ISEA

COMMUNIQUÉ A PUBLICATION OF THE IOWA STATE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION – MARCH 2018 – Vol. 55, No. 5 IN THIS ISSUE: Guns in the classroom Faces in the crowd 3 6-11 14 L studen egal: W ts w hen alk Set it... Set it... and forget it! and forget it! EFT AVAILABLE NOW! EFT AVAILABLE NOW! Service to country; service to community Cutting AEAs FOLLOW US ON: see CLASSROOM BOX on page 12 By Mike Wiser, mwiser@isea.org By Mike Wiser, mwiser@isea.org By Heather Anderson, heather.anderson@dmschools.org Stepping outside of the 'classroom box'. During the summer of 2015, my life changed forever, as a National Education Association Foundation Global Fellow I traveled to Peru. Stepping outside of my "classroom box" wasn't easy but it was extremely rewarding. One important takeaway gained from this fellowship was although we were exposed to an array of experiences that showcased the eclectic population of Peru, we learned that people are very similar with common hopes and dreams. I applied again and my 2018 NEAF Global Fellowship application was accepted. This summer I'll travel to South Africa as part of an international field study. But, first, I headed to Washington DC, in October, to meet the other fellows and participate in a global workshop. The workshop integrated community-building exercises and strengthened my understanding of global education. We were also introduced to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in order to think about the knowledge, skills and mindset that our students need to become active global citizens. The NEA Foundation Fellowship is a 12-month professional development program, with opportunities to learn from peers, including online coursework and webinars hosted by leading experts. I want to encourage other educators throughout Iowa, to Veterans and active service members fill the ISEA ranks see SERVICE on page 6 see AEAs on page 13 Heather Anderson Students file into a gymnasium in Waterloo's East High School under the watchful eyes of Lt. Col. (retired) Glen Keith minutes before the 9:19 a.m. third period bell rings. Keith joined the Marine Corps Reserve right out of high school in Cookeville, Tennessee. In college, he switched to the Army ROTC. After earning a commission in 1997 he stayed 20 years with the Army, with deployments in Bosnia and Kosovo in the 90s and two deployments in Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the last of which he oversaw logistics for 5,000 U.S. Troops and 5,000 Afghan soldiers. These dozen students in the gymnasium are a handful of the 70 who are enrolled in East's junior ROTC program which Keith now oversees. They line up in rows two deep, side-by-side arms length apart and stand ready for inspection. It's a big week for the students. They're headed to Missouri for a weekend Drill Team competition. "Not everyone is making it, but all are going," Keith tells his students after they take their seats in the basement-level classroom following the inspection. "Don't take it personal. We want to put our best foot forward." Keith hadn't always planned on a career in education, but like many veterans who help fill the ranks of the ISEA, he was driven by service: service to country and service to community. His military career brought him to the campus of the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls for a posting and that led to the start of a career in the The number of Area Education Agencies will drop from nine to seven over the next five years under a proposal making its rounds through the Capitol. But which AEAs will close, which may remain, what positions are eliminated and what the final configuration looks like, remains to be seen. "AEAs provide vital services and supports to Iowa's public school professionals and the students who depend upon them," said Janice Judisch, a member of the Central Rivers Education Association and committee chair of the ISEA's AEA committee. "The ISEA will fight to preserve those services for our Lt. Col. (retired) Glen Keith goes over the details of an upcoming drill for the students in his ROTC class at East High School in Waterloo. Keith has just under 70 students in the ROTC program at East, which has a friendly rivalry with the ROTC program at Waterloo's West High School. MIKE WISER/IOWA STATE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

• Cover
• Guns in the classroom
• Faces in the crowd
• Legal: When students walk