Week of 10-10-2022

Inside this issue

• Voice preview: Altoona phys ed teachers take on TikTok
• Why this PSEA member will vote for Josh Shapiro
• Here’s how Doug Mastriano’s plan would devastate your school district
• PEARL and Center for Professional Learning
• Member Benefits spotlight: Liberty Mutual insurance

The November issue of Voice is headed to your mailbox. In it you’ll find a story on two phys ed teachers at Altoona Area Junior High School with a viral TikTok channel that’s helping redefine education in the social media space.

Jill Lane and Jill Helsel (left to right in above left photo) create video content under the handle @jhelsel using student suggestions to riff on popular trends and dances while wearing their school’s maroon uniform to stand out. But the thing that has allowed them to rack up more than 200K followers and nearly 10M likes since they joined TikTok in 2021 is the positivity they bring to the platform.

“In our videos, we like to highlight things that are positive in education,” said Jill Lane, athletic director and physical education teacher. “We can easily do that and make a positive impact on people together with TikTok.”

Read the rest of this story in the November issue of Voice.

In the lead-up to the Nov. 8 election, PSEA members have learned a lot about the two candidates for governor. That’s why our members, like Abigail Anderson above, overwhelmingly support Josh Shapiro.

Josh Shapiro is PSEA’s recommended candidate for governor because he has promised to:

• Increase salaries and solve the educator and education support professional shortage
• Protect our collective bargaining rights
• Reduce standardized testing
• Protect PSEA members’ pensions

With the election mere weeks away, we thought we should remind you about the danger Doug Mastriano poses to our public schools.

In March, Mastriano made it clear that he wants to cut per student public school funding by $9,000 or $10,000, which would add up to a staggering $12.75 billion cut to public education.

To help you visualize exactly how bad that would be for you and your students, we created a detailed model that lays out the cuts’ impact on every school district across the state. Click on the map image above or visit www.psea.org/mastrianocuts for more details.

Mastriano’s funding cuts would:

• Cut 33 percent of total school funding and up to 67 percent of some districts’ funding
• Eliminate 118,000 education jobs
• Increase student-teacher ratios by 109 percent

On Nov. 8, Pennsylvanians will choose our next governor. Before PSEA members go to the polls, consider Doug Mastriano’s and Josh Shapiro’s priorities for public education.

PEARL

Earn Act 48 credits, Chapter 14 verification, or postgraduate credits on PEARL, PSEA’s member exclusive online learning system with more than 95 courses and counting.

Here are just a few of the courses you have access to:

• Book Series Study: Little Legends/Dreamers/Leaders by Vashti Harrison
• Rethinking Grading
• Using Pear Deck to Engage Learners at a Distance

Webinars

• Using the Science of the Brain & Learning to Optimize Teaching & Instruction
  • Oct. 18, 5:30-7 p.m.

Book Discussions

• Gender Queer: A Memoir
  • Oct. 25, 6-7 p.m.
• Improve Every Lesson Plan with SEL
  • Nov. 3, 6-7 p.m.
• Poison for Breakfast
  
  • Nov. 15, 6-7 p.m.

Member Well-being

• Mindful Mondays
  • Oct. 17, 4:45 p.m.
• Mindful Mondays
  • Nov. 14, 4:45 p.m.
• Mindful Mondays
  • Dec. 12, 4.45. p.m.

As a PSEA member, you could save hundreds of dollars on your auto and home insurance with our premier pricing, as well as many other discounts. Liberty Mutual provides the coverage you need: PSEA Educator’s Endorsement, Deductible Fund, Home Computer Coverage, RightTrack, and more.

They offer auto and home specific discounts, 12-month rate guarantee, multi-policy discounts, and convenient payment options. Contact Liberty Mutual today to learn more or for a free no-obligation quote. For your dedicated Local Liberty Mutual Representative in your area call 717-224-2190, the call center at 800-216-0717, or online at www.libertymutual.com/psea-members.