ISTA Advocate - Summer 2021

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2021

A N I N D I A N A S TAT E T E A C H E R S A S S O C I AT I O N P U B L I C AT I O N

Teacher Voices for Student Success Giving teachers a voice at the bargaining table on learning and working conditions means everyone thrives.

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CONGRATULATIONS: ISTA honors award recipients.

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YOU DESERVE MORE Like a future worth celebrating

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OU R KI D S . OUR S C H OOLS . OU R F U T U RE .

SUMMER 2021: VOL. 4, ISSUE 5 Keith Gambill President

IN THIS ISSUE

Jennifer Smith-Margraf Vice President Doug Taylor Treasurer Dan Holub Executive Director

Review guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for returning to school.

Indiana State Teachers Association Publisher Kim Clements-Johnson Editor

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Keith Clock Contributor Kara Seward Contributor

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Members share their summer plans.

Learn about interim legislative study committees and topics under review.

Find out why expanding bargaining rights can help students and teachers.

Perspectives

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Organizing in Action If you’re not paying your dues via ISTA’s Easy Pay, make the switch today.

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Professional Development Prepare for the third Racial Justice Book Club.

Our Advocacy

Our Advocacy

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Evaluate your grading policies for equity.

Create inclusivity for all students by displaying pronouns.

Our Profession

Katie Beaumont Contributor

EDITORIAL BOARD Ron Curry Delaware Community Classroom Teachers Association Bennett Gallivan Merrillville Education Support Professional Association Sanae Glendening Vigo County Teachers Association Amy Price Evansville Teahers Association Steve Wynn ISTA UniServ Director

Our Profession

150 W. Market St., Ste. 900 Indianapolis, IN 46204

PURPOSE, MISSION AND GOALS

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Celebrate colleagues recognized with ISTA Awards.

Explore first day ice breakers to build relationships in your classroom.

Our Association

Extra Credit

We want to hear from you! Send ISTA your comments about the magazine. If you have story ideas or want to be a contributor, email communications@ista-in.org.

Advocate is the official quarterly publication of the Indiana State Teachers Association, the state level of the United Education Profession. The content of the Association’s publications will be consistent with its mission, strategic objectives and policies.

PURPOSE To advocate for and advance the interests of Indiana’s students, educators and public schools.

MISSION The Indiana State Teachers Association is a professional association organized to sustain quality public education, improve students’ educational opportunities and advance the professional status of educators.

GOALS • Unify our voices — we are stronger together.

• Provide economic security and professional working conditions for educators.

• Create a premier public education system that serves all kids regardless of ZIP code, culture or ability.

• Fight for racial and social justice.

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PRESIDENT’S LETTER

F

un times in the summer sun! I hope everyone is taking full advantage of this summer. Vacations

and time with family and friends, that had to be put on hold last year, are even more important this year. It is important that everyone has taken time to step away from schoolwork and enjoyed some of the freedom that summer can bring.

The ISTA Board of Directors met in person for the first time in over a year.

It was wonderful to have everyone back

Keith Gambill, ISTA President Follow Keith on Twitter @istapresident

together. I want to express my sincere thanks to our Board for their amazing work and their adapting to meeting virtually. Likewise, a big thank you to the ISTA staff, who brilliantly adapted to doing much of our work virtually. I’m so proud that ISTA hasn’t missed a beat this past

Until that first school bell rings or the alarm is needed to wake you up, I hope you have an amazing rest this summer.

Enjoy, you earned it!

year.

For some, the return to school is the end of July, but for most school will resume the first few weeks of August.

It will be a new year full of wonderful possibilities. Everyone has grown so much over the past 18 months. The experience undoubtably makes everyone a better educator.

Save the date Shaping the Future: ISTA Leadership Conference Sept. 10 - 12 Sheraton Indianapolis Hotel at Keystone Crossing More info at ista-in.org/events.

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PERSPECTIVES

Members Share Summer Plans

After a long school year, members share how they plan to spend their summer breaks.

Angie Baker, a seventh-grade teacher at Pike Central Middle School, will spend her summer covering 300 miles of the Appalachian Trail.

