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Volume 6, Number 2 August 2012
From the President
Calendar of Events
September 2012
September 3 Labor Day
September 7-9 TEA Board Retreat
September 15 Tennessee Urban EA Council
September 28-29 Student TEA Leadership Conference
October 2012
October 1 Deadline for sending UEP Membership Dues Payment Agreement
October 5-6 NEA Board of Directors, Washington, DC
October 6 TEA Committee-Commission Weekend
October 19-20 TEA Board of Directors, TEA Building
November 2012
November 3 New Teacher Conference, TEA Building
November 9-11 TEA Advocacy Conference, Murfreesboro
November 9-11 NCSEA Annual Fall Meeting, TBD
November 11-17 American Education Week
November 14 ESP Day
November 22 Thanksgiving
TEA is Pushing the World Toward Improvement
By Al Mance
TEA is a collective of professional teachers and education support professionals in a relentless struggle to push the world as it is in the direction of the world as it ought to be. Every professional educator should belong to an organization aspiring to that goal. The number of people in this collective—together with their courage, leadership skills and commitment to making the lives of students and their communities better—determines our effectiveness. The 107th General Assembly amply demonstrated that no one is going to hand teachers and schools what we need to successfully educate and build better futures for the students we teach.
It takes power to move the world. According to Michael Gecan, author of Going Public, power comes in two forms — organized people and organized money. Neither TEA nor any of our individual members has enough money to move the world. What we do have is each other and that is enough.
Those with power and money see us when we gather and use our power to check them, hold them accountable, pressure them and—when necessary—stop them.
Together, we must lead the teaching profession in Tennessee and make public education what our youths deserve and the future of our democracy demands.
Join TEA, the community of the willing, to push Tennessee toward the world as it ought to be.
Al Mance is TEA executive director.
Monroe County Teachers Protect Membership With Automatic Dues Pay
Teachers in Monroe County don’t have to be nervous about their membership dues. As of this year, their dues are no longer controlled by the local school board.
“Since the loss of our contract in July, we felt like the school board and the county finance department are not going to be obligated to be nice to us,” says Shauna Bowers, who teaches at Vonore Middle School and currently serves as membership chair at MCEA. “We wanted to be proactive and retain our power, so taking control of our membership dues was the biggest selling point to our members.”
Together with MCEA President Sarah Amos and Treasurer Whitney Dyer, Bowers says the local organized a drawing for gift cards at every school to see who would convert the most members to Automatic Dues Pay (ADP)—a simple process that requires a member ID number (found on page 12 of every issue of teach delivered to your mailbox) in order to log on to the membership portal at www.teateachers.org.
“They did a fantastic job,” says Reba Luttrell, TEA UniServ coordinator who helped organize the drawing.
The gift cards were such a hit that one school signed up 100 percent of its members for automatic dues pay. Many schools in the district were able to convert close to 90 percent of their members as part of the ADP campaign.
Bowers says that trust in MCEA played a big role in the project’s success.
“The main thing is during the last couple of years we’ve been such a positive force in helping teachers. They trusted us when we said it was time to move away from the school district’s payroll deduction model,” Bowers says. “The last couple of years we had a free breakfast day for all the teachers, and other events. They know we are here for everyone.”
When it comes to inviting new members to join, Bowers says her experience as a teacher and assistant principal allows her to share poignant stories with colleagues.
“The first thing I tell them is that I don’t have time to go to Nashville or Washington to lobby for our profession,” she says. “I’m happy that I can support the people at TEA who fight for us.”
Bowers also likes to share a story from a few years ago when she and a couple of her friends “were talked into” converting to a cheaper membership organization. Then a parent brought a case against one of the teachers.
“When that teacher attempted to get in touch with the cheaper organization to get representation, through a P.O. box in California, they said she could have an attorney but she would have to fly them out of California,” Bowers says. “Luckily, that case was dropped.”
To avoid paperwork and protect your voice as a member by converting to TEA Automatic Dues Pay, all you need is your member ID number. If you don’t have it, call TEA Membership Coordinator Duran Williams at (800) 342-8367, ext. 213 or drop him a note to .
Dip Into September Savings That Bloom
The third week of September is National Flower week, a special time that allows you to stop and smell the roses! In honor of flowers, you’ll have your pick of fully blossomed savings that will bring you beauty, aroma, and joy.
We tend to give flowers to those we care about with the purpose of communicating some sort of personal message. Different flowers can say different things, for instance:
· Daisies mean innocence and purity
· Dandelions communicate faithfulness
· Mistletoe conveys affection
· Ferns are supposed to be magical
· Poppies symbolize sleep and rest
Here are some great flower ideas that will help you send the right message for many different occasions. Send someone a bouquet of good cheer. You can order cheery poinsettias for 15% off from 1st In Flowers! Show someone how much you love them with a dozen red roses for 10% off from FlowerShop.com. Or, give someone a little hope and encouragement with a snowdrop arrangement for 20% off from 1-800-FLOWERS.COM®.
The things you can say with flowers are endless. With member savings in full bloom this September, you’ll enjoy a garden full of flowers and discounts!
Merchant / OfferSouthwest Airlines Vacations / Save up to $90 when you book a vacation package on southwestvacations.com
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts / 20% off the best available rate
Endless Vacation Rentals / Get 35% off Vacation Rentals Worldwide
Resort Vacation Certificates / Get a 7-night vacation stay for $249 USD
Royal Caribbean International / Receive 4% cash back on every cruise vacation booked through Cruise and Vacation Perks
Carnival Cruise Lines / Receive 4% cash back on every cruise vacation booked through Cruise and Vacation Perks
Disney Cruise Line / Receive 4% cash back on every cruise vacation booked through Cruise and Vacation Perks
Avis Car Rental / $35 off a weekly rental
Budget Rent A Car / Receive $25 off a weekly rental
Hertz Car Rental / Save up to 15% off daily member benefit rates!
1-800-FLOWERS.COM® / 20% off online listed price of specially designed arrangements
1st In Flowers / 15% off our everyday low prices
FlowerShop.com / 10% off your purchase
“TEA Leadership Experience Has Changed My Life”
By Nellie Anne Keeton
To inspire my students, I help them to set goals for themselves and to monitor their progress toward the goals on a regular basis. I encourage them to try new strategies, think outside of the box, and defend their positions.
Because I believe parents are a vital component of a student’s success at school, I empower them with tools, strategies, and resources to help their children.
I have often encouraged parents to sit in on my math classes so that they can hear the vocabulary and see the strategies that their children are learning in order to support their studies at home.
As a team leader at school, I work in several capacities to encourage, support, and inspire other teachers. I serve as the Association Representative for my school, which allows me to empower my members when faced with a challenging situation.
I have been a school-wide mentor for the last three years, mentoring and supporting new teachers in my school. I have also been a mentor to veteran teachers who are in need of personal improvement plans. I am currently serving as grade chair for the fifth grade at my school, which allows me to lead professional learning communities with my colleagues.
Because of my leadership experience in the Association, I have been able to become an advocate for teachers. Throughout my teaching career, my role has changed from a mentored teacher to a leader amongst my colleagues. I have overcome my fear of confrontation, so many of my colleagues now come to me for support when dealing with uncomfortable situations involving students, parents, and administration. I have been able to champion the cause of public educators through my community connections, such as social groups, church groups and parent groups.
Nellie Anne Keeton is a 2012 TEA Distinsuished
Educator. She teaches fifth grade math at Munford Elementary School and has been a Tipton Co. EA member since 1997.
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