Notes to the editor about this Template
This Newsletter Template was created in Microsoft Word as a .doc. All headlines and titles are in various point sizes of the Arial font. Body text is in Times New Roman. Once the document is downloaded and saved to your computer, you can make changes to suit your individual needs and tastes. Please note that if you do change fonts, you may have to reformat some of the text because different fonts take up different amount of space in the same point size.
A sample local logo was used on page 2. All of these items can be changed to fit your needs. You can get a local logo for your local in color or black and white by sending us your request. Please include whether you want color, black and white, or both. Also, include the exact name of your local Association and your contact information. Please send requests to .
The four-page newsletter template includes pertinent news items, promotion materials and dates to remember, as well as quotations and clip art you might want to use.
Please let us know whether this newsletter meets your needs and share your suggestions. You can share your local newsletter through TEA’s Newsletter Exchange. Members of the Exchange share copies with other local associations across the state. Contact Alexei Smirnov [.
If you are reading this as a hard copy, please contact Alexei Smirnov [ to request your local logo or offer feedback at 615.242.8392, ext. 119 or 800.342.8367.
Volume 4, Number 6 January 2011
From the President
Calendar of Events
February Black History Month
February 15 Deadline for receiving nominations for
Distinguished Educator Awards
February 15 Deadline for receiving nominations for
Friend of Education Awards
February 15 Deadline for receiving nominations for
TEA Human Relations Awards
February 15 Deadline for School Bell Awards entries
February 17-18 Administrator Task Force Conference
February 21 President’s Day
February 26 New Teacher Conference, TEA Building
New Opportunities, Challenges Emerge With New Governor, Legislature
The 107th General Assembly will convene on Tuesday, January 11. On January 15, Governor-elect Bill Haslam will be sworn in to lead Tennessee for the next four years. The November election means that the General Assembly will have a new majority, bringing about new leadership and revamped committees. TEA expects a number of challenges which will – more than ever – require your active engagement in the legislative process.
While Tennessee’s economy is slowly recovering, the state budget is still going to dominate a lot of the discussion. With education a major topic in legislatures across the country, we fully expect to see many “reform” proposals – some good, some bad – introduced this session.
TEA will do everything possible to keep you informed.
In addition to the weekly TEA Legislative Report, which will begin around the first of February, special legislative updates are sent electronically to the GREAT (Grass Roots Education Action) Team. To sign up for this service available only to TEA members, send an e-mail to .
Remember that new challenges can mean new opportunities, but we cannot afford to sit on the sidelines when decisions affecting our professional and personal lives are being made at the State Capitol. Over the next several months, Tennessee’s teachers must stay informed and involved—our future depends on it.
Tennessee’s Teachers asked to TELL Tennessee
By Carol Schmoock
Have you ever wished you could tell someone about the great school where you teach, or about the challenges you face in your classroom? Soon, every teacher and other certificated staff member working in a public school or public charter school in Tennessee will have just that opportunity.
TELL (Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning) Tennessee is a unique opportunity to learn about teaching and learning conditions in schools directly from practicing educators. The results of the survey will provide local school and district educators and state policymakers with data on what is working well and what could be working better in Tennessee’s schools.
TELL Tennessee is an online anonymous survey of all public school educators’ perceptions of their school environment. The survey will probe educator perceptions on the important issues of time, empowerment, leadership, facilities and resources, student conduct, community engagement and professional development. Principals will have a limited number of additional questions related to district support, and novice teachers will have a few additional questions related to new teacher support.
Teachers will have a four-week window period, February 14 through March 11, 2010, in which to complete the confidential survey, which will take about 30 minutes. The online survey can be completed from anywhere with Internet access—from school, from home, from a public library or from your local coffee shop with WiFi capability. Educators will receive a personal security code enabling them to go online and complete the survey.
Data from the anonymous survey will be reported by building—provided at least 50 percent of the eligible staff in a building complete the survey—and by district, as well as statewide. (A building in which at least 50 percent of the eligible staff did not complete the survey will not have reportable data.) Building-level TELL Tennessee data will allow school leaders, central office staff and the Association to promote discussions about school improvement strategies and to identify exemplary practices.
TELL Tennessee is administered through the New Teacher Center and is made possible through Tennessee’s First to the Top grant. In fact, it will be administered twice—in 2011 and again in 2013—during the four-year term of the state’s First to the Top grant.
A coalition of education organizations is supporting the TELL Tennessee survey, including TEA, PTA, SCORE, Tennessee School Boards Association and Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents.
