Take Note

NEA Today, Nov 2004

A Week To Celebrate You!

Join us November 14-20, 2004, to celebrate American Education Week when we'll recognize the educators and school staff who keep our children safe and healthy, as well as help them achieve. Wednesday (November 17) will be a special day to honor the school bus drivers, cafeteria workers, teachers' aides, and other education support professionals who positively impact our school communities. Friday (November 19) will be a special day to honor the work of substitute educators.

This year's theme is Celebrating the American Dream...the Dream that Begins in Our Nation's Classrooms. For more information on American Education Week, ideas on how to celebrate it, or to download a poster and artwork bearing this year's theme, go to www.nea.org/aew.>Ensuring Safe Schools

NEA Human and Civil Rights' new "Safe Zone" poster shows students that their schools are taking a stand against racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, ableism, ageism, religious bias, and other forms of bias and discrimination. The poster is available online at www.nea.org/schoolsafety/. In our classrooms, playgrounds, restrooms, offices, libraries, buses, and elsewhere, both students and school personnel can be proactive in raising awareness of those instances when differences are mocked, devalued, or simply silenced, and in challenging all forms of bullying and harassment.

This requires courage and more "homework" to learn about bias and how to address it with students. Your state and local affiliate can provide resources and schedule diversity trainings. We realize these topics continue to generate discomfort, cautiousness, and disagreement, namely, homophobia concerning gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered students. NEA and its affiliates provide trainings, resource handbooks, and other forms of support for creating safe environments for all students. For more, contact your state affiliate Human and Civil Rights coordinator or Kevin Kumashiro (kkumashiro@nea .org, 202-822-7439), Linda Bacon (lbacon@nea.org, 202-822-7724), or Al-Tony Gilmore (agilmore@ nea.org, 202-822-7395).

Human and Civil Rights Awards

You're invited to participate in NEA's 39th Annual Human and Civil Rights Awards Dinner, July 3, 2005, in Los Angeles, California. Please join us in:

* keeping alive the spirit of the American Teachers Association,

* honoring individuals and affiliates for their human and civil rights contributions,

* celebrating NEA's multicultural roots,

* recharging ourselves for the struggle ahead.

But don't just attend the dinner. Get involved by nominating an individual, organization, colleague, or affiliate for an award. New this year: Complete forms online at www.nea.org/ annualmeeting/hcrawards/. Note these dates:

* DECEMBER 15, 2004-Deadline for submission of award nomination forms to NEA Human and Civil Rights.

* JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2005-Selection of awardees by the NEA Executive Committee, based on recommendations by the Human and Civil Rights Committee.

For more, contact: Sabrina Williams, (sawilliams@nea.org), Human and Civil Rights, National Education Association, 1201 16th Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036-3290.

Books for Schools

Sponsored by the Heart of America Foundation, the Books From The Heart program finds books that are not being used and gets them to where they're needed most-into the hands of children and onto the empty shelves at school libraries. Download a registration form to become a Books From the Heart recipient at www .heartofamerica.org/pdf/recipientform.pdf. Recipients must take final responsibility for the quality and appropriateness of the books provided and agree that books Will be placed on library and classroom shelves and given directly to students for home use.