Vol. 5, November 2005

The Professional

A Publication of the Minnetonka Teachers Association

Members of Education Minnesota, NEA, AFT, Minnesota Local #7173

http://www.minnetonkateachers.org

Editor, Mary Tingblad, mary.tingblad@minnetonka.k12.mn.us

MM-West, 6421 Hazeltine Blvd., Excelsior, MN 55331

2005-2006 Minnetonka Teachers Association Governance Board

~ President Joseph Ricke ~ Vice President Jan Nelson ~

~ Secretary Mary Tingblad ~ Treasurer Ramona Anderson ~

~ DEC Susan Weber ~ Deephaven Margaret Ruffino~ Groveland Pam Wertjes ~

~ Excelsior Heather Stowman ~ Minnewashta Position Open ~

~ Clear Springs Debra Drexler ~ Scenic Heights Anita Britton ~

~ MM-East Sandy Gosen & Rhonda Lundgren ~

~ MM-West Mary Tingblad & Jeri Goodspeed-Gross ~

~ MHS Doug Kennedy, Ramona Anderson, Rachel Consdorf & Mike Matthias ~

~~ From the President ~~

MTA President, Joseph Ricke

Greetings! I hope that this letter finds you well. I am sure that you are looking forward to the upcoming four-day Thanksgiving break. I relish the time to pause and reflect as well as to visit friends and family and to feast. 

Concerns: I realize that one of the key issues confronting many of you is the stress. And as you might expect, others in the wider workplace will not be so empathetic since stresses related to jobs have been mounting during the last ten years.  However, our personal stress can impact our students—especially as it impacts the ones going through huge developmental and emotional changes. Many students also face stressful situations in their families. Many of the students don’t have the coping skills necessary to deal with the adults in their lives who are exhibiting stress. The implicit difficulty that I am suggesting is that our stress cannot always be masked or stuffed in a way that it becomes invisible to students. Such staff concerns, along with the inability to get our work done in a timely manner, are at times, overwhelming. 

Below is a list of typical issues voiced by teachers:

technology not working,

technology working when we are not,

classroom changes—new curriculum, more instruction time, more students,

less collegial time,

more meetings,

twice as much effort during prep time needed to get the job done,

less time with students outside of class, and the list keeps growing. 

These are just the changes inside the teaching day. Add in all the district initiatives, and one has a job-burnout scenario. 

Actions: There has been no real effort by the district to collect data about stress in the work place, its impact on students and teachers, and the effectiveness of the program changes the year. As a result, the MTA leadership has raised concerns at Meet and Confer and has met with Dr. Peterson and with building principals. It is important that we are respectful of the communication protocol, but insistent that the district is proactive. As the school board addresses the relevance of change, I feel three perspectives should be present: 1) objective data collection, 2) timely and effective communication of data to all stakeholders, and 3) open and honest discussion of the data by all stakeholders. As we move forward with MAPPS, the latter must become a stronger part of our culture. 

I am not going to minimize the degree of difficulty this year will bring, but I am confident that we will continue to work aggressively, strive to keep a professional perspective, and continue to yield positive growth for our students. I am truly proud to be lobbying on your behalf, and thank you for helping me as MTA President to have a hassle-free release time. The MTA leadership team is effectively addressing these pressing issues and is maintaining a positive presence and relationship with the district administration. We will continue to do our best to advocate for your work conditions and adherence to the contract. For these ongoing, productive efforts and for an improved contract, we are thankful.

~~ Membership Information Reminder ~~

MTA Membership Chair, Jeri Goodspeed-Gross

Please contact Jeri Goodspeed-Gross at any time during the year whenever your information changes—name change, address change, phone number change, or contract time change. It’s important to keep your membership information updated. Thank you!

~~ News From Education Minnesota ~~

~~ Apply for Grants from Education Minnesota Foundation ~~

Apply today for a Classroom Grant from the Education Minnesota Foundation for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. These Classroom Grants are designed to address particular needs for innovations in the classroom. Applications for 2006-07 must be post-marked by December 12, 2005. For more information and a tutorial, visit the Foundation section of www.educationminnesota.org under “Education Issues.”

~~ Save Money & Time Shopping with Access to Savings ~~

You can save money and time this holiday shopping season by making use of the discounts available at national retailers through the Access to Savings program. Access to Savings is an online benefit available only to Education Minnesota members. Many members have discovered the discounts they can enjoy in their own communities, often up to 50% off, on meals, car care, entertainment, home services and more.

You might not know about discounts at name-brand national retailers, though, such as the following (subject to change):

■ KB Toys ■ Radio Shack

■ Target.com ■ Eddie Bauer

■ MacBirdie Golf ■ FTD.com

■ Petco.com ■ Coldwater Creek

■ Linens-n-Things ■ Sharper Image

■ J.Jill ■ Sam Goody

■ and many, many more

Merchant discounts are often available online, although some offer coupons to print and take to retail locations. To start saving, log in on www.educationminnesota.org with your username and password, or click on “register here” to get registered. Then click on “My Access to Savings” in the far right column, and “Log me in to Access.” On the Access page, click on “SAVINGS” in the left column, then on any category to view the numerous participating national merchants. Just follow the directions for each merchant to receive their discount.

