Maine Educator December 2015

MAINE

Educator Educato Member Holiday Recipes

Stand Up for Students Ballot Initiative would bring

$157 Million more

to Maine’s public schools

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December 2015 Vol. 76 • Number 3

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WANTED

MEA Members to be CANDIDATES Here’s Your Chance to be Heard

Elections for delegates to the 2016 MEA and NEA Representative Assemblies and Board of Directors Would you like to have more voice in your Association? Would you like to participate in creating the beliefs of your Association?

Get involved - be elected to represent your Association and have a say!

Election information and forms for filing for Maine Education Association positions are available on the MEA website.

Elected positions include:MEA Board of Directors • MEA Representative Assembly • NEA Representative Assembly

The MEA Representative Assembly (RA) is made up of elected local association delegates from across the state and serves as the Association’s highest governing body. At its annual meeting in May, the RA will determine MEA’s policies, programs, and budget for the following year. NEA’s RA, which is held in July, determines policies also by elected delegates from across the country.

All forms and instructions are PDF file format and available on the

Our online MSEd program provides: • A career-focused accredited education • Rolling admissions and monthly start dates • Continuing education and certification renewal opportunities • Supportive advisors who understand your needs • Maine SPED Law Course available online; approved

by DOE Visit sjcme.edu/educator or call 800-752-4723 for more information.

Educating for life.

MEA website at www.maine.nea.org then go to MEA Elections in the Members Only area. Register for access if you

have not already done so by following the instructions on the Members Only access page.

If you need assistance, please contact Linda Heaney at lheaney@maineea.org.

Elections Conducted by the Local Association MEA Representative Assembly Local Delegates and Alternates Candidates’ Notices of Intent are due to Local Presidents by January 24, 2016 to run an election. Elected delegates and alternates Certificates of Election need to be signed by the Local President and submitted to MEA by March 2, 2016 NEA Representative Assembly Local Delegates and Alternates NEA will be sending 2 emails to Local Presidents with information regarding delegate counts and forms around January 27–filing deadline is April 10, 2016

Elections Conducted by the Maine Education Association filing deadline is January 22, 2016 for the following: • MEA Board of Directors • MEA Representative Assembly Statewide Associations ACSUM, AFUM, UMPSA, CCFA, CCAA, MPBCEA

• • •

MEA Representative Assembly Cluster Delegates/ Alternates (locals with less than 35 members) NEA Representative Assembly District Seats and Cluster Delegates/Alternates MEA-Retired – vacancies for MEA and NEA Representative Assembly

SEAM – Student Education Association of Maine Elections will be conducted by the MEA for the MEA and NEA Representative Assemblies. Forms will be emailed directly to SEAM members.

There are no elections scheduled at the 2016 MEA Representative Assembly.

IT’S YOUR ASSOCIATION. READ ALL ABOUT IT. contents 5 6 20 29 30

Turn and Talk

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Who’s Line is it Anyway?

You’ve heard of the hit improv TV show hosted by Drew Carey—well some Maine educators are taking imrpov to a whole new level and using it in the classroom to better reach and inspire their students.

Come along for the funny ride and learn how you too can transform your day with an improv mindset.

Editor’s Note President’s Message Fast Facts Events & Deadlines Member Holiday Recipes

25

Learn how the 2016 Maine Teacher of the Year Tayla Edlund uses post-it notes and conversations to engage her students in reading. Plus how Edlund plans to use her new role to help empower other educators to become leaders in the profession.

24 School Start Times

Research shows that high school students should start school later. The topic continues to be debated in Maine with some schools opting to start later.

What do you think? Two members, from the same school weigh in with differing views.

MAINE

Educator Educato Member Holiday Recipes

Stand Up for Students Ballot Initiative would bring

$157 Million more

to Maine’s public schools

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December 2015 Vol. 76 • Number 3

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11 Take Two!

Second career educators—from movie film critics to forest service employees—share how they’re former work helps shape their time and technique in the classroom.

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On the Cover: Maine public school students share their voice during the Stand Up for Students launch

December 2015 • www.maineea.org

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News You Can Use 7 8 10 11 14 15 16

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Use Code: MEA Offer valid for the following Disney on Ice shows at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland: • Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016 @7 pm • Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016 @ 7 pm • Friday, Jan. 8, 2016 @ 7 pm • Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016 @ 7 pm

Buy Tickets: Ticketmaster.com | 800-745-3000 | Venue Box Office

Volume 76 Number 3 - Copyright 2015

Q:

What is your favorite holiday meal?

Read the recipes on page 31

Editorial Staff Managing Editor - Robert Walker, Executive Director Editor - Giovanna Bechard, Communications Director Layout/Ad Manager - Allison Coombs, Communications Assistant

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Maine Educator • December 2015

Stand Up for Students Fast Facts I am MEA Pride in Public Schools Bargaining Update

Your Association

Offer valid until 1/8/2016. Exclusive savings offer for Maine Education Association members. Restrictions, exclusions, and additional charges may apply. Not valid on premium seats or $15 tickets. Subject to availability.

Educator

18

Advocacy

MEA Savings Offer: $5 OFF Select Tickets

Maine

Using Improv in Education Lens on Learning Law & Order Take Two! Tech Talk: 5 Apps to help the digitally native student Write to Excite Math and Movement

24 25 26 27

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Perspectives: Should high school start later?

Turn and Talk What I Learned: Fall Conference News & Notes

MEA Leadership President - Lois Kilby-Chesley Vice President - Grace Leavitt Treasurer - Denise Simoneau NEA Director - Michael Thurston

Board of Directors Phyllis Hunter Steven Knowles Jesse Hargrove Cyndy Fish Ken Williams Jill Watson Robin Colby Jim Thornton Samantha Garnett Sias Terry Martin Bob McCully Amanda Cooper Ginger Snaps Jill Kehoe Deborah Butler John Messier Neil Greenberg Crystal Ward Bob Calderwood

Stuffing with Italian sausage and dried cranberries Maine Educator (ISSN #1069-1235) is published by: Maine Education Association 35 Community Drive, Augusta, ME 04330-8005 207-622-4418; fax 207-623-2129 POSTMASTER: send address changes to:

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Editor’s Note

Livin’ on a Prayer I come from a town with a really big water tower. I honestly didn’t realize all suburban towns didn’t have water towers until I left New Jersey. And while this may seem odd, I didn’t realize how much fondness I had for that water tower in my hometown of South Brunswick, New Jersey until I returned for my 20th high school reunion. I drove past that water tower every day on my way to high school, and while it’s not the tower I love, it’s what it represents—my childhood home—strip malls and all—which I hadn’t been back to in more than ten years.

My family doesn’t live in Jersey anymore so the return trip felt like I was seeing it for the first time. So much had changed, and I was more than nervous about seeing people I hadn’t seen in so long. Had I changed a lot? Would I feel like an awkward high schooler again? As the reunion began I realized, this wasn’t high school anymore.

We were adults. For the most part, everyone was friendly, even though we may not have been best friends years ago. Still, I won’t soon forget that feeling I had prior to the point when everyone was singing Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer together.

(It’s Jersey, remember?) That, ‘will I fit in feeling,’ was a reminder to me of what it’s like to be a student in school today.

Every time I walk into a high school to meet an MEA member I feel like school looks the same now as it did 20 years ago.

Sure, some kids now have designer lunch bags (who knew that was a “thing”?) but it still seems obvious to me there are the same kind of cliques today as there were when I was in school. Remembering what it must be like to be a student, particularly in grades where things like appearances

seem to matter, felt like a powerful lesson. If as an adult I couldn’t shake that ‘am I cool enough’ feeling, what must it be like to actually be 14 or 15, when the world seems like it’s going to end if things don’t go your way?

It’s rewarding to see so many MEA members empathize with their students, their struggles, and work to achieve a greater school system for every student, academically and socially. The energy behind a new MEA-led ballot initiative Stand Up for Students is a great example of this passion for education and for each and every student.

To read more about Stand Up for Students and how it can transform education funding statewide, go to page 18.

As you flip through the magazine, also make sure to check out the story on second career educators who incorporate their life experiences into their classroom work on page 11 and the story about integrating art into everyday education—that story is on page 8.

As always, I am humbled you take the time to read, and hopefully enjoy this magazine. As winter approaches, if things get tough, channel any inner Jersey you may have, and in the words of Bon Jovi—“live for the fight when it’s all that you’ve got.“

Then

Now

Giovanna Bechard Editor

December 2015 • www.maineea.org

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LOIS KILBY-CHESLEY PRESIDENT

President’s Message

Lois Kilby-Chesley MEA President

Do you have a question for Lois? Send it in an e-mail to lkilby-chesley@ maineea.org

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Maine Educator • December 2015

DO SOMETHING TODAY YOUR FUTURE SELF WILL THANK YOU FOR Every time I hear the phrase, "Let's get this party started,” it makes me think of my first NEA Representative Assembly—a giant Congress of 8,000 to 10,000 members held in July of each year. At the opening of many RA's a loud chorus of "Let's get this party started" can be heard echoing throughout the building.

