SB 834: Putnam City Protests Deregulation Bill

The Putnam City Association of Classroom Teachers and community members stood at major intersections during rush hour to alerting the public to SB 834, the bad deregulation bill sitting in the House of Representatives. Pictured above are those who gathered at NW Highway and Meridian.

As thousands of cars drove by, many drivers honked their horns and waved in support of the effort. The smiles and waves of the drivers made it all worth while and when traffic stopped at the lights, PCACT members handed out information on the bill to give many more details about its impact on kids and teachers.

The bill will be up for a vote sometime this week. Please continue to lobby your State Representatives, even if they have given you a firm answer. Make sure they continue to pledge a no vote. If they support SB 834, let them know this is a bad even with the recent amendments. Click here to email your representative.

RAA:John Glenn Elementary, Western Heights

This RAA stop found us at John Glenn Elementary School in Western Heights. The teachers and kids just moved into the building this year and it's an awesome facility. Everyone is so proud of their new school.

The Cat read to a number of different classes and no matter how young or old they were, they all loved it. The teachers are doing an awesome job and are an example of the quality found in our classroom all across our state.

RAA:Lexington

During our RAA trips, we were fortunate to be invited to Lexington Public Schools where we put on two programs for the kids. All of the students were great and we had another tremendous day. A special thanks to President Marcie Cole for all the work she does for her local, and a shout out to Cindy Williamson who helped put the program together and to Principal Butler for allowing us to visit a great school like Lexington.

RAA:Butner

OEA's Read Across America program made today's stop at Butner Elementary School in Cromwell. No matter what the size of the school, kids need to understand the importance of reading. And the kids were excited about the Cat sharing the stories about Dr. Seuss and following with the reading of "Green Eggs and Ham" that beat out "The Butter Battle Book" in a close vote.

Kids are great wherever we go and I see great things for Oklahoma. There are so many awesome teachers all across the state and they are providing our kids with the best possible education. Some of our districts have better access to resources compared to the larger districts, but our smaller schools find ways to get things done.

The kids, teachers, administrators and parents all take great pride in their school and community and Butner patrons were awesome today.

RAA:Meeker

On Friday, the Cat and I presented the OEA program to students and teachers in Meeker. The kids were excited and we had a great time with them. When it came time for the students to select a book to read, for the first time in memory, the kids at Meeker selected Dr. Seuss' "The Butter Battle Book". Usually kids select "Green Eggs and Ham".

A special thanks to Ms. Duncan, Meeker's Elementary School Principal and teacher Joyce Flowers for putting the program together and to all the teachers and support professionals who viewed our shows.

Pictured with the Cat are Debbie Flowers, Jennifer Colvin , and Joyce Flowers.

2009 RAA:Putnam City

On Monday and Wednesday, OEA's Read Across America Program teamed up with new partner Feed the Children, to drop off thousands of books to metro-area students. Each student received their own book.

In the photos, the Cat in the Hat (OEA staffer Bruce Treadaway) greets students as he arrives at each school. The Cat comes via a Feed the Children truck loaded with books and is usually greeted by a number of students, pictured are from Mrs. Sloan's class at Overholser.

At Lake Park, Principal John Lunn poses with Donna McMullen's class and representatives from Feed the Children Erin Carlstrom, Gary Sloan, James Hart, me and the Cat.

In the final picture, Mrs. Slavin's class thanks us for their books

The program will continue throughout the rest of February and March and is the largest Read Across America Program in the Country.

Claremore and HOPE

What a great group of people in Claremore. I got to meet so many good people. Sue Lamb presided over the meeting and I got to speak about the HOPE campaign. These ladies are excited about the campaign and what it will do for education. They were also very patient when I had to run back outside into the rain to get my camera so we could get a group picture.

More Back-to-School Events

A special day indeed, as I got to spend it in three locals who are fired up about the new school year and the HOPE campaign.During the ratification meeting at Western Heights, members of their local pledged to support the campaign to make a difference for Oklahoma's children. Sharon Teague, her officers and building reps do a great job. Their members are well represented.

At Moore, the Moore Association of Classroom Teachers had their annual "Teacher Extravaganza" where the teachers and support professionals get free lunch and an opportunity to visit a number of vendor booths. Getting a free meal puts everyone in a good mood. Jill Dudley, MACT President, and her members do a great job of setting up the event.

The HOPE campaign also had a table set-up in the commons area and many people were gathered there to sign the petition.

The day ended in Yukon with the local leaders and building reps of the YPEA and the new hires. We had a great meeting and everyone is ready to get the started. YPEA members are committed to great public schools and they are indicative of the quality of people I see across our state.

Harrah and Stillwater

On Monday I was in two of our locals, Harrah and Stillwater. At Harrah, after saying hello to local President Carla Jorski, I met Dr. Dean Hughes the Superintendent. Like all educators across the state, he was very interested in hearing about the HOPE campaign.

Later in the afternoon, Dr. Anne Caine, Stillwater Superintendent, introduced OSU President Burns Hargis at the Stillwater Public Schools back-to-school meeting. President Hargis gave the crowd an entertaining oratory and than talked about OSU and Stillwater partnering together for the success of our schools. It reminded me so much of the vision of the OEA-Great Public Schools for Every Student.

The Stillwater EA meeting followed the general meeting and I was introduced by Stillwater President Shawn Gregory. I discussed the importance of Stillwater's role in the HOPE campaign and answered some questions.

I really enjoyed my visit to my former district. There are so many friends still teaching in the SPS and their work contributes to Stillwater having great public schools.

