Pennsylvania State Education Association

Welcome to "The Source," an e-newsletter exclusively for Student PSEA members. In each issue, you'll receive the latest updates from your association, advice from veteran educators, professional development offerings, and more to support you as an aspiring educator.

• 2022 Student PSEA Conference and Convention: The premiere event for Pennsylvania’s aspiring educators.
• Potential Student PSEA Constitution and Bylaws changes to be considered and voted on.
• Get hands-on teaching experience as a substitute.
• Looking for a scholarship to help pay for your college?
• PEARL and Center for Professional Learning
• Webinars, Events, and Other Campus Happenings
• Follow Student PSEA on social media!

Registration, Accommodations, and Check-in:

When: April 7-9, 2022

Where: Bayfront Convention Center in Erie, PA

Registration Link: psea.org/studentconference

Due to the limited number of in-person participants available to attend, the Student PSEA Program Committee created a two-period registration process to have a fair, representative voting delegation at the Conference and Convention. 

Phase I: Priority Delegate Registration Period, Jan. 31 to Feb. 21

Chapters will be directly contacted to identify priority registration for their voting delegation capacity. Chapters will have until Feb. 21 to submit their delegates’ names for priority registration in a Google form. The number of voting delegates for the Conference and Convention is determined by chapter size. Please note that all participants must be current Student PSEA members to attend. If you are interested in attending, you must contact your chapter’s leadership and/or faculty advisor.

Phase II: All Student PSEA Members Registration Period (if capacity not met), Feb. 22 to March 24

After Phase I is closed on Feb. 21 and if the capacity limit of 300 registrants is not reached, the registration will open at 9 a.m. on Feb. 22 to all current Student PSEA members on a first-come, first-serve basis and will close when the 300 attendee capacity limit is reached.

Hotel accommodations: Each in-person attendee is responsible for arranging their own hotel accommodations by March 10 to get the discounted PSEA rate. Do not delay booking a room; all unreserved rooms will be released to the public for sale after this date.

• Book online: www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1639756088263&key=GRP&app=resvlink\
• Book over the phone: (814) 454-2005 and mention “Student PSEA Conference.”

Check-in: On-site check-in will take place on April 7 from 6-10 p.m. with an information and social event from 6-9 p.m. The conference and convention will begin with breakfast on April 8 at 7:30 a.m. An on-site registration will be available Friday morning for those who need it.

COVID-19: Important health and safety requirements

As important as the information we’ll share here is, it is just as important for all of us to take the necessary steps to keep everyone healthy and safe. So, please be aware of the following health and safety requirements for the 2022 Student PSEA Conference and Convention.

• Masking Required. All participants will be required to wear surgical, N95, or KN95 masks at all times during the conference, unless you are actively eating or drinking. Cloth masks will not be allowed. If you don’t have a surgical, N95, or KN95 mask, we will provide one.
• Social Distancing. Seating during the conference will be arranged so that all participants can be 3 feet apart from one another at all times.

At the Conference and Convention, you will:

• Hear from inspiring educators changing the lives of their students in 15 breakout session offerings including the 2017, 2018, and 2020 Pennsylvania Teachers of the Year: Mr. Mike Soskil, Ms. Jennifer Wahl, and Mr. Joe Welch, as well as keynote speaker, Ms. Gisele Barreto Fetterman.
• Have opportunities to change the lives of children and improve the community at McKinley Elementary School in Erie County School District through our “Outreach to Teach” school beautification service project. We are working with the school’s administration, faculty, union local, and community to create a more encouraging and fun learning environment for McKinley’s students and community. 
• Enact your own change in your association and strengthen yourself as a future professional educator through a variety of elected leadership positions.
• Have opportunities to connect with Student PSEA members from other chapters to learn, grow, and make a difference.

*Read text indicates changes.

Rationale for Name Change

During the 2017 NEA Representative Assembly, the NEA Student Program changed their name to the NEA Aspiring Educators Program. Changing the Student PSEA program name to PSEA-Aspiring Educators (AE) will allow us to closely match our parent organization.

Identifying our program with aspiring educators also creates a level of respect that is not received when we are referred to as students. The new name adds a level of professional respect to all aspiring educators across the state, regardless of their educational level in teacher preparation programs.

Rationale for Membership Section Changes

With changes from PDE and state law, any person with 60 college credits is eligible to be a substitute teacher, thus eligible for Substitute PSEA membership. The change in Section 3 will address this, so students will be eligible for Student PSEA membership through the duration of the membership year (Aug. 31) unless they procure a full-time EA position at which point, they are eligible for EA membership and would no longer be eligible for Student PSEA membership.