The chance to attend this amazing gathering was one of the turning points in my MEA and NEA involvement. I ran for a state seat to the RA in 2001 in Los Angeles. What an experience! It helped solidify my beliefs about working together to improve education and the importance of local Associations, MEA and NEA as the voice of education employees.

I encourage you to consider your next step in the Association. What will you do that will make your future better? It is never too early to be planning for your own involvement in your local Association and the MEA/NEA. Being elected to an open seat on your Executive Board, vying for a place at the NEA Annual RA, attending the MEA Representative Assembly each May, or running for a seat on the MEA Board of Directors are chances for you to activate and advocate.

If you have never held a leadership position in your local Association now may be the right moment. Lots of locals are hoping to find new leaders to mentor and train to take the reins of your Executive Board. We know that without fresh perspectives, new thoughtful ideas, and more involvement, our Associations can seem to be a private club more than a professional organization. Being a leader of your local puts you in the know and gives you the chance to learn more about the NEA and MEA while advocating for your colleagues and building important bridges to the community. After all, we know - Knowledge is Power!

This summer's NEA RA - July 2 to July 7 - will be in Washington, D.C. Maybe you would like to join us there? Our RA delegates will help set the course for the NEA. If your local Association has 75 members or more you qualify for a locally funded seat. Your Association would fund the costs estimated to be around $1600-$1800.

MEA will also hold elections for NEA RA seats, the costs of which are borne by MEA. In this issue of the Educator you will find more information on MEA elections on the inside cover of this Maine Educator. We go a couple of days ahead to attend informational meetings, work hard and have fun during the RA days and nights, and build friendships that will last forever. It is an awe-inspiring week!

Other election information is available in this issue on the MEA Representative Assembly to be held at the Samoset Resort May 21 and 22. Every Association or group of small locals has the chance to elect delegates proportional to the size of the Association.

The MEA RA sets the course of our State Association for the next 12 months— something that is vitally important to our success as the largest democratic organization in the state.

Filling a seat for the MEA RA is easy as pie.

Let your local president know of your interest and s/he will have the paperwork that needs to be filled out and submitted. Run a campaign for election, get the necessary votes, let us know the election results, and we will see you there! All costs for the weekend are paid by MEA including lodging and meals, and if you are more than 120 miles away from Rockport we will even pay Friday night lodging to be sure you are there bright and early on Saturday.

MEA will also be holding elections for open seats on the Board of Directors. Several areas of the state have available seats and we would love to have you join us. Terms are for three years beginning July 15, and we meet as a Board several times a year in addition to having regional monthly meetings to attend with members. Again this takes some paperwork, an election, and the majority vote. The elections are held by MEA and more information is available to help you decide if this is a path for you.

Are you ready? We are ready for you.

Come on and do something today that your future self will thank you for - Get Active in Your Professional Organization!

In Unity,

Ever wonder why in movies like Speed it always seems like the man and woman who are about to die in some horrific way manage to 1) survive and 2) fall madly in love in the end, even though they had no idea who each other were just a few hours before? The bus won’t stop, it’s crashing into things, lives hang in the balance and Keanu Reeves notices how beautiful Sandra Bullock is behind the wheel.

Really?

Hollywood drama aside, intense situations, or extended periods of time together in unique environments bring people closer, and make them more willing to share and work together.

It’s the kind of environment teachers and improv gurus Dan Ryder (Mt. Blue RSU EA) and Jeff Bailey (Western Foothills EA) work to create in their classrooms to better engage their students. “There is greatness in going through something together, so why not create an experience like that, and if it can be built around laughter and a little bit of discomfort then you can share something that may be uncomfortable because you’ve all had a common laugh,” said Ryder an English teacher at Mt Blue high school.

Ryder and Bailey are part of “The Teachers’ Lounge Mafia,” an improv group that shares how the art of improv can both lead to more effective communication, dynamic problem solving and overall enhanced student learning. Ryder and Baliey both believe educators should have an improvisation mindset, working off three basic ideas: accept, trust and communicate.

“The biggest chunk of communicating is listening. You have to be able to listen fully to what the other person is saying,” said Bailey.

“The improv mindset, when you watch people perform, they’re taking what they have and they’re working with it—you can have these moments where you say ‘I just have to accept what I have and let go of what I don’t,’” said Ryder.

And it’s in the moments of acceptance where the duo says you can learn as an educator and better teach students. Dozens of MEA members came together to understand the process at the Fall Conference, working to become better listeners and cultivate an understanding around the importance of removing the word ‘but’ from their vocabulary.

u News Yo

Using Improv in Education

Can U se

3 Principles of Improv Accept: the status quo so you may change it, build with what you have, let go of what you don’t Communicate: Listen with your whole self, 90% receiving, 10% reacting Trust: Yourself, others and the process.

“One of the most well-known ideas about improv is you ‘yes and everything.’ So, we would say our school is having difficulty dealing with proficiency-based education and there are a lot of ways to determine how to figure this out as opposed to ‘yeah but’— which is what we tend to do. The ‘but’ makes it seem like the first part is not important,” said Ryder.

together. The group then found their own creative ways to use a human machine with their students in the classroom, sharing these ideas: • You can use people as physical models to show the breakdown of a cell.

• You can build a de-grumping machine that at the end of the day students go through and they feel better.

• I’m starting an industrialization unit and using that machine would be great!

And since it’s improv, the possibilities are endless, and as Ryder and Bailey say, no answer is ever wrong.

With the acceptance mindset, members worked together, to among other things create a human machine that built green M&Ms. Each person who was part of the human machine had a role—things like shine and paint the candy. In the end, each realized by simply “going with it” they could work better December 2015 • www.maineea.org

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Lens on Learning

Making Art more than a “Special”

W

ith cameras in hand, students at six Midcoast schools work to capture a story they’ll later tell with pictures and words, being creative outside of the 45 minutes of art class they may receive each week.

“Every year a teacher says, this student doesn’t participate in class, but he loves doing this,” said Andrea Curtis, Art-in-Education Project Manager at the Farnsworth Art Museum.

The Farnsworth, in the center of Rockland, works with 300 students and their teachers in a year-long arts-integrated school initiative to tell the stories of their community through art in a project called Stories of the Land and its People.

Stories of the Land was organized so that students in grades 4 and 7 could learn from their teachers (specialty and classroom), museum professionals, and mentor artists about how to use the arts— especially digital photography—in their studies of English Language Arts, History, Social Sciences and other disciplines. For example, students may take pictures of the people who work where they live doing different jobs and then share a poem about that person, integrating the art of photography with English.

“I remember one father saying that he read a poem about a picture his son took and he said to me ‘I didn’t know my son had this in him.’ We’re really moved by how we’re reaching out to these communities. It’s their museum,” said Roger Dell the museum’s Director of Education.

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Maine Educator • December 2015

The Farnswoth Art Museum’s Andrea Curtis, Art-in-Education Project Manager and Roger Dell, Director of Education

“If we’re going to have a creative workforce, then creativity must be mirrored for our students by teachers and visiting artists. We’re trying to work with teachers to bring art to bear upon all of their subjects.” - Roger Dell

Students connected to their photographs in many ways, including poetry writing, creative writing, natural science research, and math lessons with hands-on displays at the museum.

Stories of the Land and Its People is truly an amazing project. We are so incredibly lucky to have such generous supporters (donors) of the project and the leadership and support of Roger and Andrea.

This project is extremely engaging! It makes teaching and learning fun! It naturally encourages differentiated learning, so it allows all my students to find success. It's hard for me to admit this, but the arts are scary. I don't consider myself an artistic person. My mom normally comes into my classroom to do my holiday projects! This project has taught me a lot, but one of the most important things I've learned is that I don't need to be the expert on everything. I just need to open my doors.

The Farnsworth brings the experts to us and often I'm learning right along with my students.

It's such a collaborative effort. To top it off, the final exhibition brings together all of our families, so it's a perfect example of the power that schools, families, and the community have when they work and celebrate together! It's made me a better teacher.

Wendy Jacques, South School, Grade 4 Teacher (Seacoast EA)

I think the benefit that stands out to me the most, outside of it bringing the arts into our classroom, is Stories of the Land and its People encourages “place-based learning.” I think students tend to enjoy and retain the learning about something that they can see, feel, and/or witness so much more than through long lectures and readings. This program offers them the opportunity to experience and be a part of the topic learning through their photography. It gives a sense of importance to the topic because they can relate or connect to it once they begin photographing it. Research and writing on the topic becomes linked to their own background knowledge and each student can relate to the topic more completely and with equal opportunity.

Andrea, from the Farnsworth Art Museum, knows how to question and encourage deeper thinking in students when talking about pieces of art. She's modeled this process over the years with my students, thus giving me the opportunity to “pick up” on it and use in my own teaching. Critical and deeper thinking skills are skills that all may benefit from these days.

