Democracy in Action! Vote for New Leadership!

It’s Election Time for the Plainfield Education Association Members. The association is at a crossroads. Stagnant leadership has resulted in no forward movement. Evaluate the record of leadership and choose REAL leadership that understands every member has a unique voice that deserves to be heard. I am running to serve as YOUR UNION PRESIDENT. I offer a fresh, positive voice for YOUR interests. I started this blog out of a need to ensure that YOUR needs as a member of the Plainfield Education Association were met, and that YOU could know where to turn for information. Your words of encouragement mean a lot to me. You deserve leadership that LISTENS to your concerns and responds with ACTION, not silence. I hope I have earned your confidence and your vote! Election Calendar and Candidate profiles can be found at the Plainfield Education Association Website (see link on navigation bar at right). Click on the image above to enlarge it--don't forget to vote!

Vote for Veronica “Roni” Taylor for PEA President!

Ballots will be distributed Thurs & Fri, March 21-22 

Ballots must be postmarked by midnight Sat, March 30

 

Annual Herbert Green Forum on Education

This is being posted by invitation from the League of Women Voters of Plainfield, where I served as president after Herb. I also served on the Board of Education with Herb. He is deeply missed. I invite all my colleagues to come out to this important event.

On Wednesday, March 6, 2013 at 6:30 pm, the League of Women Voters of Plainfield will present its First Annual Herbert Green Forum on Education, with guest speaker Dr. Arnold L. Glass, Professor of Cognitive Psychology at Rutgers University. The talk will take place in the Anne Louise Davis Room at the Plainfield Public Library, located at 800 Park Avenue in Plainfield.

Dr. Glass, whose research focuses on cognitive learning, heads the Learning and Memory Laboratory of the Department of Psychology at Rutgers, and he has published widely in the American Journal of Psychology, The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, Memory and Cognition, and other professional journals.

Dr. Glass writes, "When we see something or recall something or plan a sentence, a representation of what we see or recall or wish to say forms in our brain. What are these representations like? If we knew exactly what they were like then we could replicate them in databases that would be used by computers to see and speak the way we do."

Click here to be taken to Dr. Glass's webpage to read a full description of his research.

This event is free and open to the public, and we especially encourage educators to attend to hear Dr. Glass's presentation. Refreshments will be served after the talk.

The Herbert Green Forum on Education is named in memory of our beloved colleague, who died recently at the age of 87 after a brave battle with cancer.

Dr. Oz Supports American Education Week

(L to R: Monique McNair, Deborah, Johnson, and me with Dr. Oz)

Last week (November 11-17) was American Education Week, which is dedicated to celebrating the contributions of parents, education support professionals, and substitute teachers. To commemorate the week, The Dr. Oz Show taped a segment on ways to cheat to improve your health, wherein teachers battled to win bragging rights as “Health Cheats.” 

Plainfield Education Association members Monique McNair, Deborah Johnson and I represented a team from Plainfield High School, facing off against a team of wonderful educators representing Manhattan's Hunter College Elementary School. We taped the show last Wednesday at Dr. Oz's studio in New York, and I am happy to report that...WE WON! The show will air in December--I will let you know the air date!

Roni

 

Note: All data and information provided on this site is in the public domain and is for informational purposes only. This is a personal weblog. The opinions expressed here represent my own. --Veronica Taylor

Hurricane Sandy Relief Information

Last week was our first week back to school after Hurricane Sandy.  It was good to be back and to be able to check in with everyone. Please contact the Plainfield Education Association office with any concerns you may have as a result of our closure.

 

Many of our Plainfield Education Association members still face significant challenges personally as we return to our professional lives. Let’s take care of each other. In response to the unprecedented devastation caused by this catastrophic storm, the NJEA has created the NJEA Hurricane Sandy Back to School Fund. Go to:

NJEA Hurricane Sandy Back to School Fund

A good starting place if you are looking for resources is the NJ 2-1-1 Hurricane Response and Recovery site at:

NJ211 Hurricane Response and Recovery

Peace,

 

Roni

Disclaimer: All data and information provided on this site is in the public domain and is for informational purposes only. This is a personal weblog. The opinions expressed here represent my own. --Veronica Taylor

 

Blogging and Employee Rights

 
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has great information regarding the protection of workers' rights. Click here to be taken to the site. Below is the link to an article that specifically focuses on protecting the blogging rights of workers, and how your union can help protect your rights:

Legal Guide for Bloggers

Special thanks to Rebecca for sending along this information--my fellow bloggers who blog  on educational issues throughout the state will find it very informative!

Roni

Note: All data and information provided on this site is in the public domain and is for informational purposes only. This is a personal weblog. The opinions expressed here represent my own. --Veronica Taylor
 

Labor Day...Strength in Numbers

 
Labor Day is a harbinger of the opening of public schools in the Northeast--but not before the parades, barbecues, and last trips to the shore. The History Channel’s brief history of Labor Day (along with other short films on the American labor movement) can be seen here. 

The two unions that represent educators in the United States are, of course, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA). Plainfield Public School employees are members of the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), an NEA affiliate. You can read about the history of the NJEA by clicking on the link below to read the Special Issue. On page 24, as part of the story titled "QEA Mobilizes NJEA," you will see former Plainfield Education Association President Tom Falocco:

NJEA Review - 150th Anniversary Commemorative Issue

For a national perspective, take a moment to listen to NEA President Dennis Van Roekel's Labor Day Message for 2012:

 

   Remember the reason for this holiday, and get out and enjoy it--you earned it!

Roni

Note: All data and information provided on this site is in the public domain and is for informational purposes only. This is a personal weblog. The opinions expressed here represent my own. --Veronica Taylor