’ minds as well as their own. Here, experts and fellow NEA-Retired members offer strategies for staying sharp as we age.

Even When Schools Close, Unions Work for You
Find out what NEA and affiliated unions have been doing to ensure the health, safety, and financial stability of our members during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Quilting With Renewed Purpose
When COVID-19 struck, NEA-Retired quilters stepped up to help, sewing desperately needed masks for health care providers.

Welcome to WellVille
Forget the teacher’s lounge! A school district on Long Island, N.Y., created a spa-like wellness room to help staff unwind during breaks.

The Distance-Learning Challenge
After schools shut down, educators pivoted to distance learning overnight. Discover how they met the challenge.

Our Heroes
NEA members carried out amazing acts of bravery and kindness during the pandemic. Here, we salute your heroism.

Educators for Joe Biden
NEA recommends pro-public education candidate Joe Biden for U.S. President.

Help Block the Hate
School internet filters often don’t catch websites run by hate groups. Learn how to keep students in your school safe.

SPECIAL SECTIONS

First and Foremost
Public education champion Diane Ravitch discusses her new book; 2020 NEA Representative Assembly goes virtual; NEA members speak out on challenges during the COVID-19 outbreak; some public schools are forced to house charter schools; students struggle to tell fact from fiction online; and the number of homeless students is skyrocketing.

Issues and Impact
Educators gave Betsy DeVos a run for her money this school year. Check out five big wins for public schools. And meet Marcie Villanueva, a Delaware food service worker who is protecting students from lunch-shaming.

People and Places
A Minnesota high school band teacher and his students have a brush with fame; and an Ohio teacher launches Success Club, giving kids a leg up on skills they’ll need for college and the professional world.

EDUCATION SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS

Empathy, Compassion, and Going the Extra Mile
Meet Andrea Beeman, NEA’s 2020 ESP of the Year, a stand-out paraprofessional who works with developmentally disabled students, a leader in her local union, and an unwavering advocate for her students.

DEPARTMENTS

‘Never Give Up!’: A message from NEA-Retired President Sarah Borgman
Our NEA-Retired family pulled together during the pandemic and will remain united as we focus on the work ahead.

Lily's Blackboard
Educators dug deep and rallied to support students in the most difficult of times. To all of our members, this has been your finest hour.

IN MEMORIAM

The Relationship-Builder: Remembering Former NEA-Retired President Tom Curran
NEA remembers former NEA-Retired President Tom Curran and his years of service as a teacher and union leader.

A Message to Our Members

We recognize that events are moving faster than our quarterly print magazine, NEA Today for NEA-Retired Members, can capture. In these unprecedented times, we want to ensure that our members know where to go for the latest information and resources from NEA.

• For timely news about how COVID-19 is impacting educators, visit NEAToday.org or sign up for NEA Today’s biweekly e-newsletter at nea.org/signup.
• For updates on what NEA is doing to help educators during the pandemic, coronavirus relief packages, and more, visit nea.org/coronavirus.

We hope that you and your loved ones are safe and healthy, and thank you for reading.

NEA Today staff

TALK BACK

Educators Buying School Supplies

A friend recently returned to teaching and posted an itemized GoFundMe solicitation of about $500, detailing all the supplies (and their costs) needed to prepare her classroom for the new school year. (“Unreimbursed Teacher Spending on School Supplies”) Another teacher thought that [was] embarrassing. I didn’t. I wish all teachers were posting such lists and soliciting funds so that the public better understands what constitutes a supplied classroom to meet instructional and humanitarian needs.

-C. ANDERSON