Coral Coombs, Lincolnville Central School, Grade 4 Teacher (Lincolnville EA)

Children need to have a reason to learn to read and do mathematics. To engage with material from another time or learn about how photos of Pluto were taken and transmitted lifts them into their own futures. I think schools should be places where students glimpse what is ahead for them, and where they can get excited about this incredible world in which we all live.

This is the function of studying the arts and humanities.

My students are very excited to be photographers through this arts-integrated project. They won't consider missing a field experience if they will have the cameras. Along the way vocabulary, for example: vantage point, simplicity/complexity, color/contrast, shade, shadow, brightness, close up, detail, foreground, background, shapes, and size help with writing assignments because students not only have words to describe and compare what they want to say, but they have learned to point with their words while studying a work of art.

As a teacher, I find myself encouraging “deep noticing” as a means of allowing students to think about a passage in reading, a difficult phrase to decipher in a math problem, or as a way of comparing objects or photos in science or social studies.

Gail Boukary, South School, Grade 4 Teacher (Seacoast EA) December 2015 • www.maineea.org

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Advocacy

From the high school auditorium in Hermon, Maine’s highest court came to order with three cases on the docket. The first case involved a defendant who claimed the wire-tap that caught him selling drugs was constitutionally illegal, the latter two were DUI cases. The three cases kept more than 300 high school students engaged.

LAW &

ORDER

“This is Maine and what’s happening today in this court is real life— it’s connecting to everyone in our town and in our community. It’s inspiring to see lawyers up there because that’s what I want to do,” said student Julia Gagne.

Despite the typical high school stage, curtains and auditorium seating, everything about the Supreme Court was true to form— down to the security detail guarding the Justices. The attorneys for each side presented their arguments and the Justices responded with rapid fire questions, all while the students listened closely. The major difference in the courtroom drama came when the arguments ended and the justices left the room. During the break, in between each of the three cases heard, students asked questions of the attorneys both about the arguments made and the cases themselves. Hermon High School Social Studies teacher Jesse Hargrove (Hermon TA) arranged for the Court to come to his school as a way to provide his students with a unique opportunity to learn about the Judicial Process.

“Cases presented at this level have much broader implications related to constitutional rights and procedural safeguards. Students get to see formal debate and questioning that is adversarial but not mean. The lawyers who are representing different sides are collegial and friendly with each other after the hearing,” said Hargrove.

“Students gets to see formal debate and questioning.” - Jesse Hargrove (Hermon TA) pictured (far right) with Chief Justice Leigh Saufley, Brian Walsh (Hermon HS Principal), and Micah Grant (Hermon HS Asst. Principal).

Prior to the Courts arrival in Hermon students received copies of the parties’ legal briefs in advance of the oral arguments so they could make their own cases in the classroom and then ask relevant questions of the attorneys at the end of the day, furthering the reality of the case for each student.

“So many students today have very little contact with civics education and a lot of what they learned and what they think they learned is from TV and the movies and does not actually portray appellate work. What we do is very different from trial courts and the issues presented to us are questions of law,” said Chief Justice Leigh Saufley.

The visit to Hermon High School was the first of three for the year for the Supreme Court. Since 2005, the Supreme Court has visited 29 Maine high schools and heard more than 85 appellate cases in front of Maine high school students and faculty. This year the Court also visited Mt. Blue High School in Farmington and Scarborough High School. Back in Hermon, students are eagerly awaiting the decisions on each of the three cases presented.

“I feel a civic duty now,” said student Julia Gagne.

And that was the point.

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Maine Educator • December 2015

A different kind of duck...

From film critics to forest rangers, some Maine educators lived entirely different lives before they stood in front of students all day.

Those experiences helped shape who they are as educators today and influenced their perspective and teaching style. Turn the page to read their stories.

December www.maineea.org December 2015 2015 •• www.maineea.org

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ing U r i L e s s EA le Watervil

When you ask Uri Lessing about his former life as a movie critic he is happy to share a story about meeting and interviewing Matthew McConaughey (first photo above).

“He was extremely charismatic, dynamic, charming and really friendly. He shared his interest in music, and he and I talked about an African guitar player we both liked. I was frustrated by the fact that we were the same age and he was in better shape!” said Lessing.

Long before his role as a 5th grade teacher at Hall School in Waterville, a younger Lessing interviewed McConaughey when the movie Sahara hit the big screen in 2005. Lessing met McConaughey in a trailer park in Platte County, Missouri. At the time the “A” list celebrity was travelling across the country to meet with critics to discuss his film. Being part of the Hollywood scene was a lifestyle Lessing loved.

“When you’re doing interviews it's exciting and fun—you step into a role and you step into a very specific job. Your job is to get as much information; it never got old interviewing film makers and performers,” said Lessing.

Lessing later found himself as a movie critic both in print and on the radio, taking to the mic as part of a panel of critics on a local show

Denise Simoneau Bangor EA 12

Maine Educator • December 2015

in Kansas City, where he lived at the time. During Lessing’s movie critic career he met many stand out actors, including Peter Falk.

“Peter Falk was an excellent interviewer; his thoughts would come out so succinctly,” recalls Lessing.

While Lessing’s students have likely never heard of Colombo, and don’t necessarily understand the cool factor around interviewing the man who made the phrase “alright, alright, alright” part of pop culture at the time, they do seem to really enjoy having a teacher who uses his love for film as an influence in their learning.

On this day, students watched the 1956 classic, The Red Balloon and identified key parts of the story, themes and characters.

“It certainly is not traditional but I’ve found when kids are emotionally invested in their learning it becomes a process that is exciting and meaningful. After watching The Red Balloon, they discovered advanced Common Core ideas such as symbolism and color,” said Lessing.

Lessing’s love of films and acting is more than apparent in his classroom where theater posters act almost like wallpaper border

Denise Simoneau is a long ways away from her past with dreams of becoming an interior designer—hoping to remodel Maine’s kitchens. While that dream never became reality, (there wasn’t a real need for kitchen makeovers in Washington County) Simoneau did land a job where a lot of people needed her services. “I ended up working for WIC (women, infant and children) teaching mothers the importance of good nutrition during their pregnancy, and for their children,” said the middle school math teacher in Bangor.

While working for WIC Simoneau questioned mothers and children about their diets, performed finger pricks to test for iron levels and then used that information to prioritize their nutritional needs. Simoneau was also responsible for issuing vouchers that clients would use to purchase nutritious food.

around his classroom.

Each poster hanging is from a show where Lessing played a role. After hanging up his critic’s pen and moving to Maine to teach in Waterville, Lessing focused his extra time on acting and performs at the Waterville Opera House and is the Board President of the Maine Film Center.

“I feel like teachers should have their passions, and they should let students know they're passionate about learning. It's a huge impact on kids,” said Lessing.

The positive impact of film in learning continues to motivate students so for Lessing— the show will always go on.

It was not until Simoneau transitioned into teaching that she would realize how vital her previous work would be in the lives of her students.

“Working with children as a WIC nutrition educator helped me understand that my impact on the lives of children and their families made a difference. Hunger is a reality for so many of the kids I teach today. Having the unique perspective from my job as a WIC counselor gives me a greater understanding of where each student is coming from and the kind of issues they’re facing before they even get into my classroom. That perspective is invaluable and impacts how I approach teaching and reaching each child in a way that will allow them to become better learners,” said Simoneau.

Ken Chutchian RSU 16 EA

At 41 years-old, Ken Chutchian found himself standing in front of a group of high school students teaching humanities. The four walls of his classroom at Poland Regional High School are a long ways away from the day he interviewed President George H.W. Bush.

The newspaper columnist turned teacher has 20 years-worth of stories to tell about his days as a general assignment reporter when he had bylines in papers all across New England, including the Boston Globe.

“The only time I really miss it is when I think about how much fun it would have been covering Governor LePage. I covered McKernan and Angus King—we used to go at it,” Chutchian reminisces.

Now in the classroom, Chutchian knows it’s clear to others he is a second career teacher.

His students, who call him “Chutch” not Mr. Chutchian enjoy a less formal learning environment with a man who admits, at his home, the words rubric and constructive response are banned.

“They all know that I’m different. I can’t hide that. I don’t walk like a duck, I don’t

quack like a duck—but I’m a good duck,” said Chutchian.

That too is clear—Chutch’s teaching is good. He is engaging and on this day his students eagerly participated in a discussion about the book All Quiet on the Western Front. While Chutch admits he still feels like an outsider, he seems okay with it and continues to bring the outside world into his classroom, using his experience and connections from his days as a newspaper reporter to enhance the education of his students. When studying the Vietnam War, Chutch brings in a guest speaker, a Vietnam

Jim Thornton Oxford Hills EA

Jim up in a tree picking pinecones in the 1970’s

While Jim Thornton doesn’t literally swing from trees anymore, his love for the woods weaves its way into his 5th grade classroom often. To understand Thornton’s approach to teaching you need to first know where he’s been.

