The Online Communiqué of Northwest Professional Educators
BACK-TO-SCHOOL RESOURCES
* EFFECTIVE TEACHERS ARE ORGANIZED
* NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC RELAUNCHES ITS ONLINE MAPMACHINE
* TEACHING RESPONSIBILITY THROUGH CLASSROOM JOBS
* HOW TO CREATE A BEHAVIOR CONTRACT
* NASA BRAIN BITE VIDEOS AVAILABLE ONLINE
* FREE VIRTUAL CLASSROOM AVAILABLE TO ALL TEACHERS
* HELPING YOUR CHILD SERIES
NEWS & OPINION
* TEACHER UNIONS GET ACTIVE
* SCHOLASTIC GIVING VENUE TO THE "DARK SIDE"?
* IN DEFENSE OF MEMORIZATION
* NEA LOBBYISTS CRITICIZED BY US HOUSE EDUCATION & WORKFORCE
COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN
* POLICY AND CULTURAL RAMIFICATIONS REGARDING RELIGION IN EDUCATION
* TEACHERS' AVERAGE SALARY STATISTIC - ARE WE IMPROVING?
* COMPELLING QUOTES FROM NWPE MEMBERS
EFFECTIVE TEACHERS ARE ORGANIZED
"Just as the teacher needs to be organized, the teacher needs to help the students to be organized. Teachers who are not organized do not have any concept of the need for the students to be organized, too." "By taking the time now to think through your plan for the coming year, you will be providing your students with a skill they’ll carry with them possibly throughout their lifetime. . . Effective teachers are organized and have the following on the first day of school . . . "
___________________________
http://teachers.net/wong/AUG04/
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC RELAUNCHES ITS ONLINE MAPMACHINE
"Trying to locate a place you’ve heard about in the news? In search of a map for that homework assignment? Need a topographic map to better understand the terrain of a hike you’re planning? National Geographic’s online MapMachine, http://www.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine, is the best address on the Web for all of your mapping needs. . . Some of the key features and resources on the relaunched site include: . . ."
________________________________________________________
http://spatialnews.geocomm.com/dailynews/2004/apr/05/news2.html
TEACHING RESPONSIBILITY THROUGH CLASSROOM JOBS
"Do you have your students fill out job applications in order to be assigned class jobs? After you read the article, Classroom Jobs - Why and How?, you will likely want to implement this simple and effective step to your class jobs program. Read more to discover how you can teach responsibility and give your students fun things to do around the classroom, all at the same time!"
_________________________________________________________________
http://k-6educators.about.com/od/classroommanagement/a/Classroom_Jobs.htm
HOW TO CREATE A BEHAVIOR CONTRACT
"No matter how optimistic you are about your upcoming class, you know you'll have some challenging behavior problems in some way, shape, or form! Be ready with a structured plan by learning how to design and implement a customized Behavior Contract."
_______________________________________________________________
http://k-6educators.about.com/cs/classroommanageme3/a/createcontract.htm
NASA BRAIN BITE VIDEOS AVAILABLE ONLINE
NASA Johnson Space Center announces the production of 60-second video shorts that answer questions that 12-18 years olds might have about science and space. They answer questions that deal with gravity, acceleration, motion, and friction, Newton's Laws and more. A DVD and supplemental CD can be used in PowerPoint presentations/educational lessons. The high quality videos can also be directly downloaded from the NASA website. To view the videos, visit http://brainbites.nasa.gov. For further information, contact Jenna Mills at 281-483-9261.
FREE VIRTUAL CLASSROOM AVAILABLE TO ALL TEACHERS
Northwest Professional Educators has formed a partnership with Out2.com, www.out2.com. Through this partnership NWPE can provide every teacher in the Northwest with his/her own FREE Virtual Classroom to communicate with parents. The first link below has instructions on how teachers can create and use their "Virtual Classroom." The second link is a pre-written letter to parents. Just click on the links and print them out. If you need any help, please contact Out2.com at 800 358-0187.
http://www.out2.com/help/virtualclassroominstructions.html
http://www.out2.com/help/suggestedletter.html
HELPING YOUR CHILD SERIES
The Helping Your Child series aims to help parents prepare children to become critical thinkers. Helping Your Child Learn Mathematics demystifies the notion that math is a "hard" subject that few can master, illustrating opportunities at home, at the grocery store, and on the go (such as license plate riddles that can be used during a road trip) for children preschool through fifth-grade to learn mathematical concepts. Helping Your Child Learn Science suggests enjoyable activities for children ages 3-10 that can be done at home and in the community without expensive chemistry sets, as well as books that cover various science fields, tips for selecting science toys, and contact information for science camps.
____________________________________________
http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/hyc.html
TEACHER UNIONS GET ACTIVE
"Like most unions, the teacher unions not only collect voluntary contributions from their members to donate to political candidates -- some 95 percent of which goes to Democrats -- they also spend huge sums of their members' dues to register voters, run ads, print campaign leaflets, set up phone banks and turn out voters on Election Day. What's more, the NEA employs what Landmark Legal Foundation president Mark Levin calls "the largest army of campaign workers that any organization has" -- the 1,800 NEA UniServ directors who are deployed in every Congressional District in the nation. The NEA, with its state affiliates, spent some $90 million to underwrite its UniServ program in 2003, according to documents Landmark Legal Foundation unearthed in its extensive court filings against the union. These UniServ directors are responsible for all political activities within their geographic area, including raising funds for the NEA's political action committee . . ."
______________________________________________________
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/lindachavez/lc20040623.shtml
SCHOLASTIC GIVING VENUE TO THE "DARK SIDE"?