“Since 2018, I have spent a part of each summer hiking on the Appalachian Trail. Last summer I hit the 1,000-mile mark, so I’m about halfway. The trail runs from Georgia to Maine.”

This summer she will hike through Maryland, Pennsylvania and portions of New York. Baker notes this is a great escape into nature each summer.

Baker on the Appalachian Trail.

While a week in Colorado for the annual Aspen Ideas Festival sounded like a great time, ISTA members Kristi Billings of Brown County High School and Tom Gayda of North Central High School (Indianapolis) will instead participate virtually as part of the Bezos Scholar Program.

Billings and Gayda were picked by a student at their school to work with them as part of the prestigious program that grants students $1,000 to implement a community change program. With the uncertainty of COVID-19, Bezos Scholar Program meeting educators and scholars are working together online. through Zoom and Google Classroom throughout the summer and the upcoming school year.

“It’s such an honor to serve as a Bezos Educator Scholar, and I look forward to finding new ways to empower students to make impactful change in our communities,” Billings said.

The Bezos Scholar program selects 12 students from across the country, along with an educator chosen by the student, to participate in the program. Six students and one educator representing Africa are also participants in the program.

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OUR ADVOCACY

Legislative Work Continues The General Assembly recessed for the 2021 legislative session after passing a historic budget for K – 12 education, but the work is not done. In most years, the legislature adjourns on the final session day and does not return until January. However, this year the body will reconvene in the fall to draw legislative districts using census data. Indiana House leadership has indicated this special session will be brief and focused primarily on redistricting.

Additionally, there are multiple interim study committees covering a wide range of legislative topics, and these committees generally meet in late summer/early fall to discuss potential legislation for the next session by taking a deeper dive into specific issues.

Study committees offer ISTA members another opportunity to provide input into K – 12 policy ideas. ISTA continues to advocate during this time through lobbying, testimony and research.

The following education topics will be examined this interim:

Additional topics for study that have not been assigned to committees include:

• Streamlining K – 12 school mandates.

This is part of a multi-year study.

• School funding formula and complexity.

This study topic addresses how to provide adequate money to assist students in poverty. ISTA has insisted on including additional and more representative factors in the complexity funding model.

• Review of accelerated learning grants.

HEA 1008 included $150 million to entities that provide remediation learning for students impacted

by COVID-19.

• Racial achievement gaps and policies districts may use to increase transparency and accountability.

• Charter school funding. A bill this session required charter schools to share in district referenda dollars, but these provisions were scrapped in favor of establishing a two-year study panel to examine aspects of charter funding.

ISTA will have the chance to weigh in on issues related to fiscal transparency and accountability.

• School efficiencies. Legislators may also consider improving school efficiencies and cost-savings for noninstructional staff (e.g. bus services and maintenance). ISTA opposes any movement toward contracting out education support professional work to private companies.

ISTA will closely monitor all interim committees affecting public schools, and we encourage you to stay tuned as more information is provided. It is important to remain engaged and communicate with your legislators even when they are not in regular session.

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OUR ADVOCACY

Jenny Whitaker Jenny Whitaker is in her 19th year of teaching. She is a math teacher at Warren Central High School in MSD Warren Township in Indianapolis. She is also the president of Warren Education Association.

Expanding Collective Bargaining Rights Collective bargaining is the negotiation between employers and a group of employees to create or refine a contract that regulates salaries, working conditions, benefits and other aspects of employee compensation and rights. Currently, teacher collective bargaining agreements can only address salaries and wage-related benefits.

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Why is collective bargaining important, especially within a school district? The ability to collectively bargain in good faith, especially in a school district, contributes to the overall success of classroom teachers, students, schools and districts.

The need to expand collective bargaining now is more important than ever because it permits teachers to work as a unit to negotiate with their district on a more level playing field that hasn’t existed for a very long time.

So much of what happens with the teaching profession today is dictated by the legislature, Indiana State Board of Education and state education secretary, and it trickles down to the local school board, superintendents and administrative teams within a district. Micromanagement has run amok, because teacher voice is only heard at the discussion table and often not valued as an equal voice in what happens in classrooms. The true experts in education – teachers – have been nearly eliminated from determining what

is best for educators and students. The conversation at the discussion table each month may be merely a formality in some districts across the state.

