August 2022 Teach Plus IL Newsblast No images? Click here From Teach Plus Illinois Dear teachers, At the kickoff training for our Change Agent program this week, teachers participated in an exercise where they stood in different parts of the room to show how much they agreed or disagreed with a statement. At the prompt, “I’m pumped to begin the school year,” the group was evenly spread, from those who strongly agreed to those who strongly disagreed. I’ve been there myself: sometimes I couldn’t wait to try out a new unit to start the year; other times I’d had no summer break and was starting the year dragging. Wherever I was on this continuum, once the students were in front of me, the energy and passion for helping them grow kicked in. I hope the same thing happens for you. As the school year is starting, so are all of Teach Plus’ Illinois’ programs. This year we will be supporting over 150 equity-driven teachers who are taking on leadership roles in their schools, their educational communities, and in guiding the policies that shape education in Illinois. If you’re currently a teacher leader in one of our programs, wonderful! If you’re considering it, the application process for those programs will open up again in the spring. And if you’re an educator of Color, there’s an additional opportunity that might be appropriate for you this fall. Thanks to support from the Illinois State Board of Education, this fall we are launching over 40 Affinity Groups for educators of Color all over the state. The goal of these groups is to both create safe, healing, affirming spaces, for educators of Color and to create opportunities for those educators to elevate and propose solutions to the issues that are challenging for them in their school environments. We should have a list of all these affinity groups ready within the next couple of weeks, and as soon as it is ready, I will share it out so that you can see if there is one which is right for you to join. Best wishes for the beginning of the school year, whether you are currently dreading or eagerly anticipating it! Warmly, The Practice Corner With the 2022-23 school year about to start across the state, I'm seeing mixed feelings amongst our educators. This summer feels shorter (and for Chicago Public Schools, it definitely was), but there is also excitement and some revitalization in the air at our kickoff trainings. Even though we are still in the latest COVID surge that seems to have plateaued at higher levels than the Delta surge last summer, school districts are not mandating masks. Every school-age child is now eligible for vaccines, but only 37% of children ages 5-12 have had at least one dose, and only 5% of children under 4 have done the same. It's hard to tell what this school year has in store for us, but one thing is clear--educators have been in survival mode for the last two years. As educational leaders, we must start thinking about what exiting survival mode looks like. The article, "Recognizing and Exiting Survival Mode in Education" states that, "When a crisis lasts for a long time, such as the pandemic, teams must be careful not to become stuck in a reactionary mode rather than a proactive mode. The lack of a systemic approach to management and resource allocation eventually puts students’ future academic growth in jeopardy." We must lead our educators through the process of acknowledging their strength and coping mechanisms of the last two years with gratitude for carrying them through a period of immense stress and uncertainty, while challenging them to be reflective about what mindsets and habits no longer serve them. As we move into this phase of the pandemic (and for the love of all good things, hopefully the end is somewhere in sight), what are you doing to mentally transition out of survival mode? Feel free to share your reflections with me at kciciora@teachplus.org. Warmly, Illinois Affinity Group Facilitators Kickoff! We are thrilled to bring together this year's Illinois Affinity Group Facilitators at our recent Kickoff! Our Facilitators shared their unique perspectives on the importance of community building, organizing, and advocating for teachers of color. Learn more about the program here. NSI Summer Institute We also brought together teacher leaders and administrators from all of our NSI schools for a powerful start to the year! Thank you to our dedicated NSI team and Education Leadership Coaches for creating an impactful summer institute. Learn more about the program here. Opportunities Sales Tax Holiday for School Supplies Sales taxes for qualifying clothing and school-related items will be reduced from 6.25% to 1.25% for a 10-day window Aug. 5-14. Qualifying clothing and footwear have a retail selling price of less than $125 per item. Eligible school supplies are not subject to the $125 threshold. IDNR Historic Sites Field Trip Grant Funding for students and teachers to visit select state historic sites in the state is available through the IDNR Historic Sites Field Trip Grant. Applications for the 2022-23 school year are due by Sept. 30, 2022. Illinois Biodiversity Field Trip Grants Applications from preK-12 teachers and home-schooling educators in Illinois are being accepted for the 2023 Illinois Biodiversity Field Trip Grant program sponsored by the IDNR and the Illinois Conservation Foundation. The application form has been revised and should be even easier to complete. Why wait until the deadline of Jan. 31, 2023? Start planning now to take your students on a learning experience outdoors! Online Character Education Certificate Program North Central College is offering a 100% online and asynchronous Character Education Certificate whose goals are to: a. Foster a school culture of character that is caring, empowering and inclusive for students and staff b. Infuse social-emotional character development into the school culture c. Empower educators to be lifelong learners d. Tackle equity through a commitment to foster student and staff potential You can earn 45 professional development credits over a semester. Questions? Please contact Marsha Webster at mbwebster@noctrl.edu. |