YEP-MEA Inspire Winter 2020

inspire.

Young Education Professionals of the Maine Education Association

A special publication for early career educators.

WINNER, WINNER CHICKEN DINNER

MEA Membership Provides Unique Opportunities PLUS: UNION 101 - YOU’RE IN THE

LARGEST PROFESSIONAL UNION IN THE U.S.

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CONTENTS LINEUP 09

3 President’s letter 4 Editor’s Note 5 Get Involved YEP-MEA 6 Union 101 11

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8 Time Management Tips for Educators

9 Finding Your Voice 10 MEA Contests 11 Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

12 Discipline Tips From Drama Teachers

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14 7 Ways to Work-Life Balance 15 Early Career Conference

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Young Education Profes

Early CareerAssocia of the Maine Education

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Conference

YEP-MEA Inspire Winter 2020

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

Winter 2020

L

ong hours, low pay, stress, secondary trauma, parents telling their children not to become educators…yet despite all this, you and I know this is the best job with rewards that are more valuable than what can show in a paycheck.

Sure, you are likely to have times when the workload will get to you, when you won’t feel valued for the incredibly important work you do, but when you do experience that, stop and remember what drew you to this work in the first place and focus on the priceless moments when that very challenging student started to show progress or that former student came back and thanked you.

For those who are new to the profession, it can be too easy to lose sight of why you became an educator when confronted with the many challenges we face. Maybe a greater involvement in your association is also your path to making things better for you, for colleagues, and, most of all, for students.

Be sure to take care of yourself and your colleagues as you also care for our students. This is the best job, and together we will keep working to make it even better!

Like many of you, I was drawn to teaching early on, playing school with my four sisters. My dad was a teacher and it seemed logical I would be, too, some day. But I also saw how hard he worked at not only teaching, but additional jobs, to be able to provide what he wanted for his family, like making it possible for all five of us to go to college. So when a college advisor suggested I not go into teaching, that there were more lucrative ways to use my Spanish degree, I listened—at first.

Then I found myself at the front of a classroom. The college I attended had a ‘field term’—where they helped you get a job and you lived on your own for a term—a taste of the ‘real world’. My job was teaching English in Madrid—it wasn’t the teaching that attracted me, but staying on in Spain after my semester studying abroad I figured would be worth it.

From that very first class I was hooked! I loved the interaction with students, the creativity needed to help them understand, the challenge of making a lesson engaging, and, most of all, of course, the thrill you get when it all works!

So I worked to become certified, and while I loved teaching, if I were to be able to continue a career in education, I knew I had to do what I could to make things better for not only educators, but also for our students. And that is why I became involved in my Association.

Grace Leavitt MEA President gleavitt@maineea.org

Winter 2020 • www.maineea.org

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EDITOR’S NOTE

White hair and how it’s connected to advocating for your students

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remember the day I noticed my first white hair. It was a long time ago, but the moment had such an impact on me because I felt old. I wasn’t even 40. It seemed like I should still have the natural pigment in my hair?! I plucked the hair out and tried to move on. Later I realized you’re not supposed to pluck out white hair because it can grow back faster, or so they say. I’m not sure who the “they” are but I listened going forward and never plucked a white hair out again.

The sight of this wiry, white hair threw me into an “I’m so old” tailspin.

The change was unexpected, and I didn’t know how to adapt, until I got off the proverbial ledge. I realized that change can be good in so many ways—that I didn’t have to fear the next stages of my life.

Shortly after the white hair incident, I got a new job, here at MEA. The change here was beyond terrifying, if possible, even worse than the white hair. But six years later I haven’t been fired, yet.

How you choose to navigate new things in your life or your career is completely up to you. But I encourage you to embrace change and speak up if change is needed in your workplace. Your union is a megaphone mouthpiece that can give you the power to tackle a big goal. Often at MEA we hear members say they want to learn more about how to better advocate for their students outside of the classroom. The cause is noble, and the action can seem both unfamiliar and scary, because change is involved. You have to be willing to change your mindset from thinking “I can’t do anything about that” to “Yes, I can if I’m willing to speak up.”