When teachers truly feel they have a voice in what happens in their classrooms, a ripple effect begins. Teachers thrive.

Students thrive. Districts thrive.

Communities thrive. Notice a trend?

Creating a positive work environment where teachers are valued allows a district to retain and attract teachers. Expanding collective bargaining is a win-win for both sides.

It’s about the curriculm being taught, the textbooks and software being adopted and purchased, making sure our students have everything they need to be successful, and every teacher has what they need to get them there. At the end of the day, it’s always about the students and their learning conditions.

Watch to learn more about the value of restoring bargaining rights. bit.ly/3kWHPfD

Collective bargaining is designed to ensure that current, practical teaching practices are put in place, and those who must put theory to practice have a voice in what is working and what isn’t.

Bargaining ensures that policies are revisited and refined, allowing teachers to be the problem-solvers. It isn’t just about the salary or insurance benefits.

Gaining a Living Wage for ESPs Education support professionals (ESPs) are the support system for schools in local communities, ensuring schools and facilities are safe and clean, transporting students, providing nutrition, supporting administrative needs and so much more.

While ESPs play a vital role in schools, too many are paid low wages that don’t reflect their value in educating the whole child.

There are organized ISTA ESP locals around the state that collectively bargain contracts for their members. As the work on bargaining continues, ISTA will work with our ESP locals to gain a living wage for ESPs that respects the dignity of their work.

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ORGANIZING IN ACTION

It’s Easier with Easy Pay This year the Indiana General Assembly passed legislation curtailing your ability to pay union membership dues through payroll deduction. Local associations, that were still offering payroll deduction,

Why Switch?

Hear from local association leaders on why they’ve made the switch to Easy Pay.

have been making the switch to ISTA’s Easy Pay, a convenient method to pay Association dues, including local dues, through automatic deductions from a checking or savings account, credit card or personal/bank check. By switching all members to Easy Pay, we take away a tactic used by legislators to distract from the real issues facing public education.

Paul Baker, President Westview Education Association

How to Switch

bit.ly/2S1gGw3

If you were on payroll deduction, you may have made the switch during the school year when an association representative or other local association leader approached you, but if you didn’t have time before the school year ended, here’s how you can seamlessly make the switch.

“This year our local switched to a schedule that is perfectly aligned with our district’s pay

1. Go to NEA’s eDues at bit.ly/3rgBGLE.

Enter your member ID and ZIP code.

direct deposits go into our bank

You will select the frequency and

accounts, our dues are withdrawn.

method of payment.

2. Call the ISTA Member Resource Center

(MRC) at 844-ASK-ISTA to request a paper enrollment form or provide your information over the phone to an MRC associate.

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days. So, on the same day that our

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It has the same feeling of a payroll deduction without the connection to the district.”

Amanda Giordano, President Noblesville Teachers’ Forum

Leveraging a Year-round Membership Campaign to Achieve Goals There is strength in numbers. We’ve seen it in the number of contacts made to legislators this year, the number of local actions taken and the turnout at the Red For Ed Action Day in 2019. When there are more ISTA members fighting for kids and public schools, we win.

While membership campaigns may be unique to each local association and rely on its strengths, it is a collective effort to build the Association’s power. For the 2021 – 22 membership year, we’re aiming for growth in 70% of our local associations. For each local, reaching the statewide goal will look different, but your UniServ Director is equipped with tools to help your local set a membership goal and achieve it!

Here’s what’s new this year: Year-round Membership Campaign Guide

Membership Recruitment Newsletter

Local Leader Wall Calendar

One strategy for meeting the local and state goals is approaching membership with a year-round mindset. Membership campaigns shouldn’t end until the school year ends.

To support that mindset, there are new membership materials to guide your local association on how to make year-round membership a reality.

When planning your local association’s membership campaign, remember that each member has a role to play. Engage and activate all members so everyone can celebrate in your successes.

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OUR MEMBERS

WAYS TO MAKE A

MEANINGFUL MEMBERSHIP ASK 1. Build relationships. Get to know a colleague through one-on-one conversations. Maintain the contact by staying connected, checking in and following up. After a relationship is established, it’s easier to ask and easier to say yes.