Thornton grew up on Long Island—NY not Maine. He attended New York State Ranger School and became a forest technician doing what’s called timber cruising, which is measuring trees to see when they were suitable

to harvest. Thornton was also a tree-planting inspector.

“I would have to dig a hole to check and see if the planter put the roots straight...if the roots weren’t straight the tree wasn’t going to grow. I did a lot of surveying as well,” said Thornton. While this now elementary school teacher loved the forest service, he says he got the education bug and headed back to school, becoming a non-traditional older college student. To this day, he hasn’t looked back.

veteran, he met at the State House during his reporting days.

“I value giving them opportunities to learn from people not named Ken Chutchian.”

Chutch also turns his students into reporters of sorts when he teaches civics lessons, requiring them to conduct interviews on issues like taxes as he hopes to shape them into citizens who understand their civic responsibilities, which he admits is an easy task for him because of his background.

“It’s tremendously helpful. I’m very conversant in current events. I love a historical event, I love talking about history and bringing classroom content into the real world. This is a good way to spend my time with young people...I enjoy their company,” said Chutch

“I certainly miss being able to be outdoors when it's nice but on the snowy days I know I made the right career move! I’m teaching STEM now and I do have so many connections I can make with students about the world of work from my past experiences,” said Thornton.

Thornton goes beyond the stories from his former job to engage students, he brings them to the woods to learn. Thornton’s Harrison Elementary class will head to Bryant Pond for a four day, three night camping trip, learning everything from hunter safety to habitats and ecosystems. And, Thornton says there is so much more the trip will teach his students.

“Just the experience of camp for these kids will be impactful, for a lot of these kids it will be their only chance to do that. It's a fun week for me and I do think that it's very motivating, usually for the students who are not as motivated in class,” said Thornton.

It’s an outdoor adventure made possible by a teacher who continues to bring his love for forestry and science to his students, making learning fun in the best way he knows how.

“They get out there and they love it and they’re learning, which is neat to see,” said Thornton.

December 2015 • www.maineea.org

13

Tech T@lk Quizlet

Cost: Free - Available on Apple and Android

iHomework

Cost: $1.99 (iOS) and $2.99 (Mac) Available on Apple Only

Quizlet provides flashcards, tests, and study games that make learning fun for students of all ages. Created by a high school sophomore, the app boasts more than 60 million user-generated flashcard sets with more than 20 million registered users around the world. Study when you want, where you want with the touch of a finger.

Stay up-to-date on all your assignments with iHomework. With iCloud synching across iPhone, iPad and Mac, iHomework keeps you organized on the go. With an intuitive interface, the app provides users the ability to track assignments and utilize its scheduling feature to keep track of classes, meetings, labs, etc.

5

Apps to Help the Digitally Native Student

73% of American teenagers aged 13-17 have access to a smartphone, according to 2015 data by the Pew Research Center. With so many students online in the palm of their hands, consider sharing the following apps to help make their school work a little easier.

Google Translate

Cost: Free - Available on Apple and Android Google Translate offers two-way automatic speech translation in 40 languages. The app also includes an instant translation feature that allows users to take a picture of something and instantly translate it into another language.

Explain EverythingTM Interactive Whiteboard Cost: $3.99 (educator discount available) - Available on Apple and Android

This app allows you to create slides using an infinite canvas. You can use a laser pointer, draw in any color, add shapes, text, math equations, videos, images and even audio files. With Explain Everything you can both rotate text and pictures and record video including yourself using the front facing camera. Students can also import an existing presentation, draw and highlight over the top while verbally explaining their project.

To see the app in action, check out what Liza Moore (Coastal EA) created about the MEA Fall Conference, and what she learned.

14

Maine Educator • December 2015

EasyBib

Cost: Free - Available on Apple and Android Tired of producing proper MLA, APA and Chicago style citations?

Download EasyBib and have your bibliography done for you with the click of a button. All students have to do is scan a book’s barcode or enter its title, choose the style of citation and the app produces a proper citation which students can email to their own accounts.

News You Can Use

Write to

Excite

Write here, and write now.

When it comes to engaging students in writing to meet standards there are some fundamentals that have proven to work, and work well for South Portland High School English teacher Leah Siviski, who is also the Writing Group Coordinator for the Southern Maine Writing Project. The Southern Maine Writing Project is a group of diverse educators who are passionate about building knowledge and transforming classroom practices across the curriculum to improve writing and learning for all students. As a member of the Writing Project, the Maine Educator asked Siviski to share writing strategies and her ideas on how to better excite students in everything from pre-writing to editing.

How do you get your students excited about formal writing?

Can you talk about pre-writing strategies to help students gather their thoughts and be prepared to formulate a good essay.

Well, I don’t know if I can ever get students truly excited about writing a formal essay, but I can give them the tools to be prepared and confident. Helping them structure an essay with graphic organizers, giving them examples of well-written essays, having specific due dates for each part of the essay (intro, body paragraphs, conclusion), and coaching them on how to revise their work are all strategies that I have used to help students feel more confident with their academic writing.

Often, the most difficult part of an essay for students is the first sentence. Sometimes, I’ll provide a prompt to students for their daily journal entry that somehow touches upon the essay topic. They’re so used to writing everyday that they don’t flinch at having to do this.

Then, when we start the essay, I’ll say, “Go back to your journal. Look!

You already have the makings of an introduction. Type up what you have and work from there.”

With so many standards both students and educators are expected to meet, do you have any advice to keep writing fun while still meeting the standards?

Ask students to write every day, even just for 5-10 minutes. Have some silly prompts, like incorporating three random words into a story (already-chewed bubblegum, an angry mob, and a misplaced engagement ring). Do group writing tasks (like writing a story in which each student contributes a line). Play word games. I personally learned to love language and writing through playing word games like Scrabble, Boggle, Balderdash, Taboo. Taking 10 minutes out of class to show students how much fun word play is can make them view English class (and reading and writing) in a more positive light.

Do you have any editing tips for students and for teachers when they’re both working and grading?

Focus, focus, focus. Marking every tiny grammar error or structural inconsistency will be discouraging for the student and tedious for the teacher. With each writing assignment, focus on just a handful of grammar rules and structure or organization targets. That will make students’ self- or peer-editing and teachers’ grading feel much more manageable.

Anything else about writing you want to share that is both fun and fundamental?

Write with your students and share your writing with your students.

You may not be able to do this every day, but if you model what focused writing looks like, what a first draft looks like, etc., that will help students feel more comfortable completing, editing, and sharing their own writing.

December 2015 • www.maineea.org

15

Advocacy

Math and Movement...

on a bicycle built for one There is a quiet, but constant hum coming from the corner of Josh Lambert’s math class at China Middle School. It’s almost so quiet you can’t hear it—but if you look in the corner of the room you know exactly where it’s coming from.

Two students are continually pedaling away on stationary bike desks—moving and answering math problems at the same time.

“I had the idea before I knew bike desks existed.

We have 80-minute math classes—it's a long time for kids to sit and listen to adults; I wanted some way to get them to move,” said Lambert, RSU 18 EA. That’s when this energetic teacher approached his principal with the bike desk idea, wondering if they were a real thing in hopes of keeping his students motivated and engaged for the duration of his class. Shortly after, the simple discussion of “does something like a bike desk exist?”

Lambert said he had a catalogue in his hands with exactly what he was looking for.

“It's a pretty inexpensive solution—it was no epiphany, really. I just wanted some way for the kids to be active in the classroom,” said Lambert.

The extra activity appears to be working. “I’m energized when I’m on the bike. I have morning math classes and I'm very tired, but this keeps me awake and it makes me really focus on my work rather than slumping in a chair. When I'm on this I'm really ready to work,” said 8th grader Morgan Presby.

Since this is the first full school year with the bikes in the classroom, Lambert doesn’t have any hard data to show if the movement is improving test scores or overall math performance, but he can say with certainty the pedaling is making a difference in the overall concentration of his students.

16

Maine Educator • December 2015

“Individually on a day-to-day basis it helps, absolutely. It takes out that nervous energy, and that little bit of motion is all it's going to take,” said Lambert.

The school bought the cycle desks through a “Lets Go!” program grant from Inland Hospital in Waterville. Each desk, purchased from the company FitDesk cost $375.

Lambert says the inexpensive solution to keep kids motivated has turned out better than expected. Students have no problem taking turns on the bikes and even get excited at the idea of how far they’re pedaling while working.

“We got to travel all the way to Virginia,” said Morgan.

While physical fitness was never the main goal of the bike desk it has become a secondary benefit.

“One student on the track team biked 20 miles in class. Fitness wasn't the primary use of them but I'm never going to tell them stop pedaling,” said Lambert.

So on students pedal, moving and learning excited to tackle the - Josh Lambert (RSU 18 EA) next math problem on a bicycle desk.

“I like how I can focus on physical and mental activities and there is even a spot where you can put your pencil on the bike desk!” exclaimed student James Hardy.

“

It was no epiphany, really. I just wanted some way for the kids to be active in the classroom.

