Dec 19-Jan 20 Advisor

DECEMBER 2019 – JANUARY 2020 CEA ADVISOR 3

News Briefs

IN THIS ISSUE

2 LEADING CEA’s leadership team commends Connecticut teachers for stepping up and getting active in local, state, and national politics—helping to positively shape the future of public education. With the state’s legislative session convening in two months and the next major election less than a year away, learn how you can get involved. Looking back on her first year in office, 2016 National Teacher of the Year Jahana Hayes shares how being a teacher has shaped her as a congresswoman and why educators’ voices matter. REPRESENTING Connecticut teachers all over the map win key seats on their town councils, committees, boards of education, and more. See why having teachers at the table is critical to public education. Teaching is often called the noblest profession. From the recipient of the prestigious Horace Mann Award to the 2020 Connecticut Teacher of the Year, meet your colleagues around the state who are standing up and being recognized. A CEA pilot study and surveys have pulled back the curtain on a number of issues facing Connecticut teachers—lack of mental health resources for students, sick schools, bullying, unsafe classrooms, and more—and they have garnered widespread media attention. See the results, the press coverage, and how you can make a difference. CONFRONTING Bullying continues to be a problem facing students—but it also manifests itself in relationships between teachers and administrators. See what the data reveal and how you can be a part of the solution. TRAINING A weekend summit brings teachers together around technologies that deliver efficiencies and enhancements in teaching and learning. See how apps, coding, and other tools can help you. BUDGETING CEA Treasurer David Jedidian gives an update on CEA’s fiscal health. GIVING Thanks to the generosity of CEA members, staff, leaders, Member Benefits partner USI Insurance, and supporters, the holidays will be brighter for hundreds of Connecticut schoolchildren. 18-19 HUMAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS NEWS Learn about new state laws that protect educators’ speech in PPT meetings and make Black and Latino studies part of every district’s curriculum. Also, nominate yourself or a colleague for one of nine CEA Human and Civil Rights Awards, honoring educators whose contributions are making a difference in multiculturalism, gender equity, conflict resolution, and human rights and opportunities. 4-5 REFLECTING 6 7-9 HONORING 10-11 EXPOSING 12 13 16 17 WFSB reporter Matthew Campbell interviews teachers for a weeklong series on the challenges they encounter. L-R, back row: Sheena Graham (Bridgeport), David Simon (West Hartford), Stephanie Wanzer (Trumbull), Michael Wight (Newtown); front: Leigh Neumon (Cromwell), Michael McCotter (Torrington), Kristen Record (Stratford). ON THE COVER

Spotlight on You, Your Colleagues, and Your Local Association Each year, CEA recognizes local education associations, their members, and community supporters who make public education a priority. Awards and grants are given for outstanding teaching professionals and advocates, best

association website and newsletter, new public relations projects, best media coverage, and more. The annual competitions are open to all local associations across the state, and the deadline for entries is 5pm on Friday, February 28, 2020. Award winners will be recognized at the CEA Representative Assembly in May. It’s easy to nominate yourself, your local association, a colleague, or a member of your community. Visit cea.org/about/grants-awards and learn more about the following awards: • ABCD Award (Above and Beyond the Call of Duty) • CEA Clifford Silvers Education Advocacy Award • CEA Newsletter/Website Competition • CEA Salutes Award • Charles B. Kelly Local Media Award • Thomas P. Mondani CEA Friend of Education Award • Norman E. DeLisle Public Relations Grant For members of the Enfield Teachers’ Association, three is a magic number. For the third year in a row, teachers have collected books for young readers, giving local families a chance to build their home libraries and shape their children’s future. This year, the group gathered 1,589 titles, all of which were given to local children at Enfield’s Family Fun Festival earlier this fall. “Being a part of this event puts us in the community in a role outside the classroom,” says ETA’s Kelly Shea, who teaches third grade at Prudence Crandall School. “It reminds families and students that we care about being involved in all aspects of their lives.” Books collected range from those suitable for kindergarten all the way through high school. Each year, teachers volunteer to sort the selections by grade level and genre. Getting more books to families pays dividends in the classroom too, says Shea. “We always give reading homework, and we know how hard it can be for some families to get

Manchester teachers Jill Kilgus, Catherine Mazzotta, and Michelle McKnight were among those honored at the 2019 CEA RA for their contributions to the teaching profession.

Enfield Teachers Connect with Community Through Book Drive, Holiday Giving

Prudence Crandall School teachers hand out books at the Enfield Family Fun Festival. L-R: Jessica Soule, Sheree Winans, Kelly Shea, and Rachel Boulette.

books,” Shea said. “This puts the books right in their homes and makes it easier.” Aside from providing choices that include board books, novels, nonfiction, and popular titles and topics for advanced readers, Enfield teachers also set up a special table where children can decorate bookmarks for their new selections. ETA President Emily Hulevitch describes the event as a positive one for both her association and the town, noting that outreach is an integral part of the association’s mission. “We look for community projects where our members can help,” she says. These include raising funds for a bench for local veterans, serving hot chocolate at the Veterans Day parade, adopting families for holiday gift-giving, helping plant a community garden, and donating gift cards to the local teen center. Our efforts show the people of Enfield that we care about our students and our community. As a union, we have been working extremely hard to build positive relationships, and working together on projects like these show that we are united and want what’s best for the children of Enfield.”

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