2. Mentor new and early career educators. Think back to your first day of school. Be a cheerleader and offer support. When an educator feels the union and its members are the support system, they see value in saying yes when asked to join.

3. Share successes. A potential member may not know how hard members of the local association are working to negotiate a fair contract, improve working conditions or protect the rights of members.

Make sure potential members know what your local is doing and how it helps them.

4. Ask them to join. So many times, we hesitate or neglect to ask the simple question.

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Megan Hawkins Megan Hawkins has completed her first year of teaching at Shoals Elementary. She graduated from the University of Evansville, where she was campus president of her ISTA Aspiring Educator chapter.

Ideas to Welcome and Support Early Career Educators Since graduating college in May 2020, I have taught second grade at Shoals Elementary – my hometown school, where my mom was one of my grade level team co-workers. What an awesome year to be able to work alongside her!

When attending my first local chapter meeting at Shoals, I was eager to help where needed. However, I did not expect to serve as treasurer. Since then, I have been an officer and assisted in planning various events for our members. As an early career educator (ECE), I appreciate the support of my local union. Here are quick tips for local leaders to help their ECEs: Mentorship: I had the opportunity to collaborate with an experienced teacher and ask questions throughout the school year. Let your new educator pick who they want as their mentor.

Check-ins and relationship building: Many members would check in on me periodically throughout the school year, whether that was an email or walking into the classroom. It was more than just a casual hello but a sincere question of how I was mentally and physically.

Check in on your new educators – make sure they are not spending an overwhelming amount of extra hours at school!

Welcoming and inclusive: From the first meeting, everyone was friendly and encouraged me to be involved! Ask for your new educator to be on a committee, assist with events, etc.

Share resources: ISTA prepares good documents to read. Find resources to share with ECEs to help ease them into their first few years of teaching at ista-in.org/resources.

Goal Setting and Self-Reflection: It was nice to have awesome union members as my coworkers to set goals at the beginning of the year and reflect during and at the end of the year. Sit down with your ECEs and assist them at the beginning of the school year and offer advice at the end of the school year.

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OUR PROFESSION

CDC’s Back-to-School Guidance The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released long-awaited guidance for the prevention of COVID-19 in K – 12 schools this fall.

Citing the overall benefit to students for in-person instruction, the agency stresses a safe return to in-person learning this fall with new direction on mask use.

The CDC makes it clear that in-person instruction is a top priority for K – 12 schools. The other key takeaway from the guidance is an easing of masking requirements. The CDC recommends masks be worn by students two and older, who are not fully vaccinated. Masks are optional for vaccinated teachers, staff and students.

The CDC notes, “Schools should be supportive of people who are fully vaccinated, but choose to continue to wear a mask, as a personal choice or because they have a medical condition that may weaken their immune system.”

ISTA encourages widespread use of safe and effective vaccines for educators and eligible students. Vaccinations are critical to maintaining the health and safety of every educator, student and family as we reopen and keep our schools open.

The CDC urges K – 12 schools to emphasize the benefits of vaccinations in keeping schools open, as well as extracurriculars and sports.

Emphasizing In-Person Learning and Easing Mask Requirements for Vaccinated To get kids back in-person safely, the CDC asks schools to monitor:

Community transmission

Vaccination Coverage

Testing

Outbreaks Students, teachers and staff should stay home when they have signs of any infectious illness and be referred to their healthcare provider for testing and care. For the latest CDC guidance, visit ista-in.org/COVID19.

The CDC recommends schools maintain physical distancing of three feet between students within classrooms to reduce transmission risk. Should schools not be able to achieve distancing, the CDC says this shouldn’t prevent schools from having in-person instruction. Rather, schools should stick to a layered approach using other prevention strategies like indoor masking.

The CDC’s latest guidance provides an important roadmap for reducing the risk of COVID-19 in schools. And it is up to all of us in communities across the country to make it possible for all school buildings to be fully open, to stay open and for all students, staff and families to remain healthy.

