What Teachers Are Talking About This Week
January 12, 2017 | Sign up to receive The Teachers Edition.
 ED Educator Appreciation Week
There is no amount of appreciation that can accurately capture the impact of teachers, principals, counselors, nurses, librarians, bus drivers, and support staff in our schools, but every little attempt is worth it. This week ED staff took to the phone to call 2300 educators across the country to thank them for their commitment to students and families. In addition, a Twitter chat was held, pre-service teachers were welcomed to ED, local school visits were conducted, and books were collected and donated to a school. Thank you for all that educators do for our children.
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 Art and science: some say they go together like oil and water. But third-grade teacher Heidi Kleser (Gause Elementary School, Washougal, Wash.), knows better. Her students are imagining new animals based on scientific principles, and enhancing those new inventions with the help of artist-in-residence Peggy Ross. Students learned about vertebrate groups, then created a new creature by combining two of the groups. Ross helped them bring their creatures to artistic life through drawing and collage (Frost, Camas-Washougal Post-Record).
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Serving as principal in a high school in a major city, and doing it well, comes with a lot of requirements: compassion; caring about the students and staff; and high standards for oneself and others. Principal Sharif El-Mekki (Mastery Charter School-Shoemaker, Philadelphia, Pa.) personifies these qualities and more. This profile of El-Mekki describes a building leader whose hands-on, positive approach has rippling positive effects on all those around him. "He stands out ... because he operates under servant leadership as a model versus a hierarchical top-down" approach, says teacher Nadirah Sulayman. He works when the teachers work, personally connects to students, and supports all those in his building (Arnett, EducationDive).
Great teachers routinely innovate by trying new lessons, modes of content delivery, or types of student activities to enrich the educational process. Now teachers can be awarded for what they are already doing. The annual Yale-Lynn Hall Teacher Action Research
Prize recognizes and supports the leadership of teachers who continually work
to improve their practice through action research. The School of Management
(SOM) Education Leadership Conference is seeking applications from
educators in many different classroom settings working with a variety of
student populations. Visit
the SOM Education Leadership Conference website for more information and FAQs. First deadline: February 3. First
prize: $5,000; Second
prize: $2,500.
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January is Human
Trafficking Prevention Month. Trafficking can involve
school-age youth, particularly those made vulnerable by challenging family
situations, and can take a variety of forms. “Human
Trafficking in America’s Schools” is a guide for school staff with
information on risk factors, recruitment, and how to identify trafficking. There's also a fact sheet and webinar: “Integrating
Human Trafficking with Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs) for K-12 Schools.”
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Fifth Annual Share My Lesson Virtual Conference. Organizations and individuals interested
in presenting must submit a proposal via the
online presentation form by Thursday, Jan. 26. They are are looking for topics of
general interest to educators: classroom management, healthy school climate,
and all subject areas.
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EXTENDED. Important School Ambassador Fellowship Update. For the ease of our prospective
applicants, the Department is extending the deadline for the applications for
the 2017-2018 School Ambassador Fellowship to Monday, February 6,
2017. Application can be found on our website.
 This week we asked educators, what does "educator appreciation" mean?
5. "Educator appreciation is acknowledging that even though there are tough days, you are loved." Instructional coach, Utah
4. "Educator appreciation is acknowledging teaching is one of the greatest contributions to our country, then showing it." Teacher, Illinois
3. True appreciation comes in the little moments. Smiles and hellos and thank yous. 'I noticed' e-mails and drop-ins. Written notes and fist bumps." Instructional coach, Washington
2. "'Thanks! That was a really good lesson.'" Teacher, Minnesota
1. "Appreciating educators means recognizing both our expertise and the challenges of our work, and leveraging the former to improve the latter." Teacher, Maryland
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