August 2023

Welcome to Teaching and Learning TODAY. It is our goal to provide high-quality professional learning for teachers and ESPs as a value of membership in your Union. Thank you for being a member during this crucial time of change for educators. Teaching and Learning has many opportunities for growth to offer, but we also invite you to be a part of the change that needs to happen. Monitor this newsletter regularly and respond to those areas that interest you. We facilitate the development of professional learning by members, for members. Allow us to assist you to learn, grow professionally, and impact others!

Updates from Teaching & Learning

VEA Learning Portal

Check out the new Member Created Course, An Introduction to Racial Trauma and the Implications for Educators, developed by retired member Amy Lamb.

It’s an introductory course that will define racial trauma, identify its causes, and describe its impact on students. Additionally, this course will provide strategies that educators can use in their classrooms to address racial trauma.

To see this course and more, check out the VEA Learning Portal! Access the VEA Learning Portal HERE. Feel free to bookmark this link.

If you have any trouble getting into the portal, please reach out to either Dr. Amber Brown, abrown@veanea.org or Isabel Sullivan, isullivan@veanea.org.

SVEA Aspiring Educators

Aspiring Educators (SVEA-AE) to Active Professional Rebate

Former Aspiring Educators (AE) who join VEA/NEA during their first year of eligibility for Active Professional Membership are entitled to a special rebate. The rebate is $20 for each year of membership as an Aspiring Educator (Student Member) for up to 4 years. Someone who joined the AE program for one year can apply for a $20 rebate. And an AE member for 4 years is entitled to apply for an $80 rebate! More information can be found at www.nea.org/aerebate.

If you were a SVEA-AE member in Virginia, you would also qualify for an additional $5 per year of student membership (up to 4 years). Use this form to submit your VEA rebate.

Special Education

From the latest VDOE SSEAC meeting, check out some of the links that were shared as they pertain to regulatory changes and updates:

VDOE

VA Law Administrative Code

Upcoming Opportunities

Apply for a VEA Mini-Grant

Excellence in the Classroom

2024 NEA National Leadership Summit - RFP is Open until 9/15

Workshops! Workshops! Workshops!

Coming to a city near you, come on the road with Teaching and Learning!

Calling all members in the Tidewater area!

Free Special Education Conference!

Introducing National Board Homeroom

The National Board for Professional Standards Launched its newest tool for Candidates in June. National Board Homeroom is an online hub that provides a sequenced format to help candidates navigate the National Board journey. Structured into four phases, or “sessions,” Homeroom provides steps for candidates to follow, from selecting a certificate area to submitting their components. The four sessions are based on a one-year completion timeline, but candidates can choose the timeline that best suits their situation. This is not meant to be a substitute for other forms of candidate support but to supplement them and provide support for candidates that may not have access to other support.

Request Candidate Support for your National Board Journey

VEA offers trained NBCT Professional Learning Facilitators (PLFs) to support you through your National Board process. Whether you just getting started or are an NBCT working to maintain your certification, the VEA provides support through your choice of a one-on-one mentor, a candidate support cohort—or both! Simply complete this Request for Candidate Support form to get started. We will begin pairing candidates and PLFs in August.

To learn more about National Board Certification, visit our website or go to www.nbpts.org.

From our friends at VDOE:

License Certificates
On June 21, 2023, the VDOE Office of Licensure and School Leadership ceased the printing and mailing of paper licenses and evaluations. The Office of Licensure and School Leadership will make license certificates and evaluations available in the future on the eGOV portal. Applicants and license holders are encouraged to create an eGOV account to view pertinent licensure information.

Exciting New Communications Medium from VDOE: The Virginia Education Update!
This new weekly newsletter from Dr. Coons, Superintendent of Public Instruction, will replace the use of Superintendent’s Memos and Emails with a comprehensive communication in newsletter format. This new format will improve accessing and disseminating news from VDOE each week with increased efficiency. In the event of an urgent communication need, VDOE will send out a Superintendent’s memo. These newsletters will be archived on the VDOE website. Read more today!

#2023-01 Virginia Education Update Newsletter 6 July 2023

Who's Who in Teaching and Learning

The work of the Department of Teaching and Learning extends out of headquarters and works directly with members. This month, we will be featuring one of our member partners:

Name: Afreen Gootee

Local: Retired

Role(s) that you have completed with VEA:
Most recent: Content Developer and Facilitator

Former: VEA Board of Directors; District President; UniiServ Chair; Local President; NEA Convention Committee Chair; Minority and Women’s Issues Committee Member; Diversity and Social Justice Cadres; Speaker/Trainer at various VEA conferences

# of years in education: 32

# of years in VEA: 29

How has being a union member helped you?

Being a member made me a better teacher and speaker because I learned presentation skills by having to give speeches at local government meetings and at conferences. Being involved in VEA activities made me so much more aware of the political climate on all levels of government. Having participated in so many political campaigns also helped me become a more informed and well-rounded person. The best part of being a member was meeting other like-minded leaders from across the Commonwealth.

While being a union member, I also had the opportunity to be a recipient of the VEA Award for Teaching Excellence and a finalist for the NEA Foundation for Teaching Excellence.

If you could give 1 piece of advice to someone in education, what would it be?

Don’t give up too quickly. Being in education is not for the weak at heart. Give yourself at the very least, three years. This gives you time to go through all the “firsts” then the second year you’ve got a little bit of experience so it’s not so scary and difficult. By the third year, you’ve got this, now you can soar! Don’t give up. Rely on others, ask for help, give help when you can and take time for self-care.

The Latest from VEA

Teaching & Learning Today: August 2023