As a member of the MEA you have power in your voice. If there is an issue you want to push forward, speak to someone in your union. This is the first step in bringing on change. Collective action is powerful, especially when your voice is part of something new and exciting.

Giovanna Bechard Editor editor@maineea.org

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YEP-MEA Inspire Winter 2020

Winter 2020 • www.maineea.org

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Union 101 You're in the largest professional union in the United States. Knowing what that means can make your job and your paycheck better. But only if you get involved.

By Cynthia Kopkowski Ever faked a knowing nod when a veteran teacher starts talking about being in a "right-to-work state," and you're not really sure what she's talking about? Does "collective bargaining" just make you think of your third-period class trying to get out of having homework? As a newer educator, it can seem easier to teach physics to first-graders than to learn about your own union, much less become an active and involved member of it. But you need to do all three—get in, get educated, and get active. Your commitment has to go beyond just paying dues. But remember, the payoff is big.

"Teachers sometimes feel alone and scared of what the principal will say if they speak up as a union member," says Samone Thomas, 36, a seventh-grade language arts teacher. "But that means you don't know you have all these thousands of people behind you working to make things better."

Having a basic understanding of your union, then building on it with personal involvement, are the first steps toward better working conditions, pay, and benefits.

MALLORY COOK, ENGLISH TEACHER HERMON HIGH SCHOOL “Some teachers fear how their administration will react if they speak up as a union member. But being a union member means you have a network of people there to support you, alleviating that fear.”

So, if you're ready to find out more about what you're getting for your investment (besides this magazine!), and how you can reap additional rewards through your involvement, here's a primer on what Association membership means. (First tip: Your membership means you belong to the local, state, and national Association.)

HELP ON THE JOB —If you want to become a better educator, you’re off to a good start. The Association offers its members advice, training, and other assistance to boost skills in the classroom, including teacher evaluation, mentoring, and tools to help prepare for certification tests. MEA even has a guidebook of resources to help you navigate everything from your evaluation to certification to working with parents. Check it all out at https://maineea.org/yep-mea/. And the NEA Foundation provides teachers with grants to get their projects off the ground (www.neafoundation.org).

A STRONG PROFESSIONAL NETWORK— There’s lots of formal assistance from the Association. But don’t forget that you’re also plugged into a network of people who have been there, done that. They know the kids, the administrators, and the parents, and they can help you do your best and avoid the minefields. You’re on their team and they’re on yours. If you don’t know who the Association members in your building are, call your local Association office and they’ll point you in the right direction. You can reach all MEA offices through our headquarters in Augusta. Just call at 622-4418.

PROTECTION—Experienced advocates called UniServ Directors advise or represent members in employment-related matters. If a principal unfairly accuses you of being ineffective, the UniServ director is the one to call on. Plus, if a legal issue arises, you’ve got at least $1 million in liability insurance as a member of the Association. Now, while you’re in your first few years of teaching you’re on probation and don’t have some of the protections you will get later on. But you do have rights, and the Association staff at your local office can tell you about them, while helping you avoid getting into a situation in which you would have to fight for your job.

WAGE AND BENEFITS WATCHDOGS—An experienced Association staff helps the people sitting down at the bargaining table to fight for your pay increases and benefits. They do research and plan public relations campaigns to make the public understand the importance of properly paying educators. There’s also training offered to help individual members sharpen their salary and benefits bargaining skills. Plus, there are top-notch lobbyists fighting for Association members’ rights in Congress, the state legislature, and the school board.

FIGHTING FOR FAIR FUNDING—Those lobbyists working with legislators on better education policy are also making impassioned arguments for improved school funding. They let legislators know about the needs, interests, and priorities of our members.

EXTRA BENEFITS, FUN PERKS—You can get insurance discounts, discounted travel and theater and movie tickets and more through NEA Member Benefits (www.neamb.com).

Understanding more about what your Association does can't be the end of your involvement though. A strong and healthy union relies on the participation of all of its members, which means becoming more aware of the issues that affect you and your colleagues and taking action.