It has long been practiced that when a student graduates, they are eligible to attend the PSEA House of Delegates, NEA Aspiring Educators Conference, and NEA-RA. The Section 6 change makes this long-standing practice clear.

• Article I. Name

The name of this organization shall be the Student Pennsylvania State Education Association Aspiring Educators, hereafter known as “Student PSEA-AE". (Student PSEA would also be changed to PSEA-AE in 54 other occurrences in the Constitution and Bylaws).

• Article III. Membership

Section 1.  A student enrolled in or preparing for an accredited program of study that qualifies the student for a career in education shall be eligible for membership. 

Section 2.  No person shall be denied membership on the basis of race, creed, national origin, sex, or age.

Section 3.  No person who is eligible for any category of full-time EA professional membership in PSEA/NEA shall be granted membership in Student PSEA.

Section 4.  No person may hold membership in Student PSEA who does not also hold membership in NEA Student Program and an affiliate local, where available.

Section 5.  All members shall adhere to the PSEA and NEA Code of Ethics.

Section 6.   The membership year period shall begin Sept.1 and end Aug. 31.  Except as set forth in Section 3 of this Article, a member who graduates from a qualifying program of study remains eligible for membership through Aug. 31 of the membership year in which the graduation occurs.

Section 7.  Dues shall be as specified by the PSEA-NEA and shall be approved by a majority vote of the House of Delegates of Student PSEA. Membership of each person shall begin upon receipt of their dues. To be eligible to hold any elected or appointed office, a person must be a member in good standing as of Oct. 31 of the year for which he/she is elected or appointed to serve. (This text was formally part of Section 6 and will now be new Section 7).

Section 7 8. Student PSEA members shall be members of the Commonwealth Association of Students. Membership dues will reflect membership in both organizations.

The Pennsylvania General Assembly approved bipartisan legislation late last year to get more substitute teachers into public school classrooms and address the substitute teacher shortage that is stretching educators and support professionals to the breaking point. What does this mean for you?

As a student, you can help. Here’s how: 

• Soon-to-be-college graduates who have completed all their requirements except a PRAXIS exam and have not yet received their diplomas can become day-to-day substitutes or long-term subs on a temporary basis.
• Current college students who have completed a minimum of 60 credits in a Pennsylvania college or university teacher preparation program can be substitutes.  

Lucy A. Valero Scholarship Fund

Administered by PSEA, the Lucy A. Valera Scholarship Fund provides scholarships to outstanding Pennsylvania college and university students who are enrolled in accredited teacher preparation programs. Scholarship recipients are chosen by the trustees of the Lucy A. Valero Memorial Scholarship Fund, composed of PSEA officers, staff, and the Student PSEA president. Scholarships will be awarded at the annual 2022 Student PSEA Conference and Convention.

You must be a member in good standing of Student PSEA to apply. Applications must be postmarked no later than Feb. 15. Apply at www.psea.org/for-members/member-resources2/awards-grants/.

Susan K. Castle Scholarship Fund

The retired educators in Montgomery County (PSEA-Retired) offer annual scholarships through the Susan K. Castle Memorial Scholarship Fund to student PSEA juniors or incoming seniors who have graduated from a Montgomery County public high school. 

Applications must be submitted and received by June 5. Request an application by emailing Carol Cohen at carolco328@gmail.com. For qualifications and instructions, click here.

Have you looked into our new professional development resource? Don’t miss out on PEARL. You have exclusive access to easy-to-follow courses and progressions in an array of new formats to help you learn. Get started today at pearl.psea.org.

For a list of webinars, book discussions, and member well-being sessions hosted by the Center for Professional Learning in February, click here.

Rock Solid Educator’s Conference

Join Student PSEA at Slippery Rock University on Feb. 13 for the Rock Solid Educator’s Conference, featuring professional headshots, professional development, a teacher panel, and more! A $5 registration fee is required through Venmo. Free lunch will be provided. To register, click here.

Better Together Conference

Join Student PSEA Southern Region at Millersville University on Feb. 26 for Better Together, a conference dedicated to unifying classroom communities through celebrations of diversity. To register, click here.

Teacher Leadership Institute (TLI)

Join Student PSEA at University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg on March 19 for the Teacher Leadership Institute, a conference open to all Pennsylvania education majors and high school seniors interested in becoming a teacher. To register, visit upgspsea.wixsite.com/tli2022.

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The Source provides you with pertinent information, interesting features, and valuable resources on your journey as a Student PSEA member.