Welcome to TSTA

Innovation in education
For inspiration, check out teachers' entries to the PBS Teachers Innovation Award. http://www.pbs.org/teachers/innovators/?utm_source=Edutopia&utm_medium=Ad&utm
_campaign=innovation

Quick links:

• Smithsonian Ocean Portal: web 2.0 technology
• Texas Book Festival's fiction writing contest (7/2/10)
• NEA, AACTE release joint policy papers on teacher quality
• Nominate an outstanding young educator (8/10)
• $50,000 in grants for raising environmental awareness
• RTI State Database now available
• Free webinars on RTI for English language learners
• Free, accessible library from Bookshare
• Professional development online from TEA
• Learning disabilities webinars, information
• School improvement grants
• Good news about public schools
• NEA Academy: flyers

Information on students with disabilities
Disability.gov connects students with disabilities, parents and educators to information on a variety of topics from early childhood education to post-college and beyond, including making the transition from high school to post-secondary education or work; laws that protect the rights of students with disabilities; classroom supports and accommodations; and scholarships and other forms of financial aid. http://www.disability.gov/education

Information on learning disabilities
The Texas Center for Learning Disabilities offers webinars and articles. http://www.texasldcenter.org

TSTA's parental involvement booklet
http://www.tsta.org/teaching/current/Parental-Involve-Bro-web2.pdf

Useful links:

Social networking do's and don'ts
RTI leaders: support available
National Board Certification: federal funds available
Dropouts: National Partnership on Dropout Crisis

A site where kids learn to be smart consumers
In this virtual mall, students can play games, design ads, and chat with customers and store owners. They’ll learn key consumer concepts, such as how advertising affects them, how consumers benefit when businesses compete, how (and why) to protect information, and how to spot scams. www.ftc.gov/youarehere

Conflict: an inevitable part of life
What matters is how you handle conflict. Do you resolve conflicts the way you want? Take this simple survey to find out how you normally handle conflict. www.tsta.org/teaching/current/
ConflictManagementInventory.pdf

American Civic Education Teacher Award entries due Feb. 16
NEA cosponsors the American Civic Education Teacher Awards, given annually to three K-12 teachers of civics, government, and related fields who have demonstrated special expertise and enthusiasm in motivating students to learn about the U.S. Congress, the Constitution, and public policy. Winners receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to participate in an educational program that includes meeting members of Congress and other key officials, observing committee hearings in Congress, and visiting sites such as the National Archives and the U.S. Supreme Court. more

Call for submissions for National Gallery of Writing
National Board Certified Teachers are encouraged to participate in the National Gallery of Writing. more

Bubble Wrap: The Competition
The fourth annual BubbleWrap® Competition for Young Inventors in grades 5-8 is on. Contestants will demonstrate engineering design, problem-solving, and entrepreneurship with bubble wrap. Awards of up to $10,000 and a trip to New York City. The deadline is March 3. more

About Christopher Awards
The Christopher Awards are annually given to films, television programs and books that “affirm the highest values of the human spirit.” www.christophers.org.

Wake up! living in the rhythm
Evidence suggests that teenagers are indeed seriously sleep deprived. A recent poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation found that 60% of children under the age of 18 complained of being tired during the day, according to their parents, and 15-20% said they fell asleep at school during the year. Over half of students report being most alert after 3:00 in the afternoon.

Sleep affects how students learn. It also relates to a teacher’s effectiveness. Here are some ideas to help you with your own sleep patterns:

Circadian Rhythm. The circadian cycle signals your brain to wake and sleep, so stick to your body's circadian rhythm. "It's the natural way to avoid fatigue," explains Harvard Medical School research fellow Patrick Fuller.
Sleep consistently. Periodic sleep marathons will just throw you further out of balance. "[G]o to bed and get up within the same 30-minute time span every day," says Fuller. "If you need an alarm to wake up, you're sleep deprived.”
Follow the clock. Avoid caffeine after mid-afternoon, more than two alcoholic drinks a day, or aerobic exercise an hour before bed, says Fuller. "It will just confuse your body's natural clock."

A study published in the journal Sleep shows that a school-based sleep intervention shows promise in addressing adolescent sleep problems. It has a high retention rate, it is cost-effective, and it has potential for promoting healthy sleep knowledge and practice. The program did help adolescents normalize their sleep patterns for a few weeks, and it taught them how to make sleep an aid to learning and functioning.