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Assessing Your Grading for Equity Traditional models of A – F grading and points-based systems may dampen student interest and inhibit success.

Once a child sees a poor or failing grade, Sarah Duncan of the University of Chicago told Edutopia in 2018, “Instead of working harder, the vast majority of students who get an F tend to withdraw, try less, and come to school less because they’re taking an F for what it actually stands for: failure.”

Grades dependent on non-academic factors such as compliance or punctuality are not intrinsically motivating, nor do they measure student learning. Grading structures reliant on these factors are systemically biased.

Students shouldering jobs to help their family make ends meet, providing childcare to siblings or lacking environments conducive to study may fall behind in a model built on traditional grading. It may also not reflect the majority of the learning and work they do in classrooms.

Learn more about how other educators are building more equitable grading systems. bit.ly/2RZUAdl

Critically examine your assumptions about grading.

Look at current grading practices and imagine alternatives to the status quo with this NEA webinar. bit.ly/3gqQ698

Want to dive deeper? Read Grading for Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms by Joe Feldman. gradingforequity.org

Some educators are rethinking how they evaluate student work. Students may have opportunities to redo assignments.

Students are encouraged to see growth and embrace the learning process without fear of failure. Students are given the chance to demonstrate mastery of standards.

Reassessing your grading for equity isn’t an easy process, but it can ensure every student has a chance to succeed.

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OUR PROFESSION

Rain Smith Rain Smith is an award-winning school library media specialist at Whiteland Community High School. She is an active member of her local, Clark-Pleasant Education Association, and a hub coordinator of the ISTA/ NEA Early Leadership Institute.

CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT OF INCLUSION

Through Pronouns As the adage goes, “See a need; fill a need.”

I recognized a need for students to have a quick, easy way to communicate their pronouns at school. As adults, we put our pronouns in bios, in Zoom names, on conference badges and even in email signatures. Declaring pronouns has become a more accepted and common practice professionally, so why not for students?

I was looking for a simple, non-invasive tool to help students feel at ease in sharing their pronouns. Why not pins or buttons? After shopping around, I discovered that GLSEN, the national organization that has supported LGBTQ+ youth for more than 30 years, had just what I was looking for at a reasonable price. I obtained some pins and put them in a bowl in the Media Center where lots of free stuff to take is kept. I did not advertise the pins, but they were easily available to anyone who wanted to take one.

One of my student teacher assistants was the first to take a pin. Then they invited their friends. This pattern kept repeating over and over, with students saying,

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The GLSEN buttons Smith makes available to students.

“I heard you have a pin I could have.”

The bowl emptied, and I needed to order another batch. As the word spread, I have had to refill the bowl multiple times now this school year – giving out more than 300 pins so far to both students and staff.

Many are wearing them on their lanyards with their IDs. Others have been sighted on backpacks. All of this has led to many wonderful interactions this school year with students. Pronoun pins were a small and simple way to fill a great need. As if I needed proof, one day a small group of friends dropped in to get pins. I asked if they needed anything else. One of the students said to me on the way out, “Thank you so much for doing this. It makes me feel validated.”

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Racial Justice Book Club to Discuss Supporting Male Students of Color Having covered one Black man’s legacy on race in football and the psychological underpinnings of race in child development, the third ISTA Minority Affairs Committee (MAC) Racial Justice Book Club will discuss how educators can support male Black and Latino students.

The featured book is Becoming the Educator They Need: Strategies, Mindsets, and Beliefs for Supporting Male Black and Latino Students by Robert Jackson, both a former NFL player and Indianapolis Public Schools teacher.

The MAC will host the next Racial Justice Book Club at one of the in-person conferences this fall. Watch for more details and register via the conference registration links.

About the Book Black and Latino male students are counting on educators to understand them and support them so they can thrive academically. This essential book calls on educators to work through their own biases and embrace key beliefs and mindsets that will help them better serve their Black and Latino male students and truly become the educator they need.

Brain Lair Books | South Bend Provides books that uplift marginalized voices, specializing in children’s books. Brain Lair Books is dedicated to developing empathy and building a community centered around the discussion of inclusive books.

