VEA E-source

Virginia Education Association

April 2009

About e-source
VEA is proud to send you this e-source newsletter, a tip-filled resource to help you on the job and in your profession. These monthly dispatches will keep you informed about the latest news affecting your job and will help you take advantage of all the resources offered by your Association. If you'd rather not receive the e-source again, click the "Unsubscribe" button at bottom right.

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	Gubernatorial Forum One of Many Convention Highlights
	All four candidates for Virginia governor will speak about public education at the upcoming VEA Delegate Assembly in Hampton, April 23-25. Republican candidate Robert McDonnell will be the first to answer questions from VEA President (and moderator) Kitty Boitnott during the session April 23. Then, Democratic candidates Creigh Deeds, Brian Moran, and Terry McAuliffe will take to the stage to discuss their views. The political forum, to be broadcast later on public television, is one of several new wrinkles to the convention program. VEA also plans an art auction and new awards dinner. Get the details on the new features here, and view the entire convention schedule here. Click here to read Boitnott's take on the convention theme of "Standing Together for Public Education."
	VEA Can Help You Prepare for Assessment Center
	Are you a candidate for National Board certification? VEA is running full-day workshops Saturday, April 18, in Prince William, Richmond, and Hampton geared at helping candidates prepare for assessment center exercises. Cost is just $40. Act now, as registration closes April 9. Click here for more details and a registration form.
	Learn Seven Ways to Personalize Your Teaching
	Do your students easily make the connection between the academic content of your curriculum and their daily lives? Chances are, they don’t—unless you artfully plan for that outcome. In the April issue of the Virginia Journal of Education, John Clarke and Joseph DiMartino make the case for purposeful connections and offer seven aspects of "personalized teaching" for your consideration. Read it here.
	Paying Students for Grades Will Backfire, Readers Say
	In last month's e-source, we told you about programs in several cities that pay students for taking or scoring high marks on Advanced Placement exams. (Here's the New York Times article we cited.) E-source readers didn't think much of the idea, as these two comments show: I believe our society needs to get back to teaching children to have intrinsic pride in their efforts. After all, life doesn’t always reward us for our efforts and for doing the right thing. One must learn to take pride in one's best effort, achieving goals for oneself, and making choices that are morally correct without expecting outside rewards. Teaching a student to have innate pride is something he will take with him forever; whereas a monetary reward will be quickly gone and forgotten. Learning intrinsic pride is the fabric of the character of individuals who have built our country into a great nation. (Brenda Turner, Gloucester) I believe in and use positive rewards in my classroom for many things. However, paying children for good grades sends the wrong message. Motivation for succeeding in life starts in school. It is our nation's educators who believe in children and challenge them to accomplish the impossible. Payments send a message that contradicts our role – promoting short-term gratification rather than long-term goals and aspirations. (Precious Crabtree, Fairfax)
	VEA Elections Move Online. What You Need to Know
	Later this month, VEA will offer online voting for statewide offices. Three candidates—Charlotte Hayer, Tommie McCune, and Ramon Moore—are running for an open seat for NEA Director. With an assist from our partner, VoteNet, the voting process this year is web-based. Go to www.veanea.org and click on the "Election Central" box on the right side for all the details on online voting. You'll find candidate information and full details on the voting process. Note: Paper ballots will be available for members who request them; see the information on "Election Central" on how to get one. The direct link to all the voting information is here.
	Why VEA, NEA Support Employee Free Choice Act
	You may have recently heard about the Employee Free Choice Act. Congress is considering this legislation designed to protect workers' rights, and the NEA, the VEA, and other state affiliates support its passage. Several Virginia newspapers in the past few months have published opinion pieces criticizing the Act and, sometimes, misrepresenting what it would do. Click here to learn more about why VEA and NEA support the Act and here to check out an authoritative issue brief on it from the Economic Policy Institute. Finally, click here to send a message directly to your members of Congress.