"Poor 'Clifford the Big Red Dog' must be hiding submissively in his doghouse, tail between his legs, embarrassed by Scholastic’s newest partner: the American Petroleum Institute. Scholastic, well known for Clifford and numerous other children’s titles is a $2 billion corporate power, claiming to be the 'Most Trusted Name in Learning.' They now provide 'Powering Your World' an energy website developed by the American Petroleum Institute (API). It is fitting, that Scholastic holds 'Star Wars' as a licensed property, because API is a real life Darth Vader!"
___________________________________________________
http://www.educationnews.org/why-is-scholastic-the-world.htm
IN DEFENSE OF MEMORIZATION
"If there’s one thing progressive educators don’t like it’s rote learning. As a result, we now have several generations of Americans who’ve never memorized much of anything. Even highly educated people in their thirties and forties are often unable to recite half a dozen lines of classic poetry or prose. . .'learning by rote,' Wood wrote, 'offers many rewards, not least a sense of poetry, rhythm and refinement—a heightened feel for language,' as well as an abundance of tales and myths, imaginative resources that are among the 'most exciting gifts' a young person can receive.'"
________________________________________________________
http://www.city-journal.org/html/14_3_defense_memorization.html
NEA LOBBYISTS CRITICIZED BY US HOUSE EDUCATION & WORKFORCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN
August 11 Press Release: "U.S. House Education & the Workforce Committee Chairman John Boehner (R-OH) today criticized the National Education Association (NEA) for linking arms with a radical liberal political organization that recently compared President Bush to Adolf Hitler. NEA officials today participated in a press conference call along with MoveOn.org, the so-called Campaign for America ’s Future, and other openly partisan political groups representing the extreme left wing of the Democratic Party.
“'This is more evidence that the NEA lobby is out of touch with the views of most American teachers and parents, who would be outraged to know their hard-earned dues money is being used to coordinate with a group that compared the President of the United States to the fanatical leader of Nazi Germany,” Boehner said. “The NEA has reached a new low . . .'"
______________________________________________________________
http://edworkforce.house.gov/press/press108/second/08aug/nea081104.htm
POLICY AND CULTURAL RAMIFICATIONS REGARDING RELIGION IN EDUCATION
"The cultural dilemma resident in educating vis-a-vis biblical teachings, while honoring the principle of freedom of religion, lies behind America's perpetual dialogue regarding the First Amendment. From the assumption that religion in education is culturally beneficial, public education's compliance or noncompliance to Biblical teachings is examined for cultural correlates in two different eras in United States history."
_______________________________________________________
http://www.educationreview.homestead.com/2003CoxReligion.html
TEACHERS' AVERAGE SALARY STATISTIC - ARE WE IMPROVING?
The Associated Press reports the average salaries of teachers in public schools (adjusted for inflation):
$44,024 in 1990
$43,446 in 1995
$43,945 in 2000
$44,547-x in 2004
AlvedaKing, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, statedin an open letter to educatorsin 2001,“From 1970 to 1995, when adjusted for inflation, the mean teacher salaryactually declined by a little more than 1 percent. And it was in the early 70sthat the unions infiltrated the teaching trade. . . Had the NEA and AFT simplykept our share of the education pie where it was in 1970, then today, theaverage teacher salary would exceed $65,000.”
_____________________________________________________________
http://www.tribnet.com/news/nation_world/story/5429514p-5365779c.html
http://www.nwpe.org/PDF_Files/Open_Letter.pdf
COMPELLING QUOTES FROM NWPE MEMBERS
NWPE believes that education will be improved if educators are free from all forms of compulsory membership and are not forced to join or otherwise pay dues to a labor union in order to teach or hold membership in a local or state association. We support and appreciate the work of local union representatives who work hard on behalf of their district colleagues. Many educators would support their local union if provided the opportunity, but the NEA prohibits teachers from belonging to its local affiliate alone. NWPE invites all educators--nonunion, union, public and private--to enjoy the benefits of membership in NWPE. Here are a few testimonials from NWPE members:
"Over the course of this year I have been receiving e mail copies of the NWPE newsletter. The newsletters contain many great teaching resources so I decided to view the website. The website sparked conversation with veteran teachers about political issues and teaching ideas, obviously promoting professionalism as a key point to its members. I saw that NWPE believes in what it promotes by putting money behind people who are pursuing professionalism within their own career. This shows me that they not only talk the talk but also walk the walk. This is the kind of professional organization that I want to be part of! Therefore, I come on board with enthusiasm and excitement to be part of a professional organization that shares my goals and hopes." ¾Elementary Teacher, Seattle, WA
“I love how Northwest Professional Educators offers better legal support and liability insurance for educators. I am also impressed with your professionalism when representing the NWPE members in the legislative realm. I struggle with many issues the NEA or WEA supports and I'm happy to have a professional organization available that represents more of my views/opinions as an educator.” ¾High School Teacher, Seattle, WA
“Since I (1) refuse to have my money support an organization making political statements on my behalf that don't coincide with my beliefs, (2) prefer to work in a non-adversarial environment, and (3) refuse to participate in any strike by teachers, among other things, I don't belong to WEA/NEA. I joined NWPE because it seems the organization has a more open mind, is more focused on kids, and for its personal professional liability protection.” ¾Elementary Teacher, Eatonville, WA
For more information on Northwest Professional Educators, please visit www.nwpe.org.
To receive an informational packet in the mail, please send your name, home address, and school district to info@nwpe.org or call 800-380-6973.