”

Advocacy

Research Shows:

Movement is Better for Learning For the last 400,000 years the human body has been either walking, sleeping, running, learning or doing something involving movement. People have not been sitting in chairs all that time and research shows too much sitting isn’t good for learning.

The pressure

on the spinal discs is 30% greater when sitting than when

standing—increased pressure creates

fatigue, which is bad for learning.

Source: Posture sitting, standing, chair design, and exercise. Zacharkow

15% increase in

grades by using movement in school Source: Mayo Clinic Research

A student

Movement develops neural connections.

It actually builds the brain.

burns up to

25%

more calories

when using a standing desk.

Source: Texas A&M School of Public Health

Source: The Effects of Movement Based Learning on Student Achievement in the Elementary School Classroom

by Carolyn Spielmann

“Students cannot sit still for very long before the blood and oxygen flow to their brains significantly slows down, thereby slowing down the learning process. Bringing dance into

your classroom will not only increase learning, but will make your classroom a healthier, happier place to learn and teach.” - Ann Green Gilbert, Teaching the Three Rs through Movement and Creative Dance for All Ages

December 2015 • www.maineea.org

17

cac y

o Adv

$

157 Million.

It’s the magic number…

STAND

UP

for Students

the estimate of how much more funding Maine schools will receive if a new ballot initiative called Stand Up for Students becomes a reality.

Outside of the comforts of her school, and in an unfamiliar setting, 18-year classroom teacher Caitlin LeClair stood behind a podium and spoke to the media from her heart during a press conference to launch the Stand Up for Students campaign.

“Our schools have done a remarkable job with limited resources, but we as a state must do more to ensure every child has the opportunity to receive an education that sets them up for success in the future. It's time for the State to support its promise to our schools so that every child can get a great education at a great public school in Maine,” said LeClair, who teaches at King Middle School in Portland. The Teaching Strategist joined other educators, students, some who she’d taught years ago, and parents to announce their support for the Stand Up for Students ballot initiative.

“If we are serious about every child’s future, and the economic future of the state of Maine then we need to be serious about doing what works. We need to provide proper resources to our schools,” said Portland EA member LeClair whose sentiments were echoed by several other speakers at the press conference.

LeClair always stands up for her students, but LeClair hopes this time the advocacy has greater reach.

18

Maine Educator • December 2015

So what is Stand Up for Students?

Stand Up for Students is a ballot initiative campaign to increase funding for public schools by $157 million in the first year with additional increases every year thereafter. MEA, along with a coalition of parents and other organizations came together to launch the campaign with the goal of giving all students opportunities and resources to learn. The ballot initiative creates a surcharge on the richest two percent of households in the state with the monies generated from that going directly to K-12 student services.

In order to make the increased funding a reality, the MEA and Stand Up for Students must collect 80,000 signatures to put the funding question on the ballot.

The Stand Up for Students ballot initiative: • Generates $157 million more dollars for public schools statewide, according to the Secretary of State by • Creating a 3% surcharge on household income earned over $200,000-i.e. $30 on $1,000 earned over $200K • Requires funding from the surcharge be used for direct classroom instruction, including teachers, school nurses and other critical public school personnel • Provides property tax relief because the state will be increasing its share of education costs

Why Now? In 2004, through a separate ballot initiative, voters required the State to fund 55% of the cost of the total allocation for kindergarten to grade 12 education.

To this day, that funding requirement has never been met. Instead, according to figures from the Department of Education, for the last six years funding for public schools has not kept up with the costs of running those schools. In 2015-16, the state is only paying 47.5% of the total cost of education.

The cost of education increased by 2.6% in the current school year, according to the Maine Department of Education; funding did not keep up with that increase. Also in the current school year, the State fell $154 million short of reaching the 55% funding level.

The lack of funding at 55% equates to a cumulative loss in state funding for public schools of $1.2 billion since 2008.

The MEA is determined to create great public schools for every Maine student and this initiative will go a long way in achieving that mission. To learn more and sign up to volunteer, log on to www.standupforstudentsmaine.org

Advocacy

The Problem

K-12 Funding 2008

$

154

Million short of 55% funding 2015

The Solution

2.6% increase in COSTS for schools in 2015

Total: $ 1.2 Billion

less funding for K-12 since 2008

STAND

UP

for Students surcharge

impacts

2% of Maine households

an

dg

en

era

$157 million more

tes

lic ng b u i in p fund ol o sch

Helping

180,000

Maine Students each ďŹ gure represents 2,000 students

December 2015 • www.maineea.org

19

Advocacy

Fast Facts

Interesting facts and quotes about Association membership and public education in Maine and beyond.

Have an idea or stat you want shared? Send it along with your name and local to gbechard@maineea.org

“Voters have been waiting since 2003 for leadership in Maine to fulfill the result of the referendum requiring the state to fund 55 percent of K-12 public education. More than 72 percent of voters wanted the state to reach that funding level. We didn’t get immediate or incremental relief. Instead, local budgets have faced increasing education costs, leading to cuts in programs and increased property tax burdens. Tired of waiting, a

group of citizens and businesses have come together with a solution…Hat’s off to Stand Up for Students…I wish the group great success.” - Patricia Callahan, Bangor Daily News article: “State government has had 13 years to fund Maine schools at the level set in law. Enough.”

39

th

More Influence

For the first time in more than six years, more Americans would like to see labor unions have a greater influence in the country rather than less (37% more / 35% less / 24% same), according to a recent Gallup poll.

66%

of Americans ages 18-34 approve of labor unions, the highest percentage of all age brackets according to a recent Gallup Poll.

Maine’s overall rank for Best and Worst States for Teachers according to a national survey by WalletHub. The survey data included average salary, student-to-teacher ratio, commute to work, public school spending, and safety.

In the same WalletHub survey, Maine ranked 48th in average teacher salary.

Source: WalletHub

1 in 5

Amount of new public school teachers who leave their positions before the end of the first year and nearly ½ don’t last more than five, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

20

Maine Educator • December 2015

“The Stand Up for Students referendum invests in our children, provides additional funding for our schools and reduces the burden on property taxpayers. It’s a winwin-win.” - Ginny Mott, Lakeville teacher and the president of the Maine PTA wrote in a special to the Bangor Daily News

I am

MEA members danced the night away during the Fall Conference Halloween Party at the Samoset Resort, even the Ninja Turtles showed up.

Want to see more Fall Conferece photos? Log on to the Maine Educator Online.

Retired educator Donna Dachs (MEA-R) collected signatures on Election Day for the Stand Up for Students ballot initiative that would increase Maine’s public education funding by $157 million. Read more on page 18.

Maranacook Area Schools Association awarded $500 each in scholarships to three seniors who have all faced some challenges but went on to continue their education. The cash awards represented the largest amount in scholarships given to students from the association. Pictured from left to right: Robyn Graziano, Kodey Solmitz, Will Sneed, Jill Watson, Charlie Weinstein.

Congratulations to SAD 75 Bus Driver, Don Sanders (Merrymeeting ESP Assocation), for winning the Maine Children's Alliance "Out of the Box" Award for his program that pairs students on the bus in reading activities. His award was presented at the annual Giraffe Awards to celebrate people and groups that stick their necks out for children.

Mary Dunn (Waterville EA) participates in a public service announcement for the ongoing MEA and WABI-TV campaign to end student hunger. The commercial is airing now and spotlights the issue of hunger and how it impacts learning.

Bangor EA member Sarra Kane is also featured in the MEA and WABI-TV End Student Hunger public service announcements.

December 2015 • www.maineea.org

21

Congratulations to Patty Scully (Winslow EA), the 2016 California Casualty Awards for Teaching Excellence awardee. Scully recently received recognition at her school, Winslow Elementary, where she teaches 2nd grade. As part of her prize she will participate in a Global Learning Fellowship and study in Peru during an extensive, year-long professional development opportunity. The fellowship is intended to cultivate global competence skills for educators to use to improve their practice and to prepare their students to thrive in a rapidly changing world. Scully is one of only 42 educators nationwide to receive the prestigious award.

Shana Goodall, (Riverside EA) is the first ever ACHIEVE award winner. ACHIEVE is the Association of Computer Technology Educators of Maine’s award to recognize leadership and application of technology in education. Shana teaches Social Studies at Orono High School and works tirelessly to know each of her students on a personal level, learning their needs and struggles, strengths and passions. Upon receiving the award, Jim Chasse, OHS Principal, called Shana a Swiss Army knife of technology.

Kim Khoury Kelley (Brewer EA) saved a choking child during a festival in Bangor after conducting a mouth sweep when she felt something blocking the girl’s airway. Kim quickly reacted and asked another woman to give the child some back blows; the piece of apple stuck in the girl’s throat moved and the child began to breathe again. The Bangor Police Department awarded Kim with its Challenge coin for her quick work in saving the child. Lt. Bob "Frank Drebin" Bishop is seen here with Khoury-Kelley and she accepts the coin.

