New Year's Resolutions for Teachers

New Year’s Resolutions for Teachers- 2012

While you are at home or on a family vacation recharging your batteries for the second half of the school year, here are some goals to strive for in the New Year.

1)      Remember, your students’ come first!

2)      Reach out to the parents. They are your partners in the quest for academic success.

3)      Enhance your own teaching skills. Seek out opportunities for professional development.

4)      Be politically astute and active.  Remember 2012 is a presidential election year and your vote counts! Regardless of your party affiliation, stay in the game. If you teach in a high school, be sure that you are not trying to influence the political leaning of your students.

5)      Every teacher is a teacher of reading. Encourage your students to read- out loud, to themselves, to their families.

6)      You too should keep up with your reading. Be sure to let your students see you reading at every possible opportunity. There are so many wonderful books for teachers (like Harry Wong’s, The First Days of School).

7)       Be your own press agent.  Plan public activities with your students that draw positive local media attention. The town taxpayers, who pay for public schools, like to keep abreast of what is happening in local schools.

8)      Be an active supporter of school activities. Attend the spring concert or the annual school theatrical production.  Go to a school sporting event. You are, after all, an integral part of the school community.

9)      Strive for excellence. Make certificates for your students who meet or exceed certain goals.

Reward their good work.

10)   Maintain an open dialogue and positive relationships with your department supervisors and building administrators.

 HAPPY NEW YEAR. Here is hoping that 2012 is a successful and productive one for you and your students.

Bullying in Schools

Dealing with Bullying

In recent months it is almost impossible for a day to go by without a story in the newspaper or on television about a student who has been bullied in school or on the internet (cyber bullying). Tragically several of these events have led to the victim committing suicide. Sometimes the targets are overweight students . Sometimes they are recent immigrants who do not know the language and culture and are labeled as” different.” Other victims include gay and lesbian students or students with different religious beliefs or social customs.

Ashlynn Conner, a fifth grader in Illinois,  11 year old Matthew Wilson, and 14 year Jamey Rodemeyer were just a few of the school children who decided that death with a preferred option to the constant  taunting, bullying and harassment that they were subjected to in school, on the playground, in the neighborhood or via computer.

 The Teaching Tolerance Program is a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Teachers can find interdisciplinary lesson plans with objectives for several grade levels. The Southern Poverty Law Center   also has lesson plans  on other related topics. This is an excellent resource. You can access this source at the following web address: http://www.tolerance.org/activity/bullying-survey

The New Jersey State Bar Foundation has an exemplary anti- bullying curriculum for use in the schools. A downloadable pamphlet about the program may be obtained by accessing the following site: http://www.njsbf.org/images/content/1/1/11442.pdf. The organization also offers training programs for teachers and administrators as well as community organizations. Bullying is not just a school problem; it is a community wide problem that needs to be addressed at multiple levels. That being said, according the  to the NJSBS the most effective programs are initiated through the schools.

The Clemson University Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life is the sponsor of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program-  http://www.olweus.org/public/index.page. The program’s goals are to reduce and prevent bullying problems among school children and to improve peer relations at school. The program is suitable for elementary and middle school students. For more information about the programs and research taking placed at Clemson, please check out  http://www.clemson.edu/olweus/

Education World, the on- line magazine, has a host of articles and lesson plans for classroom teachers seeking materials for use in the classroom. You can find this at http://www.educationworld.com/a_special/bully.shtml

Kid’s Health is a site sponsored by the Nemours Foundation, a DuPont family entity dedicated to the health of children. There are those who see bullying as a health issue on several fronts.  One because of the physical harm to the victims and two- the emotional stress that is a byproduct of being constantly bullied. Check out http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/no_bullying.html

Teachers also may want to check out the myriad of books at all grade levels that  deal with the topic of bullying.

Teaching About Money

Financial Literacy

 Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of independence believed that in order for the fledgling democracy that was the United States of America was to survive, it had to have an educated population. Fast forward to the twenty-first century and the same is true but with a slightly different spin. In order to bring us out of the recession and to move America along a path to a more permanent financial recovery, we need a population is that has a strong foundation in economic education. That is, we need a citizenry that knows how to save, and invest, how to balance a check book, to understand how credit works and how to make prudent financial choices for both the short and long term. The question will ultimately arise in the curriculum departments of many schools as to “where do we fit this in?” Our curriculum is crowded as it is and if the topic is not on any state assessment tests, we don’t have the classroom hours to devote to it. That attitude is bringing a great disservice to our country. How many more TARPS and bailouts do we have to have? How many more foreclosures of the homes of families will we see? How many more 401K plans will be decimated? How many more small business will go bankrupt?

There a number of web sites that would make good places for classroom teachers to start students  on a  path to economic sanity. The United States Federal Reserve Bank site has a wide variety of games, simulations, lesson plans and information for all grade levels, K-12. There are even publications that can be downloaded. One example is “Benjamin Franklin and the Birth of a Paper Money Economy.” Another title available is “The First Bank of The United States- a Chapter in the History of Central Bank." You can access this information by going to www.federalreserveeducation.org.