Where to Purchase Books

shop.brainlairbooks.com

Use coupon code ISTAFS for free shipping. Want to order more? As long as your order includes Becoming The Educator They Need, everything else will ship for free.

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OUR ASSOCIATION

ISTA Awards Excellence in Public Education ISTA Hoosier Educator of the Year Janet Chandler

ISTA President Keith Gambill presented Janet Chandler with the ISTA Hoosier Educator of the Year Award.

Hamilton Southeastern Education Association

Students, colleagues and administrators all commend the selection of Janet Chandler as ISTA’s Hoosier Educator of

confident when responding,

the Year. Chandler is the president of

to not use filler words and to

the Hamilton Southeastern Education

truly know my character’s work.

Association and has served in a leadership

In every practice, Ms. Chandler

position in the local association for more than 30 years. She has coordinated

gives valuable assistance to

advocacy on behalf of public education,

everyone on the team, whether

led membership campaigns and defended

that is about making sure we

educator rights. But her impact extends much further than as an association

don’t have any misconceptions

leader. She sponsors the Mock Trial

about the case or helping us

Team and We the People Citizen and the Constitution Competition. Chandler demonstrates a personal commitment to education earning an M.S. in Secondary Education and a Doctor of Jurisprudence in addition to earning seven areas of certification.

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“She taught me to be more

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improve from a previous defeat.”

Manav Krishna Mock Trial Team Member

Nathan G. Schnellenberger Pacesetter Award Hilda Kendrick-Appiah Greater Clark Education Association

L-R: ISTA President Keith Gambill, Nathan G. Schnellenberger Pacesetter Honoree Hilda KendrickAppiah, Greater Clark Education Association President Mark Felix and nominator John McLaughlin.

This year’s Nathan G. Schnellenerger Pacesetter Award honoree was directly encouraged by Schnellenberger, a former ISTA president, to get more involved in Association activities. It is fitting that the first recipient of the renamed Pacesetter Award be a leader identified and mentored by Schnellenberger. Hilda Kendrick-Appiah is concluding two terms as an NEA Board Director. She has also served in numerous Association positions, including NEA’s political action committee state lead, ISTA Minority Affairs Committee chair, District Council member, L-PAC member and more. Her students drive her advocacy for public education. Kendrick-Appiah is the dean of kindergarten teachers in Greater Clark County Schools and puts her students first offering tutoring, delivering meals and volunteering – all to support her students.

“Ms. Kendrick demonstrates both the spirit and the letter of the Nathan G. Schnellenberger Pacesetter Award on a daily basis. She has diligently championed traditional public education in Indiana throughout her career. As a woman of color, she courageously demonstrates the importance of the role minority educators play in the lives of our students today.”

John McLaughlin Colleague & Nominator

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OUR ASSOCIATION

Continued from page 19

ESP of the Year Christine Barnes ESP of River Forest

“She has an incredible imagination and always goes above and beyond to make the entire school experience fun and memorable for our students, staff, and community.”

Julie Woods Colleague

J.D. Miller Young Activist Award John (Jack) Hesser Indianapolis Education Association

In five years as an educator, John (Jack) Hesser has made his mark within his school district, local and ISTA. Hesser was named the Indianapolis Public Schools 2021 Teacher of the Year. In 2019, he was honored as the Outstanding Earth Science Teacher of the Year for Indiana by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers. While providing great instruction to students, he’s also been leading the Indianapolis Education Association’s Membership Committee. Hesser has also dedicated time to guiding other early career educators as an ISTA/NEA Early Leadership Institute coach.

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Christine Barnes is a paraprofessional at River Forest High School. She serves as president of her local association.

But Barnes’ outstanding quality is her dedication to her students, school and district. She supports student programs such as Indiana Youth and Government, High School Student Council, Youth Exchange and Study, leads concessions at the middle and high school and so much more. Her unending commitment to public education and students is what makes her extraordinary and deserving of the award of ESP of the Year.

Additional congratulations go to the following ISTA awardees: Community Service Award Mary Arnold, New Albany-Floyd County Education Association Lifetime Achievement Award Anne Rust Aurand, ISTA-Retired N. Robert Montfort Communications Award Indianapolis Education Association School Bell Award Jana Wiersema, The Republic Friend of Education Award Stanley Madison, President & Founder, Lyles Station Celebrate our awardees at Shaping the Future: ISTA Leadership Conference Sept.