22

Maine Educator • December 2015

Advocacy

Bargaining Notebook

Auburn Food Service workers achieved major gains in a new contract including health insurance coverage for all full-time food service workers and 85% coverage for those who work 30 hours a week or more.

Food service workers also negotiated a pay increase of 4% increase in wages for ’15-’16 and a 2% increase in wages in ’16-’17.

The new contract also reduced the probationary period reduced from 12 to 9 months and requires employees receive two days paid professional development.

Planning Time Assistants (PTAs) in Falmouth have been reclassified as Ed Tech IIIs after the Falmouth EA, with the help of their UniServ Director, Becky Fernald, worked with the Superintendent to update their pay with their role in the classroom. Twenty years ago, when the district created the job of a planning time assistant employees were tasked with simply overseeing a class while a teacher was absent to attend a meeting or do some other professional task. Today, PTAs are expected to function as Ed Techs, but they are still paid much less, and have no benefits. A member brought the unfair pay scale to the Falmouth EA President Michael Casey and FEA Vice President Julie Blodgett who together worked on behalf of their members to enact change. With the reclassification, the PTAs, now Ed Tech III employees, will receive a raise of $5-6/hr (depending on the current pay of each PTA). The FEA is still working to push to extend the days each former PTA works to expand their role to the full 185 days, instead of the current 150 days assigned. In discussions with the FEA, Falmouth’s Superintendent Geoff Bruno stated the change in classification was simply “the right thing to do.”

New MEA local unions form Ed Techs I, II and III formed a new union in Washburn, and will now be part of the new Washburn Education Association. Previously the ed techs, who were mostly in the day treatment program, were not at all represented by the MEA but decided to form a union after receiving treatment in the district that was both unfair and unprofessional. Ed techs were being asked to perform duties they were neither trained nor qualified to do, which impacted student learning in a negative way. For example, ed tech I employees, some with only a high school diploma, were teaching classes and others were asked to sign off on IEPs when they had no knowledge of the students and his/her plan. After one year of work, MEA UniServ Director Louella Willey, along with Local President Phyllis Hunter, helped organize the group to form a new unit approved by the Maine Labor Relations Board. The new members, more than 25 in all, are just beginning to negotiate their first contract which should help ease some of the unfair treatment in the workplace. If you have a group of employees in your district looking to form a union, contact your local MEA office.

In RSU 73, another new unit is also now being represented by the MEA. The new group, called RSU 73 Managers/Directors, turned to MEA after having some difficulties during negotiations under their prior representation under the Maine Labor Relations Board (MRLB). With the help of UniServ Director Nicole Argraves, the group worked to gain recognition from the MLRB to have the MEA as the new bargaining agent.

The new unit includes the following classifications: Adult Education Director, Business Manager, Technology Director and Transportation Director. The group will head into negotiations soon.

The MEA members who work at Maine Public Broadcasting successfully negotiated a new three-year contract. The contact includes wage increases in each of the three years. A major win for employees at MPBN came in accrual of paid time off. Prior to the new contract, hourly and salaried employees were treated differently, with salaried employees receiving a greater amount of time off. After the new contract settled, both hourly and salaried employees will receive the same amount of paid time off, based on years of service.

December 2015 • www.maineea.org

23

PE

so ciation

Your As

S

C RSPE TIVE

Should high school start later?

YES

NO

From seeking out the best and most effective teaching practices to arranging our classrooms to make them pleasant and comfortable, every choice we make as educators is designed with the success of our students in mind. And yet, as we debate the merits of various approaches, we neglect one of the most basic questions: could it be not what or how we are teaching, but when we are teaching that is missing the mark?

One of the simplest tweaks we could make to our secondary education system could have a significant impact on our students’ success.

Push back school start times by an hour or two, and sync our teaching to when our students are most receptive to learning.

In September 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a policy statement (“School Start Times for Adolescents,” Pediatrics) which recommended shifting school start times to 8:30 a.m. or later for middle and high school students. They based this recommendation on research that showed a two-hour shift in natural sleep cycles as students move from childhood into adolescence, resulting in optimum sleep not occurring until after 11:00 p.m. Getting the recommended 8.5 – 9.5 hours of sleep per night becomes a mathematical impossibility, one with cumulative negative effects as each school week wears on.

When I read this article with my students, we discuss the pros and cons of such a change.

Most admit that they feel sleepy and unfocused in their first class or two and sharper by late morning. Although they are tantalized by the thought of sleeping in on school mornings, many of them express concern over what such a shift would do to after-school programs like athletics or drama, or if they would be unable to get a part-time job. However, I have my eye on larger goals for them, like how they will fare on their college entrance exams or in today’s competitive job market. I want to give them every advantage to maximize their potential, and one of the most basic advantages we can provide is teaching them when they are most able to learn.

I feel as though as educators we often like to jump on the latest bandwagon trends, often changing for change's sake only. So true is the latest fad to start school later in the day.

School should continue to start early (keep the status quo) as it has been traditionally. My not-so-science based observations—but rather observations culled in the classroom—tell me that my earlier morning classes (periods one or two) are consistently more focused and engaged. As a nation, we have gone to the moon, won world wars, invented Google, and performed heart transplants—all while school has started around 7:30 AM. There simply is no need or pressing exigence. Changing the time of the start of school means changing our culture as a whole—are we ready for these unintended consequences? The ideas of sports, work, extracurricular activities, and family time would have to be turned on their sides and reevaluated: Sports practices would be later, dinners would be interfered with, family time would be curtailed, and businesses/ teenaged students wouldn't have the symbiotic relationship that exists with working as many hours in afternoons or evenings. And, if you are saying to yourself “well, school IS their job” then I say to you this: Do you get to choose the start and end time of your job? Or, rather, is the idea of a ‘job’ inherently to be meant that, although it might be inconvenient, it is still what you have to do? There's something to be said for character building here. If we want to see improvement in grades, focus, and engagement, we should focus on problems involving overly large class size and minimal resources and funding. And, in the meantime, students can turn off their Playstation and go to bed earlier.

Jenn McCowan Winslow EA

24

Maine Educator • December 2015

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend an 8:30 a.m. or later start time for middle and high school students.

Here in Maine, schools start at 7:30 a.m. or earlier, which begs the question: “should school start later for high school students?”

Jared Goldsmith Winslow EA

Your Association

Turn & Talk Meet the 2016 Maine Teacher of the Year

In her own words...

On being the 2016 Teacher of the Year, goals and hopes for the future I had to keep reminding myself that it was actually true that they had selected me to represent teachers and students in Maine. I was very emotional, just incredibly grateful to everybody who has supported me throughout my teacher career. I'm really excited to have this honor and I hope that I can represent teachers and children well and that I can be a really clear voice.

On teacher leadership In terms of teacher leadership, I would like to bring a focus on models of teaching and learning that do work. There is so much focus in the media on what's not working and I would like to bring to the forefront what is working. I also would like to tap into each school—there are so many leaders and experts in contents and certain teaching skills. I think there are a lot of unsung heroes and I would like them to build their capacity for sharing their expertise.

I would like to incorporate more inter-class visits, maybe using technology to build a stronger network of teachers in a county or a region.

On addressing all student needs Every single teacher of the year has had an experience about buying a backpack for a kid, buying clothes for a kid. Addressing what poverty looks like for kids should be part of every conversation in terms of policy and education for kids—it's something you can't ignore. I want to hear more from other teachers across the state and certainly I want to make sure I am representing kids and different schools, and I hope to connect with teachers and see what their schools are like.

Why do you think you were selected?

I really think what came through was the strength of the relationships I have with students and my colleagues. I think those relationships have carried over to my students. (At this meeting, she had just finished mailing a former student, and current babysitter of her two children, Rice Krispy treats)

One of the first things you’ll notice about the 2016 Teacher of the Year’s 3rd grade classroom is it’s not overly quiet. In fact, the students in here talk—a lot.

“My assistant principal told me I was talking too much—I was giving them too many ideas. That was a real learning experience,” said Tayla Edlund who is still settling in to the reality she’s been named the state’s top teacher. After the feedback several years ago, Edlund, at Cove Elementary School in Cape Elizabeth, now uses a new way to engage her students in reading lessons. The process involves clipboards, postit notes, a flip chart and a whole lot of discussion.

“I want all the kids to bring their thoughts to the table. I want to build these great conversations because these conversations allow them to have thoughts about reading,” said Edlund.

The structure of the reading conversations are brilliant in their simplicity. Edlund reads a passage from a book; students sit on the rug with clipboards placed gently in their laps—stuck on the clipboard are a few post-it notes. After finishing a passage in the book, Edlund asks a question about the story and asks students to write their ideas down on their post-it—then it’s time to share their thoughts with the person next to them. The “turn and talk,” as Edlund calls it, creates a buzz in the room about reading and gives every student a chance to share their ideas.

“There are kids who will always chime in during class discussion and there are kids who won’t. The “turn and talk” opportunity gives them all a chance to listen to each other,” said Edlund. Edlund is taking the discussion one step further and is working with a technology coordinator to build in a way for students to share their thoughts electronically through an app with real-time discussion features.

