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Legal Questions

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Medical Cannabis and Your Job

In 2014, Maryland decriminal- ized the possession of small amounts of marijuana and legalized medical marijuana. Since then, patients must acquire written certification from a licensed physician and register with Maryland’s medical marijuana program. Medical cannabis is only available in forms that can be vaporized (not smoked), or as extracts, lotions, ointments, and tinctures. On […]
Professional Practice

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Global Competencies

Halfway around the world, Baltimore County science teacher and department chair Anu Bajpai asked students, “How many languages do you speak?” “Seven,” they said. When school started this year, she asked her students at Windsor Mill Middle School the same question. “One,” said most of them. Language fluency is just one of the cultural differences […]
Pedagogy

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An Introduction to Literacy Design Collaborative

Heather Lacey Sampselle is an elementary school teacher and passionate, forward-thinking educator. She currently lives in Frederick, Maryland and is pursuing her master’s degree while working as an educational consultant. She has been an active member of the Brevard Federation of Teachers and Frederick County Teachers Association. My journey with LDC began years ago when […]
Education Support Professionals

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Three Jobs and a Wish to Serve Others

Mary Bordley is a building services custodian at Kent Island Elementary School in Queen Anne’s County. I want to help decision-makers understand that just like every other staff member in the building, we’re there because we care about the students and our community. I never met a person in need that I didn’t want to help. […]
Testing

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Protecting ESSA from the State Board

Winning good policy outcomes isn’t just about passing laws; we need to make sure they are implemented faithfully, too. This summer, MSEA worked with leaders in the General Assembly, the attorney general’s office, school boards, civil rights organizations, and other pro-public education advocates to push back against the State Board of Education’s ESSA draft plan. […]
School Funding

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The Kirwan Commission Meets the Public

The Kirwan Commission is holding public hearings for parents, students, educators, and other interested individuals to share their views on improving the public education system in Maryland. The commission’s recommendations are due to Governor Hogan in December and expected to be in legislation before the General Assembly in January. “Maryland’s public schools are good, but […]
School Funding

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Betty Weller: We’re Leading on Issues That Matter

Betty Weller, MSEA President As our students return to classrooms this year, many did so with challenging concerns. Are they confused, frustrated, or outraged by what they watched on TV just a few hours’ drive away in Charlottesville? Do they experience trauma at home with no the support to process and overcome their experiences? As […]
Teacher Toolkit

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Toolkit: History Comes Alive One Rowdy HUZZAH! at a Time

Mark Haring is a veteran social studies and history teacher at Severna Park High School in Anne Arundel County. Huzzah! I’ve been known to exclaim Huzzah! to accentuate a point. By the end of the course, students join in on hearty “Huzzahs.” I also write “HUZZAH” across the top of the assessments of students who scored […]
School Funding

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What Would YOU Change?

The news came in last year: Maryland schools are underfunded by a huge $2.9 billion. That’s according to national school funding experts advising the Kirwan Commission, the 25-member board rewriting Maryland’s education funding formula. This daunting figure can come as no surprise to on-the-ground educators. We see the effects of this funding shortfall snowball every […]
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