Minnesota Educator September 2009 : Page 1

A p u b l i c a t i o n f o r t h e memb e r s o f E d u c a t i o n Mi n n e s o t a S E P T EMB E R 2 0 0 9 The fall is always a hopeful time. It's the time teachers look forward to, President Tom Dooher writes. Page 2 Summer Seminar played to a packed house of Education Minnesota leaders. Page 3 Education Minnesota supports a health care system that will assure quality, affordable care for all. Page 5 Public health experts provide advice for handling H1N1 flu in schools. Page 7 It’s a new year and a new puzzle for Educator readers. Congratulations to John Sandy of Mora! His entry in the August word search contest was drawn from those with the answers we were looking for. Find our solution on page 5. The new challenge in this issue: Find this bumble bee hidden somewhere in the September issue of the Educator. When you’ve found it, e-mail the page number along with your full name and mailing address ato educator@educationminnesota.org. The deadline is Sept. 15 to be eligible for the drawing to win a gift card. Happy hunting! Political training aims to empower educators for 2010 With high-stakes elections coming in the state next year, Education Minnesota is offering members a new opportunity to rev up for electing a pro-education governor and lawmakers in 2010. The union will convene a statewide political training conference Nov. 20-21 in St. Paul. The goal is to prepare as many educator s as possible to stand up for Minnesota’s public schools through the broadest possible political activity. The conference first will answer the question “Why should I be political?” The training and networking event s and workshops will then deliver skills and motivation for educators to fol low through in passing local levies, electing school board members, and screening candidates for union recommendation. Workshops wi l l cover both beginning political action skills and advanced research and techniques for organizing, mobilizing and getting out the pro-education vote. From how to do a phone bank to cutting-edge new media tools, sessions will cover practical actions that can make a difference in who shapes government priorities. Sessions will include a workshop for Republican members of Educat ion Minnesota who want to advocate for schools from their perspect ive. Also available will be training on how to work effectively in a variety of communities of color, how to tap the power of seniors and how to become a delegate who makes decisions on candidates and policy in any of the three major political parties. Other sessions will stress how to work in coalition with other pro-education Minnesotans to educate, organize and mobilize potential voters. Participants can also look forward to social time with other members from around the state as well as with trainers and speakers. Each teacher, educational support professional and higher education faculty local is encouraged to send two members to the political conference at the Crowne Plaza hotel in St. Paul. Education Minnesota will pay the expenses for one member for each local. The cost for subsequent participants for a local is $50 each, which includes room and meals as well as conference materials. Attendance won’t be limited to two members from a local. All members are invited to contact their local president if they are interested in attending the political conference. to learn more For more information about what’s in store at the conference, contact Paul Winkelaar of Education Minnesota’s Public Affairs staff at paul.winkelaar@ education.minnesota.org or 651-292-4837. What’s up for the Professional Conference Watch for the 2009 Education Minnesota Professional Conference Preview in next month’s issue of the Minnesota Educator. The Professional Conference, featuring speakers such as PBS’s Ray Suarez and education policy expert Linda Darling-Hammond, will take place Oct. 15 and 16 at Saint Paul RiverCentre in downtown St. Paul. Speeches, more than 60 workshops on a variety of education topics, and hundreds of educational exhibits are free and open to the public. No registration is required. This year you can read about conference events and plan your conference schedule in several ways. These changes are part of an effort to “go green,” make the best use of resources and provide better access to conference information for all Education Minnesota members. • The new Professional Conference Preview. Four full pages in next month’s Minnesota Educator will help you begin your planning. This new pull-out section will include a schedule of speakers and workshops, details on a variety of conference activities, and general information. • An expanded online guide to conference workshops. This comprehensive guide, available at www.educationminnesota.org, includes full workshop details listed by time and topic. You can also go directly to listings of workshops that may fulfill specific state requirements for teacher relicensure. And you’ll find links to the Web sites of many conference presenters. • The full conference program. This year the program will be available exclusively at the conference Oct. 15 and 16 at Saint Paul RiverCentre. Stop by any information table to pick up your program and an update flyer with last-minute changes. The full program will include material from the Professional Conference Preview plus workshop descriptions listed by time. Please note: The full program will NOT be mailed with next month’s Educator. • More resources at www. educationminnesota.org. Look under Events & Programs/ Professional Conference for more planning tools, including printable PDF versions of the Conference Preview and a planning sheet that you can take with you to the conference. You’ll also find additional conference information and links to maps and other resources not available in our print publications. We hope to see you at Minnesota’s largest professional development event for educators!