10 – 12 at the Sheraton Indianapolis Hotel at Keystone Crossing.

More at ista-in.org/events.

PPS Committee Advances ISTA’s Professional Development Offerings Lori Young Q: What are the charges of the Professional Practices & Standards (PPS) Committee?

Lori Young is a 28-year veteran high

A: The PPS Committee is charged with communicating issues pertinent to the committee to District Councils, review and recommend applications for the Professional Development Grant, select scholarship and award recipients, recommend members for national awards and create and submit proposed sessions for applicable professional development conferences.

school chemistry and

Q: How does the committee build responsive and timely professional development?

President, District

A: Just like education, professional development is a never-ending process. The PPS committee works with ISTA’s Professional Development Coordinator Angela Miller to plan exciting and relevant professional development programs based on our charges.

integrated chemistry and physics teacher from Evansville. She is the Evansville Teachers Association Council 20 Vice-Chair, ISTA Professional Practices & Standards Committee Chair and proud mother of a Purdue senior and a furry golden retriever.

The PPS committee offers a variety of workshops developed, designed and presented by our members at our annual Good Teaching Conference. By empowering members to participate in quality professional development opportunities from ISTA, our members are up to date on curriculum resources, best practices and tech tools for the classroom. We know educators who attend our workshops will have a positive impact on student learning.

Q: What initiatives have the committee taken to deliver professional development during a pandemic?

A: We didn’t let the pandemic stop us from training our members. Your ISTA PPS committee used Zoom to hold the Good Teaching Conference. Presenters modified workshop content to work on a remote platform. Members attended these virtual workshops and were able to apply the new content in their classrooms immediately.

Q: How do scholarships, grants and awards from the committee advance the profession?

A: Offering scholarships, grants and awards is a great way for ISTA to connect and build relationships with our talented students, members and community. Your ISTA PPS Committee is charged with awarding the Professional Development Grant, the Career Scholarship, the Educator Scholarship and the ISTA Hoosier Teacher of the Year.

Save the date Good Teaching Conference Nov. 5 - 6 Embassy Suites Plainfield More info at ista-in.org/events.

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EXTRA CREDIT

Fun Ways to Break the Ice on the First Day of School A new school year means new students to get to know and helping them get to know each other. Begin the relationship building process with this list (bit.ly/3xuxrPi) of fun ice breakers from the Cult of Pedagogy.

Blobs and Lines Help students discover commonalities with peers.

Students line up in a particular order or group based on something they have in common. For example, gather with peers who are wearing the same color shirt as you.

Concentric Circles Create opportunity for one-on-one conversations.

Students form two circles: one inside the other, facing each other and forming pairs. Each pair will discuss answers to a getting to know you question such as, “What’s your favorite subject?” and then the pairs will rotate.

This or That Generate discussion and build confidence in students.

Students choose a side of a topic such as, “Which is better: summer or winter?” and then physically move to the side of the space designated to represent that position. This is followed by discussion and debate on why they chose this side of the topic.

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SECURITY BENEFIT

Financial Essentials SAVING AND PLANNING WORKSHOPS FOR ISTA MEMBERS As part of your membership, NEA Member Benefits and Security Benefit are offering free, local workshops to help members build a successful path to retirement. Regardless of your current career stage, the Financial Essentials workshop can help you find answers to your fundamental questions.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how you can take control of your retirement picture.

For more information contact:

Frank Vargo Indiana State Director, Security Benefit Frank.Vargo@SecurityBenefit.com 574.303.7248

Neither Security Benefit Corporation nor its affiliates are fiduciaries. This information is general in nature and intended for use with the general public. For additional information, including any specific advice or recommendations, please visit with your financial professional.

Security Benefit and its affiliates and subsidiaries are not affiliated with the NEA or the Indiana State Teacher’s Association.

One Security Benefit Place | Topeka, KS 66636 | SecurityBenefit.com 99-00501-78 2019/01/14 ISTA-IN.ORG

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