As a union member, "I'm very involved in how I think the school should look," says Lawrence Garcia, 35, a middle school math teacher. But he can't do it alone. "If I'm going to make a change here, nobody downtown will listen to me if I'm by myself."

"Every organization is dependent on the new members coming in," says Amy Murphy, a 26-year-old teacher. She became a building rep during her second year as a teacher. "I was scared to pieces, but decided I wanted to be involved," says Murphy. "As I'm learning more and more it gets easier."

You can also go to school board meetings and use the public comment portion of the session to talk about issues affecting the classroom or teachers.

Through involvement—taking on issues that affect both the classroom and the contract—a community of educators grows stronger. "In your first year it feels like you're alone on the planet, but this Association gives you a community," Thomas says. "You can talk to and help each other."

The Support Chain

It can seem a little confusing at times. Am I a member of my local Association or the state one? And what's the national? Short answer: you belong to all three, and that means three times the aid and protection.

LOCAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

Your most immediate contact for getting professional support. This group comprises you and your colleagues from your immediate geographic region and deals with your district administration.

STATE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

In every state, there is a group that advances the cause of public education and works to improve the pay, benefits, and respect for member educators and support professionals. That's the state Association. They're the ones who lobby the state legislature about education funding and other issues that affect you.

NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

Like the state Association, the National Education Association works on improving working conditions and salaries for teachers and support professionals through advocacy and research. The focus at the national level is on federal legislators, the President, and national policy.

LAWRENCE GARCIA, 35, A MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH TEACHER "I'm very involved in how I think the school should look," But he knows he can't do it alone.

Photo: David Zalubowsky

the glossary association, union, guild, brotherhood

[as·so·ci·a·tion, un·ion, guild, broth·er·hood] All the same thing. It's a group that works collectively to improve working conditions and wages.

bagaining unit [bar·gain·ing u·nit] The group made up of employees that negotiates with employers on things like salary and benefits. building rep [build·ing rep] A staff member who serves as a liaison between the staff union members and the administration.

In a building with a strong union (that is, a lot of vocal and active members like you), they can typically address issues not covered by a contract to improve working conditions. collective bargaining [col·lect·ive

bar·gain·ing] The negotiation of a contract—including wages, benefits, and working conditions—between employers and employees. Some states, especially in the South, don't have collective bargaining.

(Even though there is still typically a grievance or due process system legally guaranteed.)

grievance [griev·ance] A dispute between a union member and management over a workplace situation or alleged contract violation that is handled through a procedure outlined in the contract or a state law or regulation. The grievance system facilitates your right to due process. organizing [or·gan·iz·ing]

Drawing on the power of members' unified strength (3.2 million and counting in the NEA!), this is the action by which members lobby for changes, seek improvements in their working conditions, or work for any other important step that members determine is a priority.

right-to-work state [right-to-work state] States where unions can't negotiate agreements that require all employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement to pay for the costs of union representation. Such agreements eliminate "free riders" who enjoy the benefits of an agreement without supporting or joining the union.

Uni-Serv director [Uni·Serv di·rec·tor] That’s the professional union staff member you can turn to when you have a professional problem.

TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS FOR EDUCATORS

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EVERY TEACHER ALWAYS ASKS FOR MORE TIME. THESE TIPS CAN BRING SANITY INTO TEACHERS’ LIVES FOR PLANNING, GRADING, COMMUNICATION, STUDENT BEHAVIOR, AND ORGANIZATION.

STEPS TO PLANNING

1. Create a planning routine and structure that works for you and your students.

Use a specific planning process, such as “Understanding by Design,” to ensure that your lessons are aligned to the standards and include only what is meaningful and purposeful. For additional information on Understanding by Design, visit ASCD’s UBD website: http://bit.ly/planningmea

•-----------------2. Create an organization system for keeping track of your lessons, where you’ve been, and where you’re going.

Websites and apps (e.g. Pinterest, Teacher Plan) also allow you to visually see lessons and map out your lesson plans.

•-----------------3. Pull out materials that you’ll need for the next day’s lessons before you go home for the day.

