Professionalism Presentation

I will be presenting a power point presentation to the faculty at H. Guy Child Elementary Wednesday, Dec. 3. The title is "Professionalism, Ethics, and the Contract". I robbed it from another colleague, Nikki Peterson, from Granite Education Association. I have shown it at a few schools in Weber and in Ogden. If I haven't been to your faculty meeting, have your Association Rep or your principal call and schedule it. I think it is important that our association promotes professional behavior and it never hurts to have a reminder of the dos and don'ts that get us in trouble. To enter in this month's blog contest, send me an email (rick@ogdenweber.org) with the word "ethics" in the message. I will allow you to enter more than once. Thanks for reading. I will post from my NCUEA meetings in San Jose tomorrow. Rick

New Blog Contest Starts Today

Congratulations to Alicia Mason, Mound Fort, for winning the November contest. Alicia won a 25 dollar gift card to Olive Garden. Weber's winners will be drawn next Monday. The new contest will start now with directions given each week in one of the daily blogs. This month you can enter more than once, giving you better odds. Today I am attending the Transformation Task Force at UEA meeting to look at ways we can better serve you as a member. In these tough economic times, your dues dollars need to be spent in the best and most efficient manner possible. About half of your UEA dues dollars come back to support our UniServ office here in Ogden. I hope you contact us with any concern or question that we can help with. We are here to serve and represent you. I will be attending a NCUEA conference in San Jose Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week. I will post on information I learn at the meetings. Look for rules coming this week. Thanks for reading. Rick

Ogden/Weber UniServ Committees

One of our most important UniServ commitees is membership. This group meets regularly to plan and implement our strategies for increasing our membership numbers. We are only as strong as our membership. This year OEA has seen its first increase in ten years. Ogden's licensed educator numbers have been falling for many years. This year OEA signed up a large number of our new hires at New Teacher Orientation. OEA has about 80% of licensed educators in Ogden District. WEA remains strong after a large increase last year. Weber has over 1000 members this year. We have enjoyed using the funds from a NEA Grant to help us promote the association.

We will draw for an Ogden winner in the Blog contest today in AR meeting. We will draw for WEA's winner next Monday. Look for the December contest rules to appear at this same blogsite in the next few days. Thanks Rick

Happy Turkey Day

Hope all of you are enjoying the turkey day break with family and friends. I am in Idaho with my folks enjoying the good food and football. See you back in town Monday. Oh, yeah, I did golf today too. Thanks Rick

Sutherland Institute promotes changes in educator salary schedules

Derek Monson, a policy analyst with the conservative Utah-based Sutherland Institute, presented changes to educator salary schedules to the Education Interim Committee at the legislature last Thursday. Here are some of the highlights:

• The teachers would have to get recertified every three to five years
• The pay plan would demand higher standards from educators.
• The teachers would have to demonstrate subject mastery by passing a knowledge test and complete a course on instruction strategies.
• The plan calls for a new statewide salary schedule.
• Teachers would make $35,000 to $75,000 with an annual raise of $2,500.
• The plan recommends an additional $5,000 paid to educators who teach at "hard to staff" schools.
• State raises would be determined by annual performance evaluations by parents, teachers and the principal.
• Principals would be given full authority to hire and fire.
• They could also recruit "all-star teachers" with higher pay.

The Sutherland Institute supports private school vouchers and increasing the number of charter schools. Learn more about this group at www.sutherlandinstitute.org

To enter the blog contest this month (one entry per person) email me at rick@ogdenweber.org and use the word "sutherland" in the message. Thanks Rick

Future Educators at OHS Honor Teachers at Breakfast

A breakfast was served to a group of favorite teachers by FEA students at Ogden High School last week. Each student invited one of their most memorable teachers to a nice breakfast funded by our NEA SOAR grant. We received $2000 from NEA to help our FEA chapters. In December FEA students and Teachers for Tomorrow will visit the WSU campus for a day of classes and activities. Suzy Davis and Stephanie Heath have been the leaders in organizing these activities.

If you haven't entered the BLOG Contest this month, email me at rick@ogdenweber.org and use the word "SOAR" in the message. Thanks Rick

Give Thanks to Those Around You

I came back a day early from St. George, because I missed blogging. Seeing my six grandchildren and my three children made me give thanks for their mother who raised them so well. I was too busy coaching, teaching, doing association work and working a second job (as most of you do to make ends meet). But in the end it all pays off. My youngest is working full time (manager of Pizza Factory) and going to school to be a "product logo" guy. Robyn, his wife, works part time for Sky West and so they have traveled all around the world. Their daughter, Kate, has been on 36 flights at the age of 9 months. I visited my old teaching friends who work at Desert Hills High School (the tragic scene of the "prop gun" death last week). Again, it sobers us to see these tragedies around us. I wish you a great Turkey Day and I am formally announcing I am in a "Biggest Loser" contest with my son. I weighed in at the truckstop in Scipio at a robust 339 (the truck scales worked well) . Maybe next month's contest will be on giving Rick ideas to lose the blubber.

Still time to get your entry into the BLOG Contest. One entry only this month. Next month new rules. Email me at Blob@...oh no it is really rick@ogdenweber.org Thanks Rick