Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/916449
11 Great ings Happen Everyday Listen to America Tour (HuffPost) neaToday Writes About WEA Member Dirk Andrews, Central Region President Have you ever gotten an email that you assumed was spam? This happened to me just not too long ago, but the email actually came from the HuffPost. The HuffPost was conducting a 25-city "Listen to America Tour"; they were stopping here in Casper and wanted me on their panel. The group was working with the Casper Star-Tribune, and they were looking to discuss education funding post-bust here in Wyoming. I was picked to serve on the panel, along with Rachael Schuh (Parent), Chris Rothfuss and Bill Landen (State Senators), and Dicky Shanor (Chief of Staff at WDE). The focus was all on the funding crisis here in Wyoming. Each of us got the opportunity to discuss how best to meet the needs of Wyoming students. The majority of the panel supported an increase in taxes to generate revenue for education. Serving on the panel allowed me to share the importance of funding education, and more importantly, doing what is right for students. The panel answered questions from the moderator for the first hour and then allowed the audience to ask questions. The panel was supposed to last about an hour-and-a-half, but went well past two hours. It was an amazing opportunity to share with the public what happens in education and why it is so important to continue with a high level of funding. Left to right: Dirk Andrews, Sen. Chris Rothfuss, Sen. Bill Landen Lydia Bustos, a Laramie County School District #1 kindergarten teacher and WEA member, was part of an neaToday article in September. The article, titled "30 Under 30: A New Generation of Educators is Already Making a Difference," written by Brenda Álvarez, featured 30 young educators making their marks in education early on in their careers. Here is what the article said about Bustos: Rigorous academic demands have pushed many kindergartners to read and write by June, leaving behind their building blocks and pretend food items. But not in Lydia Bustos' class. "My philosophy of education is a 'play-to-scholar' approach," she says. While academics is a focus, this kindergarten teacher sees the value in letting "kids be kids." The full article can be found at neatoday.org/2017/09/14/30-under-30-the-next-generation-of-educators/.