Or, organize the week’s materials in different totes so that all you need is to pull out what you need when you’re ready.

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As seen on nea.org

STEPS TO GRADING

1. Remember that not every activity is an assessment and in need of grading.

Some activities serve only as tools to help students learn or solidify concepts.

•--------------------------------•--------------------------------2. Use a variety of assessments in the classroom including those that don’t require paper and pencil, such as dialogue or online tools.

3. Quickly scan and check for understanding on formative work in the classroom.

Use a simple mark (check, smiley face, etc.) to show status of “grade” or progress.

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STEPS TO COMMUNICATION

1. Create a monthly calendar for parent communication.

On a blank calendar form, write the names of your students, placing one or two per day. Each month use the schedule to send a short note home, make a phone call, or email parents to keep them updated on how their student is doing in class.

•--------------------------------2. Resist the urge to check email throughout the day.

Instead, check 2-3 times per day (before school, during lunch/planning, and after school). During those checks, scan for critical issues.

•--------------------------------3. Work with your team to upload information on Google Docs so that necessary forms are in one place and are accessible to all.

BEHAVIOR

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Have proactive measures in place to diffuse difficult situations before they happen. Examples include: Have a two-way journal where a student can write when he/ she is most frustrated. Give that student a designated space/time to turn in the journal to you and notify the student when you will respond. For a blog post on tips for proactive measures, visit this post: http://bit.ly/behaviormea YEP-MEA Inspire Winter 2020

ORGANIZATION Designate areas in your room for specific items such as: completed student work, work for absent students, papers to be used each day, papers that need copied, items needing lamination, etc. For more ideas on classroom organization, visit this series. For additional help with organizing resources, visit this post: http://bit.ly/organizationmea

Finding Your VOICE

Teacher Doug Hodum uses his voice to support educators in his district and beyond.

“Most educators will say what they really want is to be in their classroom and left alone with their students; so being in the public spot light is very uncomfortable to us. But that is my responsibility for both my students and my profession.”

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o many times we say we want a voice. A voice in education policy. A voice in our work load. A voice at the bargaining table.

A voice in our evaluation. Our voice is powerful, if we use it correctly. But having a voice and being the voice are two distinctly different things. It’s a lesson Doug Hodum, a Science teacher from Mt. Blue High School learned as a teacher fellow with the Hope Street Group. Hodum was one of only twelve teachers chosen in the country to participate in the group that focuses on improving the nation’s educational system so future generations can compete in an increasingly competitive global economy.

Hodum (Mt. Blue RSU EA) spent several days learning how to shape his voice to create a greater impact on his school, his district and public education as a whole.

The lesson is something Hodum

admits was something most educators would view as a foreign concept.

“We epitomize public servantsthat’s how a lot of us view ourselves. When people say ‘this is wrong we shouldn’t be doing that,’ a lot of people have the concern that if I say something then I am grandstanding for my position. But, most educators will say what they really want is to be in their classroom and left alone with their students; so being in the public spot light is very uncomfortable to us. But that is my responsibility for both my students and my profession,” said Hodum after returning from the fellowship program.

The fellowship provides educators with training in the form of public relationships to strengthen their voice-things like teaching people how to write their opinion editorials, how to write letters to the editor and how to conduct

an on camera interview. All stress the importance of sharing what is important in public education, in your school and district. Over the course of the year, Hodum says fellows are asked to develop a policy project surrounding an issue they care about and figure out a way to get educator voices involved and in turn empowering them to act.

“I think it is a great professional development opportunity.

Participating in a conversation that is national-when you have an opportunity to interact with teachers from Arkansas and Alaska-those are few and far between. It is an opportunity for teachers to figure out how to have their voices heard. A lot of educators are very reluctant to put their name out there to blog or write op eds because it seems like we are self-aggrandizing. But I learned not only is it okay for me to take a stand on something but I learned the format and the tone that you should take. If we have more teacher-leaders who are willing to look at a topic and have their voices heard it is a great opportunity for the profession,” said Hodum.