POLITICAL TRAINING AIMS TO EMPOWER EDUCATORS FOR 2010

With high-stakes elections coming in the state next year, Education Minnesota is offering members a new opportunity to rev up for electing a pro-education governor and lawmakers in 2010. The union will convene a statewide political training conference Nov. 20-21 in St. Paul.

The goal is to prepare as many educator s as possible to stand up for Minnesota’s public schools through the broadest possible political activity.

The conference first will answer the question “Why should I be political?” The training and networking event s and workshops will then deliver skills and motivation for educators to fol low through i n passing local levies, electing school board members, and screening candidates for union recommendation. Workshops will cover both beginning political action skills and advanced research and techniques for organizing, mobilizing and getting out the pro-education vote. From how to do a phone bank to cutting-edge new media tools, sessions will cover practical actions that can make a difference in who shapes government priorities.

Sessions will include a workshop for Republican member s of Educat ion Minnesota who want to advocate for schools from thei r per spective. Also available will be training on how to work effectively in a variety of communities of color, how to tap the power of seniors and how to become a delegate who makes decisions on candidates and policy in any of the three major political parties. Other sessions will stress how to work in coalition with other pro-education Minnesotans to educate, organize and mobilize potential voters.

Participants can also look forward to social time with other members from around the state as well as with trainers and speakers.

Each teacher, educational support professional and higher education faculty local is encouraged to send two members to the political conference at the Crowne Plaza hotel in St. Paul. Education Minnesota will pay the expenses for one member for each local. The cost for subsequent participants for a local is $50 each, which includes room and meals as well as conference materials. Attendance won’t be limited to two members from a local. All members are invited to contact their local president if they are interested in attending the political conference.

WHAT’S UP FOR THE PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCE

Watch for the 2009 Education Minnesota Professional Conference Preview in next month’s issue of the Minnesota Educator.

The Professional Conference, featuring speakers such as PBS’s Ray Suarez and education policy expert Linda Darling-Hammond, will take place Oct. 15 and 16 at Saint Paul RiverCentre in downtown St. Paul.

Speeches, more than 60 workshops on a variety of education topics, and hundreds of educational exhibits are free and open to the public. No registration is required.

This year you can read about conference events and plan your conference schedule in several ways. These changes are part of an effort to “go green,” make the best use of resources and provide better access to conference information for all Education Minnesota members.

• The new Professional Conference Preview. Four full pages in next month’s Minnesota Educator will help you begin your planning. This new pull-out section will include a schedule of speakers and workshops, details on a variety of conference activities, and general information.

• An expanded online guide to conference workshops. This comprehensive guide, available at www.educationminnesota.org, includes full workshop details listed by time and topic. You can also go directly to listings of workshops that may fulfill specific state requirements for teacher relicensure. And you’ll find links to the Web sites of many conference presenters.

• The full conference program. This year the program will be available exclusively at the conference Oct. 15 and 16 at Saint Paul RiverCentre. Stop by any information table to pick up your program and an update flyer with last-minute changes.

The full program will include material from the Professional Conference Preview plus workshop descriptions listed by time. Please note: The full program will NOT be mailed with next month’s Educator.

• More resources at www.Educationminnesota.org. Look under Events & Programs/ Professional Conference for more planning tools, including printable PDF versions of the Conference Preview and a planning sheet that you can take with you to the conference.

You’ll also find additional conference information and links to maps and other resources not available in our print publications.

We hope to see you at Minnesota’s largest professional development event for educators!

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