“I use technology as much as possible. I am really focused on building a 21stcentury classroom where kids can collaborate as often as possible, where kids can create and kids learn to take risks and work with what they have,” said Edlund.

While students share ideas with each other, Edlund is quick to get down to their level kneeling next to the sitting children on the floor to listen to each student and ask more questions which fosters even more discussions.

The ideas generated from the smaller discussions are then shared with the whole class, for those who choose to speak up. Edlund uses her own postit notes to write the students thoughts down and sticks them to a flip chart where she always gets back to the original question—how do parts of the story travel across the book?

“What I'm hoping the kids learn to do as readers—I want them to come up with their own reactions and ideas about the text. I also want them to have great ideas about what they're reading,” said Edlund.

Based on all the chatter, it’s pretty clear her students are making good on that goal.

December 2015 • www.maineea.org

25

Your Association

What I learned at

Should Would Could DID

From learning how to use Improv in education to understanding proficiency based education and finding a voice in your work, hundreds of members attended the 2015 MEA Fall Conference with some lessons learned. Here’s just some of what MEA members took away—in addition to a good time at the Halloween Party.

Sadie Beaudin (SEAM) “Networking with different people, meeting new teachers, and going to the sessions, even though I'm not a teacher yet, gives me a sense of what's to come. These experiences at the conference are something other people don’t get if they’re not members. This weekend has been great.”

Mary Giroux (Merrymeeting Employees Association) “This is my first year coming to an MEA conference and I’m leaving really hopeful. I learned more about how to better communicate with members and my goal is to take what I learn here and help us get more members. It’s also great to meet members of the union.”

Nate Petersen (Hermon TA) “Networking is huge for me because I’m new to teaching and I want to be involved, and I felt like if I’m going to benefit from the union I should contribute to it as well.”

All A-Twitter

Fall Conference attendees share their experience through tweets.

@DougHodum The message is as important as the messenger when talking to potential members.

@MsRedmanEnglish (Becca Redman) Amazing 40 Under 40 conversation w/preservice Ts {teachers}

@MsGoodall_Riots (Shana Goodall) Powerful statements!

@guerrette (Melisa Guerrette) Energized by the convos @hgoodcoach & I had w ME teachers at #meafallconf abt #NBCT yesterday. Excited for their growth journeys w @ NBPTS! {National Board Certification}

@bluedevilmathie (Samantha Garnett Sias) Pam Lombardi (York ESP) “The most important thing was for me to have a voice, and to have a say in how this union is run; I feel I learn the skills on how to do that at these conferences.”

26

Maine Educator • December 2015

Lynn Osgood (York ESP) “I’ve come to learn and make connections.

I’ve been to a couple of the trainings so I’m recognizing faces so I find that comforting and supporting. Coming to the conference sets an example; I have a responsibility to learn how to have a better local and I take that information back to the members.”

Building trust ...and a green m&m machine?!?!

New Assessment Announced The Maine Department of Education chose a New Hampshire company to design the new computerized statewide assessment to replace Smarter Balanced, which the State eliminated after pressure from MEA, its members and students around the state. The Maine DOE chose Measured Progress Inc. from among five applicants.

Measured Progress Inc. developed the original Maine Educational Assessment years ago but has since seen problems with its testing in other states. According to media reports, Nevada reached a $1.3 million settlement with the firm after only 30% of students were actually able to take the test because of log-in problems and crashes.

North Dakota is also seeking compensation for problems it experienced with test administration, including log-in problems. In some states, including Nevada and North Dakota, Measured Progress Inc. has been connected to Smarter Balanced with Measured Progress acting as a contractor where Measured Progress is used to administer a Smarter Balanced test. A spokesperson for the Maine DOE said that, to her knowledge, Smarter Balanced would not be involved with Measured Progress in Maine. Like the SBAC, Measured Progress tests will be administered on a computer and aligned to the Common Core standards for Math and English Language Arts.

This could be your student’s ar twork!

All art teachers ar e encouraged to share this opportu with students. Ar t submissions sh nity ould display the theme “What I Lo ve About Maine. ” Subm be 8.5" x 11" in dim ension to fit the co issions must photographed fo ver or able to be r the cover and m ay be any form of including electron art, ic. Please advise students the title the magazine wi ll also appear ac of ro ss magazine toward the top (approxim the cover of the ately 2.5" in heigh as it appears on each issue. Thre e finalists from ea t), the following cate ch of gories will be selec and electronic ar ted: K-4, 5-8, 9-12 t. One winner wi ll be above categories with his or her ar chosen from the tw magazine cover.

Submit artwork to ork featured on the Giovanna Bechar via mail at 35 Co mm d email at gbechard unity Drive, Augusta, ME 04330 or @maineea.org.

Submission Dea

dline: March 4,

2016

Your 411

The MEA is actively trying to obtain all personal email addresses from its members to ensure you’re receiving all of the benefits of membership you deserve. Please contact your local MEA office to update your email address and any other personal contact information, including phone number and address. Don’t miss out on a member benefit, contact your MEA office today!

• South Portland- 774-6133 • Auburn- 784-4006 • Augusta- 622-5866 • Bangor- 942-2907 • Caribou- 498-3191

ure se D/i7aFRlEEANuN rse Lin 24

has never professional al ic ed m a ith Connecting w . er si ea been surance and health in ip h rs be em e, for free, With your m n call a nurs ca u yo T AB E sure whether through M If you’re not e. im yt call our an e, anywher t it, you can ge to e er h w or You’ll be you need care ll line at 800.607.3262. ca e e here in 24-hour nurs gistered nurs re l u pf el h a week. There connected to seven days a y, da a rs ou Maine, 24 h for the call. is no charge

Travel Opportunity

Travel the world, earn professional development credit, and bring global understanding into your school!

Global Exploration for Educators Organization (GEEO) offers travel programs for educators to places all over the world from Morocco to Spain to the Galapagos Islands and points in between. GEEO’s trips are 7 to 21 days in length and are designed and discounted to be interesting and affordable for educators. GEEO trips also provide teachers educational materials and the structure to help them bring their experiences into the classroom. The registration deadline is June 1st; space is limited.

FMI on cost and itineraries: www.geeo.org.

December March 2015 • www.maineea.org

27

Calendar Every

Monday Maine-based Twitter PD

Check out a growing network of educators on Twitter every Monday sharing best practices and professional ideas. It’s free professional development at your fingertips—search #EdChatME at 8:30pm every Monday to connect with Maine K-12 educators across the state.

Mondays @ 8:30pm

#EdChatME

Dec.

18

MEA Grants

MEA’s Committees provide funding for local associations to design and implement professional and leadership programs in schools and communities.

The grants offered are: • Leroy Lambert Political Action Grant • Members are Leaders Grant • Human, Civil Rights, and Cultural Affairs Grant To apply or for more information go to: www.maineea.org/grants

Jan.

15

California Casualty Athletic Grants

Awards must be used to help subsidize school sports programs in ways such as purchasing new equipment or paying for competition travel costs. The grant cannot be used for individual student awards.

To apply or for more information go to: www.maineea.org/grants

Jan.

30

MEA Bargaining Training

Mark your calendars for two upcoming MEA Bargaining Trainings with sessions to include: • Bargaining 101 (Beginners) • Bargaining Simulation • Wage Scale Analysis • Impact Bargaining/Ed Policy/ Permissive Subjects/ACA/ Excise Tax Training in Southern Maine: January 30th Training in Bangor: February 6th

Please check your email for the official invitation to training.

Get Connected Today!

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Mobile Banking Remote Check Deposit Home Banking Bill Pay 10 Second Online Loan Approval

Three Augusta Locations 15 University Drive · 60 South Chestnut Street · Cony High School/CATC Campus

www.connectedcreditunion.org · 1-800-464-3773

28

Federally2015 Insured by NCUA Maine Educator • December

National Board Candidate Support Members interested in receiving support during the application or re-application process to become a National Board Certified Teacher can attend for free.

Upcoming Training Dates: Augusta, 35 Community Drive: 1/23, 2/6 & 4/10 (Sunday) South Portland, 29 Christopher Toppi Dr.: 1/23 & 3/5 You must register to attend. FMI: Dir. Training and Professional Development, Dan Allen: dallen@maineea.org

Dried-Cherry an Sausage Stud Italian f fing Su

MEA Holiday Re c ip e s

See even more in

the Maine Educat

bmitted by M ike Thurston , Winslow EA

or Online

Holiday Recipe ups Toasted Pmhanythlla oGarC nett Sias,

Submitted by Sa Lewiston EA

e Phyllo Cups 2 Packages Pre-mad 1 Wedge of Brie Dried Cranberries Chopped Walnuts Honey (to drizzle) 5°F Preheat oven to 37 baking sheet. on Place phyllo cups yllo cups. bes and place in ph Cut Brie into 1” cu cups. berries & walnuts in Sprinkle dried cran .

