Secretary of Education Comes to Alaska

Last week was a real opportunity to share the Alaskan perspective on NCLB and education. Secretary Arne Duncan was in our state to listen and collect information on the needs of public educators and Alaska's schools. During his visit to Bethel on Wednesday I was able to share the need to correct the requirement that a letter be sent to parents explaining that teachers are not highly qualified in every subject they teach. This puts undue doubt into the minds of community members that educators may not be able to do the job. Further, it is demoralizing to teachers when they are working hard and don't have control over which courses they are assigned to teach. I also stated concern about a lack of role models for rural students and encouragement for them to become teachers. It is tough to share a love of learning with students when they see educators doing non-stop test prep instead of providing creativity opportunities for growth. The good news is that I think the Secretary was really listening and has plans to do a thorough remodel of NCLB. He even wants a new name for it!

Best Spot in Our Capital City

Wow! Our new building in Juneau is finally finished and it is wonderful! For those who remember our space at the corner of Second and Main, we're in the same spot. To make a long process short, we bought the old building we had used for a very long time, tore it down, and built a completely new office building at the same location. I'm waiting for all the signs and final details to be completed before posting photos, but I know we will make good use of the space and enjoy the convenience of the location only two blocks from the capital. Please stop in to say hello if you're in Juneau! We will be holding an Open House in January.

New Board/New Direction

At the end of May 2009, we held a unique board retreat in Talkeetna. After riding the train together and getting settled in at the McKinley Princess Lodge, we went to work. Our work focused on setting priorities for how we will work together as a board of directors to provide leadership to our members. It was a wonderful start, and I anticipate having even more discussion in the upcoming year. Look for new ideas, new intensity, and new energy as we move the agenda of NEA-Alaska forward!

A friend has stated recently that blogs with photos are much more fun and interesting, so I'm posting some pics from the retreat. Enjoy!

NEA Representative Assembly 2009

I am just back from San Diego, California where this year's annual meeting was held. Fifty NEA-Alaska members represented our state during discussion and debate on a number of topics. Several items that we brought forward from our own in-state annual meeting were approved! Overall it was a productive week and I am so proud to be involved with such wonderful NEA-Alaska delegates. I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the summer and that the great weather holds.

Standards

It's not always possible to be as clear as we hope we can be when asked about our opinions. This became crystal clear to me this morning. Yesterday a reporter from the Anchorage Daily News contacted me. She wanted to know what NEA-Alaska's opinion was regarding standards. I thought I made it clear that we support standards but that sometimes implementation in areas of our state is difficult. It came out that we support the Governor's decision to stay out of the discussion regarding standards in reading in math that are taking place. We support the idea of moving slowly to implement standards to be sure they can be implemented in Alaska. It was not my intent to say we like the idea of letting others decide without our voices in the room.

Ah, the Sun

It's the time of year when we see more of the sun and anticipate spending time outdoors. Days are warmer, ice is melting, and the end of the school year approaches. This is the time for us to stay focused and take advantage of learning opportunities with our students. The standardized tests are behind us and there is still time to incorporate our most creative ideas for learning. We've got to push right to the very end of the year.

I stopped on my way to Washington, D.C. for NEA Superweek to watch my daughter race in Providence, Rhode Island on April 25. The Brown women's crew team battled Ivy League competitors from Cornell and Columbia. It was exciting to be there and thrilling to see Bruno win all of the races. =)

This is a Test

At this time of the year it's a toss-up as to who will pass their tests. Will it be legislators in completing their work? Will it be Anchorage voters in their quest to pick the best candidate from a dozen on the ballot? Will it be Alaska's children struggling to survive the seemingly endless series of mandated assessments, instead of being allowed to focus on real learning related to the real world? Will it be school boards passing budgets that are reasonable?

The answers to these questions, and more, will likely be revealed in the next couple of weeks.

Stay tuned!