December 2017 Ohio Schools
- IN THIS ISSUE
- In Wellston, climate science lessons offer a learning opportunity for educators, students and the community
- OEA locals help elect 84 pro-public education candidates
- OEA locals help elect 84 pro-public education candidates
- Portage County EA DD members return to work following 50-day strike
- the OEA Advocacy & Organizing Institute
- schools prepare for loss of federal funding for children’s health coverage, and more
Moved recently? Contact the OEA Member Hotline to update the address on file at 1-844-OEA-Info (1-844-632-4636) or email, membership@ohea.org. Representatives are available Monday-Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. | OhioSchools — Past Issues
Local Capacity
It takes all of us together to educate the child. And we all love what we do. We also know that whatever affects one is going to affect others, so we advocate and fight for our students and each other. That’s the benefit of belonging to a local association.
Strong Local Associations
Sharing your experiences and learning from each other — learning the right things and sometimes the wrong things to do — is easily done when you’re part of the network the Association offers.
Collective Bargaining
Without collective bargaining, we can’t advocate for our students’ learning conditions and our working conditions. Being involved in OEA gives us the resources to do that. We believe in public education, we support each other, and, most importantly, we always fight for our students.
OEA member participates in global program
COLUMBUS – November 9, 2017 – Ohio Education Association member Michael Hamilton took part in graduate studies in Baja this past summer through Miami University’s Project Dragonfly. Hamilton of Maineville, OH, studied desert and marine landscapes through ecological and social field methods.
Hamilton is a graduate student with Miami University’s Earth Expeditions, a global program offering graduate courses to people from all disciplines. The program combines web-based learning with field experiences in 16 countries throughout the world. Inspired by his work in Baja, Hamilton is now conducting a semester-long research project.
Since the program began 12 years ago, Project Dragonfly has engaged more than 2,100 people in firsthand educational and scientific research at critical conservation field sites in Africa, Australia, Asia and the Americas. Dragonfly is located in the department of biology at Miami University, a state university in Oxford, Ohio. Miami was established in 1809 and is listed as one of the eight original Public Ivies.
Like Project Dragonfly on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/PrjDragonfly.
The deadline to apply for 2018 courses is Jan. 28, 2018, at https://www.earthexpeditions.org/17-18_News
For a photo of Hamilton in Baja or additional media information, please contact:
Mary Jo Lahrmann
Project Dragonfly, Dept. of Biology.
Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056
The Value of Membership
Members tell their stories of why they value OEA membership. By being a member of OEA, educators have the power to stand up for their students. OEA is an advocate for high quality public education for all students.
October 2017 Ohio Schools
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- IN THIS ISSUE
- Supreme Court agrees to hear case that could take away freedom of working people to join together in strong unions
- Ohio Civil Rights Commission Rights Seeks Nominations
- 2018 Ohio Teacher of the Year Jonathan Juravich
- teaching post-Charlottesville, analysis of Ohio’s School Report Cards, and more
- IN THIS ISSUE
Moved recently? Contact the OEA Member Hotline to update the address on file at 1-844-OEA-Info (1-844-632-4636) or email, membership@ohea.org. Representatives are available Monday-Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. | OhioSchools — Past Issues
Is Revised RESA a Reason to Rejoice?
Part II of II: Teacher Perspectives on the Resident Educator Summative Assessment
Read Part I: My Marathon Swim Through RESA
by Dan Greenberg, Sylvania Education Association
I’m getting to a place where I can look back nostalgically on twenty years in the classroom — back to the days when I was 22, teaching in Adelanto, California, and couldn’t get used to people calling me “Mr. Greenberg,” — a time when I rushed through my lunch in the teacher’s lounge, so I could go play pick-up basketball with the kids.
I don’t gloss over those early years of my career. There were plenty of challenges that made me wonder if I would be able to make it as a teacher.
However, I think the challenges facing today’s early career educators make mine seem laughable. And of all of today’s challenges that I am grateful I avoided, RESA (Resident Educator Summative Assessment) is at the top of the list.
When I graduated from Kent State in 1997, I took two Praxis tests to get my teaching license. That was it. I was official! As for additional requirements from the state, there was nothing more for me to do. As long as my principal was happy with my performance, I could continue teaching.
Compare that to today: a four year Resident Educator program with rules, and meetings, and videotaping, and student work samples, and on and on, all while young teachers are trying to get a handle on day-to-day lesson delivery. Wouldn’t it be better for kids if their teachers didn’t have to worry about the redundant RESA process?
