TEACH Campaign

I took part in a conference call with US Sec. of Education Arne Duncan this afternoon as he was looking for ideas on getting more people into the teaching profession. The Dept. of Education just launched the TEACH Campaign and the TEACH.gov website with the goal of trying to inspire and engage people to become teachers.

There is going to be a "huge teacher shortage," as Sec. Duncan said, and we will need over one million new teachers over the next 4-5 years. Getting committed, talented people to help transform education in the country is the goal of the TEACH Campaign, and not just motivating teachers to get into the classroom, but also to get them to stay in the classroom.

The website is a great resource for both current teachers and people thinking of entering the teaching profession. It has job openings, information on teaching, success stories from teachers, and traditional and alternative paths to becoming a teacher.

I will be in New York City this weekend working with the Pearson Foundation and the Mobile Video Institute to create "Why I Teach" videos. Together with the other state Teachers of the Year, we will each create a video as a way to get our excitement and passion about teaching out to the public. Please check out the 2009 state Teachers of the Year's videos here.

Cheers!

And the 2011 Vermont Teacher of the Year is...

Congratulations to Jennifer Lawson, who was announced today as the 2011 Vermont Teacher of the Year! Jennifer is a middle school language arts and social studies teacher at Vergennes Union Middle and High School. I got the chance to meet Jennifer in the spring and was blown away by how passionate and dedicated she is. I had the honor of being at the State Board of Education meeting this morning where the announcement was made, and the entire school was invigorated with one of their own winning this prestigious honor. Her students love learning from her, her fellow teachers love working with her, and the community loves having her around.

Congratulations Jennifer...you are an amazing person and teacher, and Vermont's educators are proud to have you representing us at the state and national level!

Local TV appearance

I was asked to be on a local show on FACT-TV, a local community TV station in Windham County, Vermont, this week. Mary Barber, host of the On the Rockingham Board Walk, interviewed me about my experiences over the past year as Teacher of the Year and about my views on education. It was a great experience to speak to the local community and I really was honored being asked to be a guest on the show.

Check out the show online on their website here: http://www.fact8.com/e107_plugins/autogallery/autogallery.php?show=On_The_Rockingham_Boardwalk

Cheers!

Back-to-School article

The Commons, an independent newspaper in Windham County in southern Vermont, asked me to write a Back-to-School article, and so I gladly jumped at the chance to express my excitement and anticipation of the new school year and the opportunities it gives to teachers and students. It was an exciting article to write.

Check it out on their website here: http://www.commonsnews.org/site/site02/story.php?articleno=2095&page=1

I hope everyone has a great start to the new school year!

Cheers!

National Forum on Education Policy - Aug. 18-20

I hope you all had an enriching summer full of new experiences.

My summer ended with an invitation to the 2010 National Forum on Education Policy in Portland, Oregon. The forum was put on by the Education Commission of the States (ECS), and it was because of the NEA that the Teachers of the Year were invited to take part in these discussions.

I just returned from this forum, and I came away with many new interesting ideas. Just to be able to have a teacher's voice at a policy forum like this, where governors, state congressional members, and other key state and national policy makers were present, was a step in the right direction. Teachers need to be part of these discussions so that policy makers know if their ideas will actually work in the schools and what teachers think about these ideas. So for us to be at this forum was a success.

There was a lot of discussion on the Common Core standards and how they are progressing with implementation, what 21st Century learning is and why it's important, what "college and career readiness" actually means, expanded-time schools, improving teacher preparation and teacher effectiveness, and overall, how to improve the education system in the U.S.

One of the most interesting speakers was Dr. John Medina, author of Brain Rules, about the importance of being active in getting the most retention out of the brain. He is a very respected molecular biologist and really presented some excellent research on the brain and how it works.

The success of the forum was the teacher's voice that these policy makers got to hear. Hopefully it will stay with them as they go back to their organizations, states, and universities and push forward education policy.

Picture with Pres. Obama

Summer Plans

As summer approaches, it is amazing how quickly this school year has gone by. It seems like a dream as it is hard to believe that I have had the tremendous honor of representing the great educators of Vermont on the state and national level. I have thoroughly enjoyed this honor and felt very proud to showcase the great education that our Green Mountain State offers. From the ceremony at Bellows Falls Union High School where I was named the 2010 Vermont Teacher of the Year all the way through meeting President Obama in the Oval Office, it has been a very busy year that has seemed to have gone by in hyper-speed, but such a memorable and rewarding year. I have been able to meet incredible and inspiring students, teachers, and policy makers around the state and country who have given me faith that we can turn education around in this nation.

Thank you very much for supporting me throughout this journey. I drew from your energy and support many nights while still up at 1am trying to do actual classroom work instead of writing speeches or preparing presentations.

I will have several more Teacher of the Year events in the first part of the 2010-2011 school year, including events in Portland, OR, Princeton, NJ, New York City, and Denver, CO, as well as a number of events throughout Vermont. I will continue to keep you posted on these events, as well as to where the process of ESEA Reauthorization goes throughout the summer and fall.

This summer, I am off to Peru for a graduate course and then will be taking students to China through the Governor's Institute on Asian Cultures, so I will have an incredibly enriching summer of new experiences and adventures!

Have a great summer. See you in late August!

Cheers!