Preparing You to Be Educator of the Year in 2008-09
by Warren Hershberger, chair, Summer Leadership Subcommittee

Many NEOEA members look forward every year to the announcement of the selection of educator of the year. Whether it is listening to the state Teacher of the Year speak in Columbus or hearing the national Educational Support Professional of the Year at the NEA Representative Assembly, those of us who labor in the field of education enjoy giving recognition to our own. We like to join in the acclaim for those who are selected, and we are somewhat amazed that at least a lucky few get recognition for their efforts. But when we focus on the award, we forget that those selected people are representing all of us.

The stark reality is that the minute a student climbs aboard the bus you drive, or enters the school where you work, or sits down in your classroom and is under your care, you have just become their Educator of the Year. They will be depending on your expertise and care, and it will be you, not someone who received a plaque, who will be their contact with the education community.

So, congratulations! You have been selected Educator of the Year, and your award is the privilege of representing the best of our profession to your small but important group of students and their families. Whether you take care of people with developmental delays or are a professor in a university, whether you take care of the building so the students have a warm, healthy environment in which to learn, or you teach the "important" subjects that will be over-tested or the equally important subjects that seem to be ignored, your students will remember their education through the lens of your devotion to them and to what you bring to them. You will provide the most important value that is added to their lives, and because what counts is not always able to be counted, you are bound to use your own knowledge and, dare I say it, professionalism to make sure that they get the best learning environment that you can provide.

This is a daunting task, but you will not be striving alone. Your colleagues are working with you, and the administration is doing what they think is the best for you. Why is it that people who know better think that herding an entire staff into the same lecture with little choice and minimum involvement will result in an optimum gain in teaching? Some educators are fortunate to have a strong professional development program in their locals (this often coincides with a strong professional union--or is it a coincidence?); others need to find other venues to complement their professional development. Among the best sources for a wide-spanning enrichment of your skills and talents are the offerings that are designed by practicing educators and are designed to meet the needs of educational leadership for our colleagues: for example, workshops and conferences offered by NEOEA and OEA. For the last ten years, these have included the NEOEA Summer Leadership Conference.

This July 23 and 24, NEOEA will again be providing NEOEA Summer Leadership Conference at Lakeland Community College. You can join educators from all over northeastern Ohio who will gather in the relaxed atmosphere of the Lakeland CC campus to train new leaders, kick off the new school year with association leaders, and update our "seasoned" leaders about new challenges and possibilities.

The sessions are designed by practicing educators to meet the needs of association officers, new leaders, beginning activists in professional and association activities, advocates for better public schools, contract enforcers, mentors, dreamers, campaigners, and members who are just interested in what is going on! You will find out about new federal and state regulations (such as the new "Master teacher" requirements and the new definition of "conduct unbecoming a teacher").

The friends and contacts made during the social activities are as big a part of the conference as the knowledge gained from the formal workshop sessions. You will meet colleagues who work in MRDD units and higher education, teachers, and ESPs including first-timers and those looking forward to retirement. There is a choice of almost thirty workshops addressing the concerns of all these diverse members of NEOEA. Support professionals and teachers from all kinds of locals will be able to find workshops that meet their personal, professional, and leadership needs. There will be training for local association treasurers, bargainers, and grievance chairs. There will be workshops that will inform beginners about how associations run and roundtables where veterans of all facets of local activities will discuss their perspectives and share their wisdom. This year you will find an emphasis on the effects that our political leaders have on education and how we can have an effect on who our political leaders are. Details about local association meetings, including elections and ratification votes, and learning procedures will help to keep things running smoothly. You will want to learn how to become a cyber-lobbyist.

The Summer Leadership Committee has worked tirelessly to bring you the best conference possible. Both new teachers and mentors of new teachers will find workshops that will help to prepare them for the rigors of starting a new career. School support professionals will find workshops addressing their work and association needs. Educators near retirement, those in districts in financial crisis, those starting to bargain a new contract, and those near decisions on ratifying or striking will find expert help. MR/DD and special educators, political activists at the local level, education support personnel, and those interested in member benefits will find their niche in the conference.

The local associations that are our strongest and most successful advocates for their members are those who see leaders and members reach out to learn from the experience of others and to share their strengths with others. Members who attend leadership conferences begin a cycle of involvement that is contagious and makes them better professionals and makes their locals and the entire profession stronger.

Attending the 2008 Summer Leadership Conference can help new leaders, leaders with new challenges, and members who want to know more about the operations of their association. We look forward to seeing you and the people who you will bring with you at Lakeland in July. Find the registration forms in the News & Views, check at www.neoea.org on the web, or call the NEOEA office for registration and scholarship information.

Hey, to quote the Disney Channel, we're all in this together, and as educators of the coming year we need to use all the resources that we can to reach our goals. Whether your goal is to keep your building the safest and healthiest it can possibly be, to know all you can to do your best job as an educator, to support your local to be the best possible support for your members, or it's to change the legislature so that they will listen to the needs and concerns of our children for great public schools, you will find something at Lakeland to meet your needs. John Maxwell, the leadership motivational speaker, once wrote, "If you start today to do the right thing, you are already a success even if it doesn't show yet." This coming school year, you will again start the job of being Educator of the Year. You may not receive the award publicly, but you will certainly have the best reward which is affecting the lives of those you help to learn.

Be prepared for the challenge of the coming year. And once again--Congratulations! You may not have seen your name in the paper, but for some very important and fortunate students this coming year, you are their Educator of the Year. Make the most of it.

We'll be looking forward to seeing you and those you bring with you at Lakeland in July.

Our guest speaker: Dennis Van Roekel, NEA President-elect

Dennis Van Roekel, a 25-year teaching veteran and longtime activist and advocate for children and public education, is the President-elect of the National Education Association and will begin his term as President on September 1.

The high school math teacher from Paradise Valley High School in Phoenix, Arizona, has served in numerous key Association offices, including NEA Secretary-Treasurer, Arizona Education Association President, and Paradise Valley Education Association President. He has been NEA's Vice President since 2002.

A popular and successful teacher, Van Roekel always works to make sure students are engaged and makes sure he listens to them as well. He brings that same style to his leadership in the organization. He is committed to helping Association members feel good about themselves, the work they do and their efforts to share their vision for quality public education with the community.

His accomplishments include dramatic increases in membership and voluntary political action committee contributions while president of the Arizona Education Association. He chairs the NEA Advisory Committee on Membership and serves on the NEA Strategic Planning and Budget Committee as well as the Board of Directors of NEA Member Benefits.

"To me, teaching and being an Association activist are part of the same thing," Van Roekel says. "As one of my mentors said early on, 'I can't do half a job.'"

"We need to make sure our members understand the connection between what happens in the classroom and what influences decision making," Van Roekel says. "It means listening to educators and parents talk about what they want and then working through political action, lobbying, bargaining and instructional advocacy to get members and students what they need."

Van Roekel was born in LeMars, Iowa. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Iowa in Iowa City and a master's degree in math education from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.

He and his wife, Julie, have two married adult sons, and are now proud grandparents.