Both Carla and Shawn do a great job as local leaders and I appreciate their commitment to our profession.

Pryor, SW E and Putnam City

What a week of local visits. I spent time in Pryor with the local officers and a number of new teachers and OEA members. All of them are excited about school getting started and want to be to get their share of signatures for the HOPE initiative. Suzanne Kull, the local president does a great job.(1st picture)

At the first SW E zone meeting held by OEA Director Connie Jensen, OEA members from Little Axe, Blanchard, Noble, Newcastle, Blanchard Support Professionals, and the Professional Educators of Norman were all geared up for beginning school actives including their roles and responsibilities with the HOPE campaign. (2nd picture).

After leaving the Zone meeting, I went to Putnam City West to say hello to our members who were getting ELL-English Language Learner training by NEA and OEA staff. The training is a part of our "Community Conversations" we've been having at West for a year and a half. It is a program making a difference for the kids, teachers and community our critics don't give us credit for the work we do. Doing so would acknowledge we are an active part of our communities.

I did have some sad news when I found out from a PC West teacher, one of my colleagues, and friend from Stillwater, had taken a job with Chesapeake. He told our mutual friend he has two kids getting ready to go to college and they need more than what he can provide them on his teaching salary. Another quality teacher leaves our profession because of financial issues.

The week ended on a high note when I got to address Putnam City's teachers and administration at the PCACT back to school meeting after receiving greetings from their new superintendent, Paul Hurst. Paul brings a great deal of leadership and responsibility to the position. He was recently the superintendent in Tahlequah.

During my presentation, I told everyone about the HOPE campaign and by the time we were finished, 1500 people were on their feet pledging to "stand-up" for kids by committing to sign the petition and getting all of their family members and friends to do the same.

I was extremely energized by the people in PC and look forward to watching their success in the position drive.

The day ended with my wife's faculty at their back-to-school dinner. We had a great time with everyone and Katherine collected her peers signatures on the petition. Lake Park is a quality school with special people who are committed to our children. Go Lions.

Moore Association of Classroom Teachers

I had a wonderful afternoon at the MACT luncheon for new hires. They are a great group of people who are excited about their jobs and ready to get started with kids.

Various members of the MACT were there to let them know how vital the new teachers are to the district and the success of the children in Moore. President Jill Dudley and her team members always do a great job of representing all that is good in teachers and our profession. Their goal is 900 members and I know they will get there.

Putnam City and Ponca City

Back to school meetings have started, and for new teachers, that means an extra couple of days to get acclimated to their new district and some training too. I had the privilege to attend both Putnam City and Ponca City new teacher events. (the photo is from Ponca City)

It is always great to see excited faces in the new teacher ranks of those just beginning their careers. I believe they are entering the best profession because of the relationships they build during their tenure. Those relationships are based around kids successes and challenges creating bonds that will last a life time.

Sharing the vision, mission and core values with our new teachers is a great way for them to understand what the OEA is all about. The HOPE campaign also falls under our values too and new teachers can and will see the organization in action as we garner signatures for the ballot initiative.

Perry

One of the great opportunities I have is to visit a number of teachers and support professionals all across the state. Recently I had the chance to spend time with members from our local in Perry.

We had a great meeting and the leaders in Perry, Linda Parham and Jackie Vester are representative of the quality of teacher we have in Perry. We spent a great deal of time talking about the difficulties of the legislative session and on that same day, the Perry Superintendent announced that he would be accepting a job in another district.

Our members in Perry are looking forward to expressing their views to their legislators while going through the search process for a new superintendent.

Read Across America-Southgate/Rippitoe Elementary, Moore

Our next stop on Friday found us at Southgate/Rippitoe Elementary in Moore. A special thanks to the Literacy Coach Mrs. Jennie Eddy.

Read Across America-Winds West Elementary, Western Heights

The next stop on the OEA Read Across America event was to Winds West Elementary School in Western Heights where we were greeted by a number of teachers and Assistant Principal Ms. Brayden Kahre.

Everyone had a great time as evidenced by the photos below:

Read Across America-Springdale Elementary, Tulsa

On Tuesday the NEA Cat-a-Van traveled to Tulsa's Springdale Elementary School where we were greeted and introduced by Principal Bradley Eddy.

The program included Mike and Paula reading as well as visits by Thing 1 and Thing 2 then followed by the Cat-in-the hat.

It was another exciting day for the kids and they really enjoyed the opportunity to sit down and read with adults. After leading them in the pledge, I encouraged them to continue to read for pleasure and to share the joy of reading with others.

Everyone cheered the presentation of $1,000, from the NEA,to buy more books for the Springdale library.

One of the choices at lunch was green eggs and ham. As you can tell, the kids loved every bite.

Another fantastic day in a great public school.

Read Across America-Lake Park Elementary, Putnam City

We had a great day at Lake Park Elementary on Monday afternoon. Principal John Lunn got the program started and the kids enjoyed reading with our guest readers, Paula, and the big yellow dog from "Green Eggs and Ham", as well as Mike reading "Fox in Socks."

I got to lead the kids in the pledge and then the school was presented a check for $1,000 from the NEA to buy books for their library.

Lake Park was also the recipient of a grant from the Putnam City Schools Foundation. The grant focused on electronic books---a very appropriate topic for the day.

Members of the Lake Park faculty wore their Eskimo Joe's Reading Shirts for this special day. Even Joe knows the importance of reading.

The Oklahoman reported the story on its web page using a podcast. They did a tremendous job reporting the message on the importance of reading.