With the knowledge Hodum learned at the workshop in San Diego he worked on developing a teacher evaluation system in his school district. Hodum exercised his voice and organized meetings, which he co-facilitates with the assistant superintendent, about the process. Hodum also got other teachers involved in order to give them a collective voice in how they are evaluated, which directly affects their jobs. Instead of letting the evaluation process happen to him and his co-workers, Hodum used his voice to take charge of his profession.

In addition to using his voice in the district, Hodum stressed the importance of his students seeing their teacher being vocal in the community, showing them they too can speak up and make a difference. “I think it is really important for people to take ownership of their profession like it is a profession and not just a job-because it is a profession.

Teachers know teaching best,” said Hodum. And that makes your voice the most powerful one in the room, always.

Winter 2020 • www.maineea.org

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My Hero Works at School Essay Contest The MEA is pleased to join with the Portland Sea Dogs for its 4th annual “My Hero Works at School” essay contest. Students are encouraged to write a short essay, no more than 300 words, about their school hero. Two winners will be selected and receive tickets to a 2019 Sea Dogs game for themselves, their family and their school hero. Entries must include the name of the student, the school, the submitting educator’s name and email and the name and email of the school hero, if different than the submitting educator.

WHO: All public school elementary and middle school students HOW: Submit essays to Giovanna Bechard via mail at 35 Community Drive, Augusta, ME 04330 or email at contest@maineea.org

DEADLINE: April 29, 2020

Maine Educator Cover Contest – What I Love About Maine The Maine Educator will feature a cover designed by a Maine public school art student depicting the theme “What I Love About Maine.” Submissions can be any form of art and should be 8.5” by 11” or able to be photographed. Please advise students that the magazine title will be across the top and 2.5” high.

Entries must include the name of the student, the school, and the submitting teacher’s name and email.

WHO: Grades K-4, 5-8, 9-12 – There will be 3 finalists from each category, plus electronic art. One overall winner will be chosen from the finalists and have their work on the cover.

HOW: Submit artwork to Giovanna Bechard via mail at 35 Community Drive, Augusta, ME 04330 or email at contest@maineea.org.

DEADLINE: April 29, 2020 10

YEP-MEA Inspire Winter 2020

WINNER, WINNER CHICKEN DINNER

MEA Membership Provides Unique Opportunities

W

hile second grade teachers Taryn Southard and Allison Richards won’t be buzzing in and answering questions on Maine Pubilc’s high School Quiz Show, they’re making their TV debut along with Lewiston EA member, Gabrielle Blais.

“Honestly, I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into, but I said “sure, why not” when asked. And then I pulled Allison along and we just laughed, smiled and went with it!” said Southard.

Both teachers smiled as they helped MEA with the taping of questions for the show. The MEA is a sponsor of the quiz show that highlights students from schools across the state as they compete against each other. Questions range from history to math and everything in between.

This season features students from 16 schools with the winner set to receive $1,000 to go toward their Project Graduation.

“MEA is proud to sponsor High School Quiz Show: Maine which gives some of the very best students a platform to excel and demonstrate their knowledge. Supporting a show like the quiz show allows others to see the success of our students and educators,” said Grace Leavitt, MEA President.

In being active in the Association, Southard has been able to attend various trainings around the country, participate in local social and learning events and now be on TV, proving that participating in the work of the union brings far more value to her work life than just the contract.

“There are so many unique opportunities available through the MEA if you just pay attention and get involved. The taping was a little scary, but fun! I’m glad the MEA is willing to support things like the Quiz Show-it's important for the public to see our students do well on this type of platform. My membership really is valuable and I look forward to what may come next!,” said Southard.

“There are so many unique opportunities available through the MEA if you just pay attention and get involved. The taping was a little scary, but fun! I’m glad the MEA is willing to support things like the Quiz Show-it’s important for the public to see our students do well on this type of platform.”