Similar surveys have been conducted in other states over the past eight years, beginning with North Carolina in 2002. Over 650,000 teachers in 15 states and numerous large districts have completed the survey to date. The data collected has led to policy changes at both state and district levels where the survey was administered, and to implementation of school improvement strategies in many schools.
Carol Schmoock is assistant executive director for program services at TEA.
National History Teacher of the Year Award Nominations Sought
Do you know an outstanding K-6 teacher passionate about American history? All social studies and elementary educators who teach American History are welcome.
The National History Teacher of the Year Award offers $10,000 to the best American history teacher. The national winner is chosen from outstanding teachers in each state, district and U.S. territory. State winners receive $1,000 in addition to an archive of books and other resources for their school.
Sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute, Preserve America and The History Channel, the award program will accept nominations made by a student, parent, colleague, supervisor or other education professional familiar with the teacher’s work. Visit http://www.gilderlehrman.org/nhtoy to nominate a teacher and learn more about the award.
TEA to Host Legislative, Evaluation Updates
Eight Regional Sessions Planned Across the State
TEA will again conduct a series of regional information sessions across the state in January and February, 2011, to keep you informed about important issues and potential challenges facing public education in Tennessee. Two important topics that will be discussed at each regional meeting are:
• Potential 2011 legislative issues;
• An update on the changes in the evaluation process.
All TEA members are invited to attend the 2011 Regional Legislative Information and Evaluation Update Sessions.
General Legislative Overview and Evaluation Updates will be presented between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
A question and answer session will follow between 6:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
The sessions will include a Legislative Contact Team information update and talking points for LCT members.
The Tennessee Education Association is the voice of Tennessee’s teachers. As we prepare to address the challenges of 2011, we invite you to make plans now to hear the facts and allow your voice to be heard.
Each TEA member is invited to attend the regional information session nearest you.
The mission of the Tennessee Education Association (TEA) is to promote, advance and protect public education, the education profession, and the rights and interests of our members.
Regional Meeting Dates, Locations and Times
January 18, Tuesday * Nashville
5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. – 2011 Legislative Kick-Off Information Session, TEA Building Auditorium A, 801 2nd Ave. North, Nashville, TN 37201.
January 20, Thursday * Jackson
5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. – 2011 Legislative Kick-Off Information Session Jackson, Liberty High School Cafeteria, 3470 Ridgecrest Road Ext. Jackson, TN.
January 25, Tuesday * Shelbyville
5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. – 2011 Legislative Kick-Off Information Session, Harris Middle School Library in Shelbyville, 400 Elm Street Shelbyville, TN.
January 27, Thursday * Knoxville
5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. – 2011 Legislative Kick-Off Information Session at an area school in Knoxville (Location to be announced on TEA Web site).
February 3, Thursday * Memphis
5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. - 2011 Legislative Kick-Off Information Session, MEA Office, 126 South Flicker Street, Memphis, TN.
February 8 Tuesday * Blountville
5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. – 2011 Legislative Kick-Off Information Session, Sullivan Central High School Little Theater, 131 Shipley Ferry Rd., Blountville, TN
February 10, Thursday * Chattanooga
5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. – 2011 Legislative Kick-Off Information Session. HCEA Office, 4655 Shallowford Rd, Chattanooga, TN.
February 17, Thursday * Cookeville
5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. - 2011 Legislative Kick-Off Information Session, Cookeville High School Lecture Hall, first floor, 2335 N Washington Ave., Cookeville, TN.
Scholarships
TEA Scholarships Can Help With Rising Tuition Costs
Are you or someone you know wondering how to afford the rising cost of college tuition in these challenging economic times?
TEA offers up to eight Don Sahli-Kathy Woodall scholarships of $500 or $1,000 each year for students attending or planning to attend a Tennessee college and major in education. The application process is simple and straightforward, requiring little more than a short essay on why the applicant wants to be a teacher. Scholarship winners are selected on the basis of academic excellence, demonstrated leadership abilities, economic need and—for all but the graduate scholarship—demonstrated interest in becoming a teacher.
Scholarships are offered each year in the following categories: Student Tennessee Education Association, Sons and Daughters of a TEA Member, Future Teachers of America, Minority Student, Graduate Student. The application deadline for all scholarships but the Graduate Student scholarship is March 1. The deadline for the Graduate scholarship is June 1.
More information about the available scholarships, the legacy of Don Sahli and Kathy Woodall, and application forms for the scholarships are available on the TEA Web site at www.teateachers.org. From the home page, click on Scholarships and Awards.
Contributions to the Don Sahli-Kathy Woodall Scholarship Fund of the Tennessee Education Association are invited from TEA members, friends and local affiliates. Every contribution to the fund helps to grow a Tennessee teacher.
Clip art ideas for your newsletter