I say redundant because these early career educators had plenty of tasks like RESA to complete during their student teaching experience. If they completed them satisfactorily then, why are they having to prove themselves to a testing company and the state once again?
Now I know that RESA went through an overhaul over the summer. For a while, some first and second year teachers were checking with me every day, hoping the whole program would be eliminated. But somehow — through a process that might best be communicated by a “School House Rock” cartoon — we ended up with a revised form of RESA that, among other changes, significantly cuts down on the tasks a third year RESA teacher must submit to the state.
Are my young colleagues and I jumping for joy? No. Not really.
Sure, we are glad to see a reduction in required tasks. Sure, we are glad that more of the RESA program is controlled at the local district level. We know it is a step in the right direction. However, it’s still a program that we see as mostly redundant and unnecessary.
For me, I see RESA changes like standardized testing changes. I’m glad the state has reduced the number of tests students must take, but do I think the state has fixed the problem of over-testing students? Absolutely not.
RESA is still a burden on local school districts. The cost to my district, just to facilitate year 3 of the Resident Educator Program, will be $15,000 this year. That may not be a huge percentage of our budget, but it is one more thing to pay for instead of other programs.
RESA will continue to frustrate educators, whether for its lack of timely, detailed feedback on assessments, or its illogical requirements for teachers shifting between old and new RESA requirements.
For example: Last year a teacher failed one section of her third year RESA tasks. She failed the section because the student work she submitted was deemed illegible by the evaluator. By Ohio law, she could not resubmit a clearer copy. This year, according to the revised RESA process, instead of having to redo the task, she’ll get mentoring at the local level to help her in that area. However, the only reason she didn’t pass had nothing to do with her competency as a teacher. What kind of mentoring can she possibly receive to address this issue?
On the subject of mentoring, I realize that keeping the RESA requirement for local school districts to provide mentors is a positive thing. I can’t imagine what I would have done without a veteran teacher working with me almost every day, helping me with curriculum and lesson delivery.
My hope for new teachers is that the Resident Educator program continues to evolve into something that truly helps them grow as professionals, instead of something cumbersome and frustrating. I want them to be able to look back in 20 years, with a sense of nostalgia for the beginning of their career, not with a shudder and shiver down their spine, as they recall the hoops they jumped through to complete the Resident Educator program.
Learn more about changes to Ohio’s Resident Educator Program
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OEA Charles A. Glatt — Human and Civil Rights Award
The Ohio Education Association recognizes achievements in human relations and related intercultural activities that impact children, communities, the educational process, and/or the United Education Profession by presenting the OEA Charles A. Glatt — Human and Civil Rights Award.
Dr. Charles A. Glatt was a professor of education at The Ohio State University specializing in human relations, affirmative action, and desegregation. He served as a presenter for many OEA workshops. On September 19, 1975, Dr. Glatt was shot and killed by an assassin while working on the desegregation plan in Dayton Public Schools.
This “Special Friend” Award symbolizes the commitment Charles Glatt had to humanity as well as the equality of educational opportunity for all.
The online nomination form must be completed in a single session, as you will not be able to save and return to it at a later time without starting over. In addition, it must be received on or before February 29, 2024. Late applications will not be considered.
TIP: Consider using this nomination worksheet as a guide prior to completing the online form. This guide can not be submitted in lieu of the online nomination form.
Please click here to see the rubric that the OEA Awards Committee will use to evaluate each submission.
→ Back to the Scholarships, Grants & Awards Home Page
Holloways — Human and Civil Rights Award
The Ohio Education Association recognizes achievements in human relations and related intercultural activities that impact children, communities, the educational process, and/or the United Education Profession by presenting the OEA Holloways — Human and Civil Rights Award.
The Holloways Award is presented to an individual OEA member for outstanding contributions to the promotion or execution of excellent human relations skills and interpersonal relationships as modeled by example.
Current association staff members are not eligible for this award.
The online nomination form must be completed in a single session, as you will not be able to save and return to it at a later time without starting over. In addition, it must be received on or before February 29, 2024. Late applications will not be considered.
TIP: Consider using this nomination worksheet as a guide prior to completing the online form. This guide can not be submitted in lieu of the online nomination form.
Please click here to see the rubric that the OEA Awards Committee will use to evaluate each submission.
→ Back to the Scholarships, Grants & Awards Home Page