- Taryn Southard, Portland EA

Winter 2020 • www.maineea.org

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Discipline Tips from Drama Teachers

By Mary Ellen Flannery, as seen in NEA Today In the best Hollywood movies, classroom management can be as simple as a wardrobe change. Scene 1: Teacher wears neat white blouse. Kids walk all over her. Scene 2: Teacher returns in black leather jacket and steel-toed boots and students listen, rapt!

Not that easy? Still, there’s something to be learned from those Tinseltown teachers, and it’s this: Your classroom is your stage. And the people who know best how to use that stage to command attention and respect from their students have a lot of other ideas to share about classroom management.

Take a bow, drama teachers.

“I hate to use the word entertaining because teachers might not like to call themselves entertainers but I do think we need to be engaging, and you do have to sell the material to the kids.

‘It’s going to be fun, and you’re going to enjoy it!’”

- Greg Scot Mihalik, former drama teacher at Nokomis High School in Newport.

Walk this way, kids!

Remember how a jump-suited John Travolta transforms his shop class?

“C’mon guys, this car could be a major piece of machinery,” he says, leading his classmates in a neatly choreographed lesson in auto mechanics (and musicality).

“Why, it could be greased lightning!”

Wouldn’t you like to have that kind of following? It’s all about getting started right. When drama teachers walk into their classrooms, it’s not as simple as, “Open your books to page 33, please.” (“Miss! I don’t have my book today.”

“Page what?”) Instead, drama teachers start with a warm-up exercise that gets the mind and body ready to learn.

In a typical drama class, it might be a mind-body exercise like Keith Taylor’s at Weaver Academy in Greensboro, North Carolina, where students lie on the stage in “constructive rest,” knees bent, eyes shut, breathing deep, and running through voice articulation drills.

What? Won’t work in math?

It’s the principle that you need to adopt—“It really helps as a focusing tool,” advises Taylor, president of the North Carolina Theater Educators. For something that’ll work in any class, take a cue from veteran drama teacher Patsy Johns, former state teacher of the year in Nebraska.

She starts class with rhythmic handclaps, which her students mimic, and then take turns leading the class in new rhythms.

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YEP-MEA Inspire Winter 2020

“It captures focus in an unfocused world, encourages concentration, uses energy that might come out in disruptive ways, and it’s fun,” says Johns.

Plus, while her students are engaged, she has time to take attendance or hand out work. “When I’m ready, they’re ready.”

Put me in, coach!

It’s tempting to think of yourself as the sage on the stage. Lights, please! Right here! On meeee! But drama teachers rarely lecture—a little less Hamlet, a little more Jimmy Dugan, the cinematic coach from A League of Their Own who famously yells, “There’s no crying in baseball!”

“Theater has taught me to approach teaching from a coaching standpoint,” says Jennifer Foster, a fourth-year drama and speech teacher at Norman High School in Oklahoma. “Part of that is getting the material out and giving them the opportunity to practice. I firmly believe that they have to do whatever concepts we’re teaching in order for them to retain information long-term.”

In Johns’ class, it means students may be moving independently through a variety of stations, reciting monologues to a wall, maybe working on stage. Just like basketball drills! “When a teacher steps into the activity, it’s to ‘coach’ one-on-one with a student,” she says. “They can raise a hand for help without drawing attention to themselves.”

And, in Foster’s class, it means more student-led activities—“the number-one thing that helps with student management,” she says. Recently, her students wrote legislative bills and debated them. “I don’t even start class; I put a schedule up on the wall that says who is the presiding officer, and I tack up an envelope that includes their checklist, timer, and everything they need. The students are a lot nicer to each other than they are to a teacher sometimes!”

There are no small roles Theories of multiple intelligences have been popular in classrooms for some time—that is, there is no single intelligence, but many equally valid ways to learn, including visual, auditory, or kinesthetic.

“That’s theater! That’s the nature of theater right there. In theater, everybody has a different job: tech designers, costume designers, lighting,” says M.J. Etua, past president of the Mississippi Theater Association and a drama teacher at Louisville High School. Each role is equally important and attracts different kinds of learners.

She thinks of a student who was always kind of a discipline problem: “Tuck in your shirt! Pay attention!” One day, they started drawing sets and “I saw the light bulb go off in his head,” she recalls. Suddenly, powerfully engaged, “the next day, he got up to help the other students.”

