Teaching Tips from NEA

The End is Near

by Reg Weaver, President
National Education Association

Whether you’re a beginning teacher or a veteran, we can all benefit from reviewing what we’ve done in the past and looking for new ways to strengthen our teaching skills.

I’m Reg Weaver – President of the National Education Association – And this teaching tip is about:  Ending the School Year on a Positive Note.

Be sure all paperwork is done and submitted on time.

Thank students, parents, and colleagues for a good year – in person or with a quick personal note.

Sort and file materials for use next year. If you’ll be teaching the same subject or same grade level, take the time now, while it’s still fresh in your mind, to review lesson plans and sequencing and make notes about things that were especially successful – or things that you need to work on before you try them again.

Make sure you understand what can and what cannot be left in the classroom over the summer. Nothing’s worse than returning to school in the fall and finding paint all over your materials.

Over the course of the school year, you’ve probably identified areas of classroom instruction, content, or even personal relations skills that you feel could be improved. After reflecting on things that went well – and those that didn’t – develop a plan on how to address identified needs during the summer recess 

Remember – how you end the school year can be just as important as how it begins.

VO:  Teaching Tips is a production of the National Education Association. Teaching Tips appear on the NEA Website throughout the school year.

NEA – Great Public Schools for Every Child!

Teaching Tips with Reg Weaver

In new video segments, NEA President Reg Weaver delivers tips to help teachers be more successful. (You must have the free Real Player application to view the video segments.)

Ending the School Year on a Positive Note

How you end the school year can be just as important as how it begins. NEA President Reg Weaver presents tips to help you end the school year right. Find related resources below.
(A full text script is also available.)

Watch the Video:
56k | broadband
(total running time: 2.04 minutes)

Resources

• Works4Me: Rolling Carts and Attendance 
  Tips for storing classroom supplies over the summer.
   
• Works4Me: Bingo Review and Recycling Supplies 
  What to do with leftover school supplies at the end of the year.
   
• Works4Me: Recycling School Supplies and Other Tips 
  Thrifty alternative to costly shelf paper.
   
• Keep It Clean! 
  More than a dozen ideas to make class cleanup both fun and productive.
   
• Wind Up Learning as the Year Winds Down 
  Lesson ideas for fun, educational, end-of-the-year projects.
   
• Making the Most of the Dreaded End-of-School Days 
  Do not give up on the school year yet! Five lessons make the last days fun and worthwhile.
   
• End-of-the-Year Worksheets for Students | ABC Teach
   
• Dealing with End of the Year Stress | About.com
  

More Teaching Tips

• Professional Development

As summer draws near, it’s time to start planning new ways to strengthen your teaching skills.  NEA President Reg Weaver tells how.  Find related resources below.  (A full text script  is also available.)

Watch the Video:
56k | broadband
(total running time: 2.13 minutes)

Professional Development

by Reg Weaver, President
National Education Association

Whether you're a beginning teacher or a veteran, we can all benefit from reviewing what we’ve done in the past and looking for new ways to strengthen our teaching skills.

I'm Reg Weaver – President of the National Education Association – And this teaching tip is about:  Professional Development

As we come to the end of the school year, review your certification status and any pending requirements. If you're unsure, contact your school district administration or your state department of education to get accurate and up-to-date information about upcoming requirements that you’ll need to meet to keep your certification current.

Be sure your certification or recertification file or portfolio is up to date and that all documentation is complete and safely filed or submitted. And never submit anything for certification or recertification without making a copy for your own records.

Attend an Association-sponsored workshop – or make plans for participating in curriculum work, taking a course, or taking some action that continues your professional growth through active participation in learning opportunities.

In addition to your membership in NEA – join a professional association in your discipline or field.

And make a resolution that you’ll attend at least one professional event during the coming school year.

Remember – the art of teaching is a moving target. What worked yesterday might not be successful tomorrow. Professional Development should be designed to make academic success more attainable for students – and teaching more effective for you.

VO:  Teaching Tips is a production of the National Education Association. New Teaching Tips appear on the NEA Web site each week during the school year.

NEA – Great Public Schools for Every Child!

Below you will find links to teacher licensure and certification requirements for each state. Just click on the state you need to access each state's department of education. These entries are updated each January and June. They were last updated on January 7, 2005.

A recent study from the nonpartisan Economic Policy Institute (EPI) shows that teachers' salaries lag behind those of comparable professions. And yet critics still complain that teachers are overpaid. Here are more resources on the wage issues:

• Looking for a new job or just curious about how your state stacks up? Read the salary statistics state by state to find out where the jobs are—and how much they pay. (From NEA Student Program)
  

• The numbers behind the numbers: Read more highlights (, 2 pp.) from the EPI book How Does Teacher Pay Compare? or dig deeper by reading the book's introduction.
  

• An NEA researcher did his own analysis of  compensation for teachers vs. other professionals. Does the title, "Losing Ground, Losing Status" clue you in to the findings?
  
  
• Want a second opinion? The American Federation of Teachers also does a national teacher salary study with state-by-state averages for 2002-03.
  
  
• For another look at teachers' super-sized workweek, Maine NEA reports how its members are struggling with ever-increasing demands for extra duties, and reports on a study of Canadian teachers that finds "job creep" is alive and well up north, too.
  
  

• Check out NEA's fall 2004 revision of Rankings and Estimates  ( , 187 KB, 8 pages) to see where your state ranks among educator pay, teacher-student ratio, and per-pupil spending. The increased spending levels unfortunately are still far below what's necessary to fix the "No Child Left Behind" Act. The Rankings and Estimates complete report ( , 1M, 129 pages, ) analyzes data from state departments of education and helps clarify trends.

• Six NEA publications will help you understand, defend, and strengthen the quality and level of retirement benefits for yourself and other public education employees. The topics covered in the six publications are: retirement security of NEA members, large public education pension plans, retirement coverage for Education Support Professionals, post-retirement return-to-work programs, pension protections in state constitutions, and retirement systems and retiree health insurance. Read the six publications.