Another useful site is http://www.councilforeconed.org/. This is the site for the Council for Economic Education. Here you will find training modules for teachers as well as available publications for classroom use. Every year this organization sponsors a Financial and Economic Education Conference for teachers. Next year, the will conference will be held on October 4-6, 2012 in Kansas City, MO.

Even the New York Stock Exchange offers education programming. There are tours of the floor of the NYSE available for student groups. There are also summer teacher training scholarships available. These, however, are quite competitive. Go to http://corporate.nyx.com/who-we-are/corporate-social-responsibility/our-community/education-teacher-training for more information.

The NASDAQ also has information about personal finance and credit. See http://www.nasdaq.com/personal-finance/credit-debt.aspx.

Finally, The National Financial Educators Council offers videos and training materials as well as curriculum materials for teaching financial literacy in the classroom. You can find a wealth of materials at this site. Go to http://www.financialeducatorscouncil.org/  There is even a link for funding sources for financial education.

According to the National Endowment for Financial Education, as few as ten hours of classroom instruction can be enough to persuade students to improve their spending and saving habits.( Source Education World Magazine)

Summer Programs for Teachers

 Summer Study – Make your New Year’s resolutions now.

With holidays approaching, it might just be the time for giving yourself a gift for next summer- the opportunity to attend a stimulating summer institute or seminar to sharpen your classroom teaching skills, obtain new useful teaching information or even earn a stipend. There are even some opportunities to earn graduate credit for completing one of these institutes that could even lead to a pay raise. Many of the applications are quite detailed and may take some time to complete. It might be a good idea to start looking and gathering materials just after New Years as the application deadlines tend to sneak up on you.

Government Agencies and Organizations

There are a number of government agencies that offer summer programs for teachers. Many offers stipends to write curriculum after the program’s completion. Some offer the option to obtain graduate credit. Since these programs are offered at a wide variety of locations, they may provide you with the opportunity to  travel to parts of the US  where you  have not previously been. You will also get the opportunity to network with other teachers and share ideas and strategies that have worked for you in the classroom.

The Library of Congress offers numerous opportunities for teachers. There are typically several five day programs offered in Washington, DC.  At these workshops classroom teachers learn how to utilize primary sources in the classroom. They then develop teaching strategies to utilize these documents and generate student interest and enthusiasm. http://www.loc.gov/teachers/professionaldevelopment/teacherinstitute/

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is another government agency that offers summer ;programs for teachers utilizing primary source documnet6s. Last summer programs were held in Washington, DC, Kansas City, MO, Chicago, Il, Abilene, KS and Austin TX. The 2012 programs have not been released yet. Check back to the web site periodically to see when the programs are announced. These programs fill up quickly and the application process may be competitive.

http://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2011/nr11-97.html

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) summer program for 2012 has already been announced. The programs span a vast range of  topics from the Abolitionist Movement in the US, Berlin’s Cultural Diversity ( Program is in Germany) and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales ( in London).These programs are open al K-12 school teachers in public, private, parochial and charter schools as well as home school teachers. Some of these seminars and institutes last from 4 to five weeks.  Successful applicants do receive a stipend which can go to defray the cost of travel and books, etc. The deadline is March 1, 2012. Don’t wait!  Go to http://www.neh.gov/projects/si-school.html

The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia also  several great programs for teachers that include a stipend. They have not announced their 2012 programs yet but they also have a March 1 deadline. Take a look at http://constitutioncenter.org/ncc_edu_Summer_Workshops.aspx

There are hundreds of other programs offered by organizations, colleges and universities and institutions. Here are  just a few. We will add additional programs as they become known to us.

The Ashbrook Center of Ashland University in Ohio is offering as many as 30 one week courses that are free for social studies teachers. These seminars include room, meals, and a $500 stipend. The application deadline is usually March 1^st of each year. For more specific information and applications check out the site at www.teachingamericanhistory.org/institutes

The Exploratorium Museum of  Science, Art and Human Perception, located in San Francisco, CA  has offered summer programs for science and math teachers since the  1980s. Their 2012 applications will be posted this week with a March 1, 2012 deadline. You can learn more about their offerings as well as information about the museum it itself by going to http://www.exploratorium.edu/teacher_institute/summer/

Some final tips before applying.

1)      Be sure that your resume is up to date.

2)      If you need to secure administration approval in writing, get it in advance of your application.

3)      You may be asked as to how the program will impact your classroom teaching or how you will use the material and knowledge you learned.

4)      Be aware of the application deadlines.

5)      If the program you have selected is in another country, be sure that your passport is up to date and that you have obtained any required visas.

6)      If you are applying for graduate credits, be sure to turn in all required assignments in a complete and timely manner.

As always, your comment and additions  are appreciated.