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Teacher Toolkit

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Toolkit: Teaching Academic Life Skills and Loving It

Kara Brooks-Odom teaches at Mt. Hebron High School in Howard County. Students in Kara Brooks-Odom’s academic life skills classes typically have an IQ below 80 and may or may not be social, or even verbal. Kara says many are able to find gainful employment with some minor modifications to the task or workplace and that brings […]
Legal Questions

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What to Do If a Student Assaults You

In 2015, the U.S. Department of Education reported that from 2011 to 2012, approximately 20% of public school teachers reported being verbally abused, 10% reported being physically abused, and 10% reported being physically attacked in schools. In 2009, an Institute of Education Science School Principal Survey on Crime and Safety found that approximately 11% of […]
Racial and Social Justice

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5 Things Transgender Students Want Their Teachers to Know

“Iwish my teachers could understand how important pronouns are. It’s physically painful to be misgendered. If they do mess up, I wish they’d just calmly correct themselves instead of making a huge deal out of it.” — Beau “Iwish they understood that it takes a lot to come out, especially while still in school. I’m just like […]
Legal Questions

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Educators and Immigration Advocacy

All students have the right to a free public education in this country regardless of their immigration status. With new emphasis on immigration policy enforcement, students are understandably and justifiably anxious. It is essential that all schools provide a welcoming and supportive environment. If you choose to be an educator-advocate for immigrant student rights, you […]
Pedagogy

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Assessment Literacy Is a Necessary Skill for Today’s Educator

Dawn Pipkin is an instructional resource teacher and National Board Certified Teacher at Leonardtown Middle School in St. Mary’s County. She represents MSEA on MSDE’s Professional Standards in Teacher Education Board and serves as its vice-chair. Educators are harnessing the power of technology each day in order to facilitate quality instruction and assess student learning. […]
Testing

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YOU DID IT!

It’s one of the biggest wins for public education in years — passage of the Protect Our Schools Act means Maryland is standing up to the Hogan/DeVos/Trump privatization agenda. There’s more: passage of the More Learning, Less Testing Act means educators will have time to nurture creativity and help students develop the higher-level critical thinking skills they […]
Racial and Social Justice

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Update: Supporting Our LGBTQ Students

When President Obama issued a directive last May protecting the right of transgender students to use the restrooms and lockers that match their gender identities, many students and their allies felt some sense of relief and acknowledgement. MSDE followed that up with guidelines that allow students to use the facilities they choose and that policy […]
Education Support Professionals

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My Turn: Meet Janice McRae — An Activist on Many Fronts

Janice McRae is a special education paraeducator at Sussex Elementary School in Baltimore County. She is a member of the Educational Support Professionals of Baltimore County (ESPBC). First and foremost, I’m passionate about working with special needs children. It’s a joy, a privilege, and my pleasure to work and interact with these amazing learners. It’s my […]
Union Updates

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Newly-Elected MSEA Leaders to Focus on the 2017–2018 Educators’ Agenda

When MSEA’s Board of Directors meets in September to discuss the 2017–2018 Educators’ Agenda, five new faces will be seated at the table, the largest turnover in many years. Newcomers Erika Strauss Chavarria, Howard, and Brian Donoughe, Howard, were elected to the NEA and MSEA boards of directors. They will join Russell Leone, Anne Arundel, […]
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