Teaching & Learning Today: January 2024
January 12, 2024
January 12, 2024
Happy New Year! We hope you had a restful and rejuvenating break from work and are ready to jump back in with both feet. Your students need you, and so do we! Our team continues to plan for professional learning opportunities and programs to support you in the work you do every day. We look forward to adding courses to the learning portal, creating new workshops, targeting needs of early career educators and ESPs, partnering with school divisions to provide training, providing support for National Board Certification, assisting with PRAXIS preparation, growing our Aspiring Educators program, recognizing excellence in the profession, and more. We do all of this with your help – by members, for members! If you would like to share an area of expertise, let us know.
Scores for both initial and Maintenance of Certification (MOC) candidates were released on December 9. Congratulations to all who were successful in this journey! Your hard work has paid off!
Are you currently pursuing National Board Certification or working to maintain your existing certification? The VEA now has experienced NBCTs trained to serve as Professional Learning Facilitators (PLFs) to support you. VEA members pursuing certification can now receive one-on-one coaching as a benefit of membership. If you are a current candidate seeking support, apply here.
To learn more about National Board Certification, visit our website or go to www.nbpts.org.
VDOE Launches New Online Licensure System
Check out the news release HERE!
Free Resources for Your School
Check out this website: https://www.consciousteaching.com/
Great resources for classroom management and more! Three free books are available to administrators, so share this with your administrator so your school can benefit.
How to Avoid the ‘Feedback Hole’
Students may become reluctant to share their thoughts if their teacher and peers don’t seem to listen. These strategies make the value of their thoughts clear.
From our friends at VDOE, check out this news release on Reviewing 2023 Accomplishments, VDOE Looks Towards 2024.
The work of the Department of Teaching and Learning extends out of headquarters and works directly with members. This month, we will be featuring one of our member partners:
Name: TuRhonda Morrison
Local: VEA Retired
Role(s) that you have completed with VEA:
Praxis Conference Content Developer
# of years in education: 34
# of years in VEA: 27
If you could give 1 piece of advice to someone in education, what would it be?
Education is an ever-changing field. Don’t be afraid to reinvent yourself in the field by taking classes, attending conferences, changing positions, and earning new certificates. Be a lifelong learner and enjoy the educational ride! Make lots of friends along the way, don’t burn bridges, and embrace change!
How has being a union member helped you?
My mother, Wanda C. Tucker, was a member of the union while she was a teacher in Halifax County Public Schools. When I became a teacher in the same county in 1995, one of the first things my mother encouraged me to do was join the union. My mother and her teacher friends explained that joining the union would give me legal support if I needed it, being that I was going into the field of Special Education. They also explained that it would provide access to training resources, conferences, information on current trends in the education field, and a great magazine each month with articles from the members. The union has provided me with all that my mother said it would and allowed me to meet other members from across the country to help support teachers with content on passing the Praxis. I have had the opportunity to work in several districts in the state of Virginia (Halifax, Chesterfield, Richmond City, Fairfax and Petersburg City), and wherever I have worked I have always known the union had my back!
Teacher shortages are a serious issue across the country. Here in Virginia, there are currently over 3,648 unfilled teaching positions. (FY23)
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