Brie begins to melt Bake until warm & g platter. in and place on serv Remove from oven ney and enjoy!

Drizzle cups with ho

1/2 cup butter 6 celery stalks (1 stick) , 2 medium on finely diced 1 loaf French ions 1” cubes and bread, cut into 1 cup dried chtoasted (10 cups) 3/4 lb. Italian erries sa casings remov usage ed, cooked, &

Melt the butt er celery and on in a 12-inch skillet over m large bowl or ions and cook until translu edium heat. Add the cherries, sausapan, combine the celery ancent, 5 to 7 minutes. In a until will com ge, parsley, salt, and pepperd onions with the bread, b into the turkey ined. Using a large spoon . Add the broth and stie stuffing in a 3 just before roasting. Cov , loosely stuff the mixture minutes more.25° F oven for 1 hour, uncoer and bake any unused Serve warm. ver and bake for 15

French Strawberry Apple Pie Submitted by Lindsay Davis, UniServ Assistant 1 box Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts, soften as directed on box Filling 4 cups sliced, peeled cooking apples (4 medium) 2 cups fresh strawberries (or cranberries) 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

crumbled 3/4 cup fresh parsley, chop flat-leaf p 1 teaspoon ko ed 1 teaspoon fr sher salt black pepper eshly ground 2 14.5oz. can s chicken broth

1 teaspoon cornstarch 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg Topping 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon Dash nutmeg 1/4 cup butter or margarine 1/3 cup chopped pecans

1) Heat oven to 375°F. Place pie crust in 9-inch glass pie pan as directed on box for One-Crust Filled Pie. 2) In large bowl, gently mix apples and strawberries. In small bowl, mix remaining filling ingredients. Add dry ingredients to fruit; toss to coat. Pour into crust-lined pan. 3) In small bowl, mix all topping ingredients except butter and pecans. With pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in pecans. Sprinkle evenly over filling. 4) Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until apples are tender, and crust and topping are golden brown. After 15-20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil (or pie crust protector) to prevent excessive browning.

Whoopie Pies Submitted by Debbie Sylvester, UniServ Assistant Preheat oven to 350°F In a separate bowl - Sift together: • 2 3/4 cups of flour • 1/2 tsp. salt (optional) • 1 tsp. baking soda • 1 tsp. baking powder Set this aside In a large mixing bowl Cream together: • 1/2 cup shortening • 1 1/2 cups sugar Add and beat well: • 2 eggs • 1 tsp. vanilla In a separate bowl mix together: • •

1/2 cup cocoa 1/2 cup hot water

To make batter: Alternately add the flour mixture and the cocoa mixture. After you have added all of the cocoa mixture, add a little hot water

to the bowl to get all the cocoa mixture and to also moisten the batter a little.

Drop on a greased baking sheet. Bake about 8 - 10 minutes. Let cool on cooling racks.

While they are cooling, mix the following together: Filling: 1 cup confectioners’ sugar 1/2 cup margarine, softened 1/2 cup crisco 2 tsp. vanilla 4 tblsp. marshmallow fluff (I sometimes use a little less margarine and/or crisco and add more fluff.)

Combine and beat to blend.

Spread on whoopie pies after completely cooled. When done, yell “WHOOPIE!!.

This makes about 1½ dozen whoopie pies

Buche de Noel Submitted by Grace Leavitt, SAD 51 EA

5 eggs, separated 2/3 cup granulated sugar 3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder 2 Tbsp. flour Confectioners’ sugar Mocha Butter Cream (recipe below) 1 cup heavy cream 1 Tbsp. confectioners’ sugar 1 tsp. vanilla Slivered almonds or other nuts (if desired) 1. Grease a 15x10x1 inch jellyroll pan; line bottom with wax paper; grease paper again and lightly flour; tap off excess.

2. Beat egg yolks in large bowl with electric mixer at high speed until light and fluffy; gradually beat in granulated sugar and continue to beat until thick and pale in color. Beat in cocoa and flour at low speed.

3. Beat egg whites in small mixer bowl, until soft peaks form; fold into yolk mixture until no streaks of white remain. Spread batter evenly in pan.

4. Bake at 350o for 15 minutes or until top springs back when lightly pressed with fingertip. Remove from oven; cover with wax paper and cool thoroughly on wire rack.

5. Sprinkle an 18-in. long piece of wax paper with confectioners’ sugar. Loosen edges of cooled cake from pan and invert onto paper. Peel off paper. Trim edges. Spread thinly with Mocha Butter Cream.

6. Whip cream with 1 Tbsp. confectioners’ sugar and the vanilla in a small bowl until stiff. Spread evenly over cake on top of Mocha Butter Cream.

7. Roll lengthwise, using wax paper to aid rolling. Transfer to serving platter, seam-side down.

8. Frost roll with remaining Mocha Butter Cream. Frost ends of log; sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and with nuts (slivered almonds) if desired. Refrigerate.

Mocha Butter Cream Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 1 T. unsweetened cocoa powder 1 T. powdered instant coffee 1 t. water

Directions

Beat butter in a small bowl until fluffy; beat in sugar and cocoa. Dissolve coffee in water; beat into butter mixture.

It's Not Too Late to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes The American Diabetes Association estimates that 386,000 adults in Maine have pre-diabetes and cost the state $243 million each year in medical costs. Adults in Maine with pre-diabetes are at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes is when blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be considered diabetes. If left untreated, diabetes can lead to serious health problems like: Heart disease Stroke Blindness Kidney disease Amputation Death Healthy lifestyle changes related to eating and physical activity can decrease people's chances for developing type 2 diabetes.

Maine is a leader in diabetes prevention, offering the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) in many Maine communities. NDPP classes typically last for one hour a week for 16 weeks before moving to once a month meetings for six months. The program's aim is to help participants make real lifestyle changes like healthy eating, daily physical activity and improving problem-solving and coping skills to prevent type 2 diabetes. Many people who complete the program stay in touch

Help for Heart Failure Consumer Reports On Health January 2016 Physical activity may significantly reduce the risk of heart failure (defined as a heart that's too weak to pump enough blood to meet the body's demands). In a University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center analysis of 12 studies involving 370,460 people followed for roughly 13 years, 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week lowered heart failure risk by 10 percent. Twice that cut risk 19 percent. Having a heart attack also raises your risk for heart failure.

The All-Day Grazing Problem Consumer Reports On Health January 2016 Some people prefer grazing (eating small amounts spread out over the course of the day) to the traditional three larger meals. But confining nibbling to a smaller chunk of the day could aid weight loss. At California's Salk Institute, when 156 people snapped photos of everything they ate for three weeks, half grazed for 15 hours or more most days. But when eight overweight study subjects contained grazing to 10 to 11 hours per day, they lost an average of 7 pounds in 16 weeks.

Board of Trustees Susan Grondin, Chair Sally Plourde, Vice Chair Mary Kay Dyer, Secretary Robin Colby Larry Given Grace Leavitt Donna Longley Barbara Williams

with their group for support.

What can employers do to help?

Increase employees knowledge of type 2 diabetes prevention Research and consider distributing information about pre-diabetes, diabetes and NDPP Locate NDPP and Diabetes SelfManagement Training sites in your area Understand your organization's needs related to type 2 diabetes prevention Encourage employees to take the Pre-Diabetes Risk Test

Come Find Us on Facebook!

Like us on Facebook and stay current on programs and events. Join us and bring your insight to the conversation.

For more information: Rethink Diabetes National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP)

@theMEABT

$500 Quarterly Drawing!

Did you know that you have a chance to win one of three $500 gift cards each quarter through the Onlife Health wellness program? For every 50 points you earn, you'll gain one entry into the raffle.

Here are a few ways you can earn 50 points throughout each quarter: • Fill out your online Health Assessment and complete a Self-directed Course to earn 60 points.

• Read Coach-recommended Content, complete a Coaching Program Goal, and get your Annual Physical to earn 50 points.

• Complete a Preventive MD Visit, Track Your Progress at least three times each week, and complete a Milestone Assessment to earn 66 points.

For more information, call Linda Welch at MEABT, 207.622.4418 x2510 or Onlife at 877.806.9379, or visit www.onlifehealth.com.

Beginning January 1st, debit cards will be processed twice per month rather than just at the end of each month so you will get your rewards faster!

SMALL GROUP MARKET MEA Benefits Trust has been concerned about a provision in the Affordable Care Act that could have been interpreted to state that Associations that had subgroups under them with fewer than 50 Full Time

Equivalents would have to leave our group and go to the small group market for the purchase of their health insurance. Recently, however, we were informed by the State Bureau of Insurance that we qualify as one group. Accordingly, none of the small groups under us will be forced to leave our group and can continue to purchase insurance through the MEA Benefits Trust.

Please feel free to contact us should you have questions.

Christine Burke Executive Director MEA Benefits Trust

This email was sent by: The Maine Education Association Benefits Trust 35 Community Dr Augusta, ME 04330 Working with you to make your life healthier! www.meabt.org

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