~~ Enter to Win a Target Gift Card ~~

Boost your holiday shopping power with a $100 gift card from Target. NEA members can register anytime in the “Free Giveaways” area of the NEA Member Benefits website at www.neamb.com for a chance to win one of three $100 Target gift cards. Giveaway entry runs November 1-30, 2005. No purchase is necessary to enter.

~~ Music Foundation Provides Instruments for Students ~~

The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation’s Melody Program pays for musical instruments and repairs for existing K-12 school music programs that lack other sources of funding to fill these needs. In the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the foundation is offering support to ensure that schools enrolling relocated students have enough instruments for these students to continue music studies. Schools whose students qualify for financial assistance, and whose music programs lack institutional monetary support, will receive priority consideration. Applications are accepted continuously. For more information on how you can support this effort, visit www.mhopus.org.

~~ Scholastic Read for 2006 Global Read-A-Thon ~~

On Friday, December 2, 2005, millions of students and teachers in classrooms around the world can share in a powerful and positive experience by picking up a book and setting aside time to read for at least 2,006 seconds (about 33 minutes) during Scholastic Read For 2006, Scholastic’s seventh annual global read-a-thon.

Through Read For 2006, teachers have a unique opportunity to include their students in the global community of readers. Take a moment to visit the Scholastic website www.scholastic.com/readfor2006/ to sign up your class, be part of the World Map and connect your kids with children all around the world through a universal message—the love of reading. You can also download colorful classroom support materials, be a part of exciting online chats with Scholastic authors, share your reading celebrations on classroom message boards, and get tips on how to plan a Read For 2006 event in your school or community. Many of our nation's Governors' Spouses have already signed on as State Ambassadors of Reading and thousands of classrooms across America and around the world are planning Scholastic Read For 2006 celebrations.

~~ Digital Imaging and Visual Learning Grants ~~

Olympus America Inc. and Tool Factory Inc. sponsor a classroom grants program designed to strengthen education through digital imaging and the power of visual learning. Maximum award: $3,500. The deadline to apply is December 30, 2005. For details, go to: www.toolfactory.com/olympus_contest/olympus_teacher.htm.

AFT PLUS... The Benefits of Belonging

So, What’s New at YOUR School?

There are “good news” things happening everyday in our schools. Send your school’s good news to mary.tingblad@minnetonka.k12.mn.us to be included in the next issue of The Professional. I’ve been told that this is one of the favorite features of the newsletter. It’s the way that we can share all the good things going on with our teachers!

News From MHS

Wedding News: Pat Choffrut, MHS French teacher

Baby News:Heather Richins, MHS Math teacher

Matt Arnold, MHS English teacher

News From Minnewashta

2nd grade teacher, Elizabeth Renz, and husband Chris, proudly announce the birth of their son, Colin James, born on August 3, 2005.

Editorial/Commentary/Opinion Page

Editorials, commentary, opinions, and letters to the editor are not necessarily the position of the MTA. All members are invited to share their unedited views, thoughts, concerns, etc., by submitting them to: mary.tingblad@minnetonka.k12.mn.us, Mary Tingblad, MM-West, 6421 Hazeltine Blvd, Excelsior, MN 55331.

THANKSGIVING=COOKIES

Yes, it’s that time again. I will be going back home to Wisconsin for our family Thanksgiving. Besides the traditional Thanksgiving meal, we will also get things rolling for the big holiday baking season. After the dishes are put away, the big mixer comes out of hiding and becomes a permanent fixture on the kitchen counter until January. This is a yearly tradition, and, even though I’m feeling busier than ever this year, I wouldn’t dare think of not doing this.

I had a preview of the baking frenzy last night. I baked cookies during the Viking-Packer game. I waited until the end of the game to see how the cookies should be decorated (much to my disappointment, I had to use purple and yellow). This is my own little tradition I started for the staff at MM-West. After each Viking-Packer game I bake cookies, decorate them in the winning team’s colors, and bring them to school.

Last night I whipped out 8 dozen cookies in no time, just using my ordinary oven with big cookie sheets. I can bake two dozen cookies at a time, so it went rather quickly. I didn’t have to start baking until half-time! Almost a painless process, but this is nothing in comparison to the speed and efficiency I’ll experience in Wisconsin. My mother has a convection conversion oven, so we can bake three sheets of cookies at one time—that’s six dozen cookies! What a timesaver when we are looking at baking 500 dozen cookies! Yes, that’s how many we bake to fill orders for Minnetonka staff members and family and friends back home.

It’s quite a process—both here in my own kitchen and back in Wisconsin in Mom’s kitchen. The majority of the work is done by my mother. Mom retired from the bakery/deli business years ago. She did not like having to put in long 12+ hour days every year as the holidays approached. However, she did miss the fun and satisfaction of helping others get ready for their holiday dinners and parties. Taking orders for holiday cookies started off as an experiment to see if there was an interest. Holy cow, did we find out that there’s an interest!

Thanksgiving starts it all. It’s a time to reflect on the past year, a time to spend with family, a time to celebrate. I look forward to this time each year. After I’ve spent my time being thankful, it’s time to put on the apron, rev up the mixer, and let the fun begin! If you are interested in an order form for homemade holiday cookies and fudge, please e-mail me, and I’ll send one your way. THANK YOU AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Mary Tingblad, Editor