Week of 10-3-2022

Inside this issue

• Read PSEA’s exclusive interview with Josh Shapiro
• NEA addresses teacher shortage in new report
• PEARL and Center for Professional Learning
• Member Benefits spotlight: Contact Fill contact lenses

No one who cares about the future of public education in Pennsylvania can afford to sit out this next election. PSEA strongly recommends Josh Shapiro for governor because he is a pro-public education candidate who has vowed to protect PSEA members’ jobs, salaries, pensions, and benefits.

But don’t just take our word for it. We recently sat down with Shapiro to ask him directly how he plans to address the issues that most affect our members. Click the link below for the full interview, which will also be printed in the November issue of Voice.

In a new report, the National Education Association lays out solutions for addressing the nation’s school staffing shortages, including more competitive pay and benefits, student debt forgiveness, increased funding, mental health resources for staff, and creating better working conditions through collective bargaining agreements and more teacher input into the curriculum and school resources.

The report features several educators, in their own words, discussing how the shortages have affected their students, their colleagues, their schools, and their communities. Among the educators is PSEA member Frances Cortez Funk, who serves as the director of Health Promotion and Alcohol & Other Drug Services at Kutztown University.

“These past few years have been challenging in all levels of education,” said Funk. “Today’s college students are brilliant and resilient, but they have more complicated financial and mental health needs. To meet their needs, we must have a full staff of experts in well-being, including physical and mental health, equity, and inclusion topics. When campuses can’t find or retain those professionals, our students are less likely to succeed and realize their dreams through higher education.”

PEARL

Earn Act 48 credits, Chapter 14 verification, or postgraduate credits on PEARL, PSEA’s member exclusive online learning system with more than 95 courses and counting.

Here are just a few of the courses you have access to:

• Author Studies
• Building Relationships at a Distance
• Maximizing Google Classroom

Webinars

• De-escalation: A Handy Tool When Confronted with Challenging, Anxious, or Hostile Behaviors
  • Oct. 13, 5:30-7 p.m.
• Using the Science of the Brain & Learning to Optimize Teaching & Instruction
  • Oct. 18, 5:30-7 p.m.

Book Discussions

• Gender Queer: A Memoir
  • Oct. 25, 6-7 p.m.
• Improve Every Lesson Plan with SEL
  • Nov. 3, 6-7 p.m.
• Poison for Breakfast
  
  • Nov. 15, 6-7 p.m.

Member Well-being

• Mindful Mondays
  • Oct. 17, 4:45 p.m.
• Mindful Mondays
  • Nov. 14, 4:45 p.m.
• Mindful Mondays
  • Dec. 12, 4.45. p.m.

PSEA Member Benefits offers members and their families big savings on brand name contact lenses through Contact Fill.

Program Benefits:

• Dependable service to your home, school, or office
• Free standard shipping and handling on all orders (use promotion code "PSEA")
• Convenient 24/7 online ordering
• Personable customer service
• No hidden charges
• PSEA members must log in to take advantage of this discount program
• NVA Vision insurance accepted as a form of payment