It’s possible to do this—accommodate different learning styles—in any kind of classroom. Watch the kindergarten teacher who asks her students to bounce up and down to break words into syllables, or the history teacher who asks Roger Sherman to stand and speak for the Colonies, or the math teacher who passes out the old abacus.

Everyone’s a critic!

What did the famous playwright and critic Oscar Wilde say about his own taste? “I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.”

You could also call it critical thinking, an essential skill for learning, she says. Her students might look at another student’s staging and ask, “O.K., you’ve got this on your set, why?” They talk about the choices they’ve made and why. Along the same lines, the “critics” can’t simply say, “I don’t like this.” They also have to explain themselves: “It was too long for the audience,” or, “It doesn’t make sense in the historic context.”

This also gives them a sense of ownership of their own work. “You’re really trying to build that confidence, whether it’s in biology or history.

You want for them to have the information and be able to tell somebody what they’ve learned,” Etua says. “One of the basic things you have to teach is how to listen,” says Greg Scot Mihalik, a professor of acting and playwriting and former teacher at Nokomis High School in Newport, where he was nominated for state teacher of the year in 2010.

Both performers and audience members—and peer graders—need to listen, he says.

When he asks students to assess each other, they start off with positive feedback before constructive criticism. (A little humor couldn’t hurt either: “If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they’ll kill you,” another pearl of wisdom from Wilde.)

Stage presence!

Enter, stage right: The Great Greg Scot Mihalik! [Applause, applause.]

With a wave of his wand, he’ll make that troublemaker disappear! And you won’t even notice the sleight of hand that it requires.

Were it so simple. But Mihalik is an entertaining educator, even though he’s a little squeamish about that specific word. “I hate to use the word entertaining because teachers might not like to call themselves entertainers but I do think we need to be engaging, and you do have to sell the material to the kids. ‘It’s going to be fun, and you’re going to enjoy it!’”

Even if you don’t want to don the black cape, you can use tricks of the stage to develop a more commanding presence in your classroom. “As a teacher, just like in theater, you have to gain control of your environment,” Foster says.

Consider the use of lighting. When you “bring down the lights,” Mihalik says, it suggests to your students that there’s something important to listen to. Also, consider where you are in the classroom: Placement of characters means a lot on stage. If you’re standing and somebody else is sitting, you have more power. “When I want the students to have equal power, when they’re presenting, for example, I’ll take a student desk,” Foster says.

“I think it’s amusing when people walk into the room and can’t figure out where I am,” Johns says. “I’m in the middle of the learning process, not at the front.”

Also, consider your voice: “Bueller... Bueller... Bueller.” Remember the movie scene with the terribly boring Ben Stein? “You want inflection and you want tone, but you also want it to seem natural,” Foster says.

“That’s the ultimate goal in theater, that this is reality.”

Your students might feel the same, if you ask them to assess each other’s work, as is often done in drama classes. Etua regularly asks her students at Louisville High to peer-grade. “I call it a critique. I call it, ‘Defend your ideas,’” she says. “As an artist, it’s about process as much as product, and they have to explain their process.”

Winter 2020 • www.maineea.org

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Ways to Create Work-Life Balance

by NEA Member Benefits

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s an educator, you’re always “on.” Unlike a standard 9-5, teaching is a 24/7 commitment: You’re bringing work home, working on nights and weekends and constantly worrying about your students’ welfare. The result? Today’s educators are spinning their wheels to meet the demands of work and family—and losing themselves in the process.

While unending drive and passion go hand-in-hand with the profession, achieving work/life balance is still key to personal and professional success. The best way to ensure that outcome: Establish ground rules for yourself, just as you do for your students. Here’s how:

1. BUDGET YOUR TIME LIKE YOU DO YOUR FINANCES. “Time and energy are finite resources,” says NEA member, Roxanna Elden, National Board Certified Teacher and author of See Me After Class: Advice for Teachers by Teachers. “Have an outer limit of how much time you can spend per week without burning yourself out or hurting your level of in-class energy and compassion.” Set a maximum number of work hours and divvy up that time in a way that best serves your students. This will help you stay on track while being able to carve out time for your home life.

2. LEARN TO SAY NO. If you always agree to take on another school-related project, you’ll begin to feel overloaded, stressed and burned out. Knowing your limits means not saying yes out loud when you’re screaming no inside. Over the years, Ortiz learned that just because she can do something doesn’t mean she should. “Too many ‘yeses’ can begin to destroy the passion that drew us to teaching in the first place,” she says. A better approach: only say “yes” to projects and activities you’re passionate about.

4. DELEGATE! Allow others-both at work and at home-to step in and help out. Leave mundane tasks like filing and organizing paperwork to your students, aides, even your own children so you can focus on instruction or other high-level responsibilities. Be sure to identify your helpers’ strengths and capitalize on them. Does your daughter love to bake? Ask her to make cookies for Back to School Night. Is your teacher’s aid a whiz at creating tests? Let him create the week’s pop quiz.

5. TAKE A RECESS. Give yourself permission to take a break and meditate for 10 minutes or go for an afternoon stroll. “It can be tempting to squeeze work into every minute of the day,” says Anderson. “By using intentional breaks to center ourselves, we can regain the composure and positive energy needed to work effectively with our students.” Don’t have time for a 10-minute recess? Stop periodically throughout the day and take three deep belly breaths.

6. STREAMLINE LESSON PLANNING. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, use plans others have developed and tweak them to fit your needs, suggests Ortiz. Another tip: Balance the units you’re teaching, says Mike Anderson, responsive classroom program developer and author of The Well Balanced Teacher. To lighten the load, pair new units that require more planning with familiar units that demand less thinking. And make notes on lesson plans as you go so you can remember what worked (and what didn’t) from year to year.

3. SET PHYSICAL BOUNDARIES. “One of the best pieces of balance advice I ever received,” says retired teacher, Katherine Ortiz, “came from a counselor who, when I complained about the stress of overwhelming paperwork, asked, ‘Where is that stack of papers when you aren’t working on it?’ My answer: ‘on an end table by my bed.’ She told me this was a huge red flag-that I needed to create boundaries between work and life outside of work.”

Define where in your home you will work, and where things will rest when you aren’t working. Having a constant visual reminder of your workload in the bedroom is counter-productive. Something as simple as moving the work somewhere else can help you establish balance.

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YEP-MEA Inspire Winter 2020

7. REMEMBER: PRIORITIZE YOU! Self-care is a vital part of our work-not something to catch up on over vacations, or if we happen to have time, says Anderson. “When we are overwhelmed, stressed out and unhealthy, our students suffer.” So, whether you take a long hike on a Sunday morning, or treat yourself to a bubble bath each night, make time to recharge your batteries.

Students need a happy, calm, rested teacher far more than they need that “perfect lesson plan.”

Winter 2020 • www.maineea.org

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YEPYoung Education Professionals of the Maine Education Association

Early Career Conference

Second annual conference dedicated to educators who are newer to the profession!

ABOUT THIS EVENT

The Young Education Professionals of the Maine Education Association is hosting its second annual conference dedicated to educators who are newer to the profession. If you are in the first 7 years of your education career, you should attend this event.

WHEN: February 8th, 9am to 2pm WHERE: UNE Portland Campus, Ludcke Auditorium and Blewett Hall WHO: All educators (teachers and ed techs) in the first 7 years of the profession

Training sessions will include: • social emotional learning • advocating for your students • how to have difficult conversations with parents, administrators and others • classroom climate/management • and more!

For those who LIVE MORE THAN 90 MILES AWAY from the conference-MEA will pay for a hotel room in Portland the night before. During registration, please select both the Early Career Conference and Hotel tickets and we will be in contact with you. Deadline to register for lodging is Friday, January 24th.

Register at: bit.ly/yepearlycareer2020 16

YEP-MEA Inspire Winter 2020

Winter 2020 • www.maineea.org

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