This is a new section to our website. One of the ways of recovering our dues from the State and National level is the sponsorship of our members at local, state and national conferences. Here is where those members who are elected, volunteered or chosen to attend will report on what they learned and hopefully impart some of the knowledge they received. If you are interested in attending any of these future events, please email my office at [email protected]

​"2024 NEA ESP Conference, March 20-24

From Melissa Gum

"The first I'd heard of the NEA-ESP conference was when a co-worker nominated me. I was pleasantly surprised to be chosen as an alternate. Then I got the call that I had been chosen to go since someone had dropped out. I eagerly accepted the opportunity. I am incredibly new to being in a union and involved in our union, so I didn’t really know what to expect, however, I was told it would be amazing. In hindsight “amazing” is an understatement. It literally blew my mind. I had no idea how large it would be or the number of people I would have the honor to meet and listen to. I found my classes to be immersive and highly educational. The speakers had passion for the subjects they were teaching. They made me believe that I could go home and implement all the new things that I had learned. I received hands-on learning, group and individual activities, applicable practice, and even some supplies to bring home. It was an incredible experience and I would highly recommend anyone go if given the opportunity.

My first day I had the same room and classmates throughout the day. There were 3 different presentations during that time period. The presenters were great about working together and blending the topics together seamlessly. The focus was communication. The first part was “Harnessing Your Voice Through Storytelling.” It was about how to share the information you wish to convey in a way that will most effectively reach your audience. It was about how to put passion behind what you're saying so the audience can emotionally connect with you. I love to tell stories and I am not shy about talking to my peers, so this was a really good one for me to polish my already existing skills. The next part was “Persuasive Public Speaking.” It was a great segment to follow with. I was able to take the skills I learned in the first portion and then apply it to the actual public speaking portion. I do like talking to people, but public speaking makes me nervous and gives me a little bit of anxiety. I really needed practice in this area. I was able to have my partner record my speeches and we were able to focus on the tiny kinks that needed to be worked out. Things like filler words and talking too fast. I had a lot of unnoticed body and eye movements and I was able to work on not doing those things. I found this class wonderful for building my confidence. The last part was “Strong Digital Presence.” It focused on communication in the media and on the internet. I found this fascinating. There were so many aspects about the algorithms that I was unfamiliar with. I now know when the proper times to post are that reach the widest audience. I know what content should be shared and when. I really learned about listening to my audience and how to reach them. I found the 3 topics perfectly fit together and definitely taught me many new skills.

The second day I was in different rooms with different presentations. My first class was “Social Emotional Learning (SEL): From Toxic Stress to Self-Care.” I was expecting it to be student based, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it was directed towards staff instead. I really liked this one because as educators we often forget ourselves. We cannot properly and completely help our students if we are not taking care of ourselves first. It taught me some new techniques and things to focus on that I was not aware of before. I think SEL is incredibly important for both staff and students. This class was much appreciated. My next class was a topic I am already familiar with. “I Hear Your Voice: Practical and Low-Tech Communication Support for Students” was a really great presentation. I already use some of the assistive devices that we learned about in our class, but there were definitely some new ones. I was happy to add some tools to my tool belt. The last class that I took on that day was “Maximizing Your Financial Potential: A Hands-On Approach.” I really needed this class. Finance is definitely my weakness. My husband literally has to carry my cards in his wallet, because I’ll lose them or not know my balances and shop anyways. It’s not that I am not capable of learning how to do this, but that no one has ever taught me. I loved the way they presented the materials and the group discussions we had. We used real life scenarios to practice what we learned. I walked away from that class finally understanding how to budget the right way. This is also important for my ability to teach my students. I have 3rd-5th graders I work with and it’s a good age range to start discussing how to budget. The younger they start understanding how money works the easier it will be for them in the future.

The last day of the conference was dedicated to working with my fellow ESP’s in “Paraeducators.” It allowed us to network and meet new people from all over the United States. I even met new people from my own home state of Alaska. We broke into groups and switched up the groups frequently to make sure that we met new people. We were able to brainstorm ideas together. We shared our experiences about working in the classroom and real life situations. It’s really easy in a small group of people in a school to feel alone. To not feel supported. This made me realize that I am not alone and there is a huge network of para’s just like me all over our country. That we can lean on each other and learn from one another. This class made me feel seen, heard, and loved.

I have only ever been to 1 other conference and that was for my prior life as a medical assistant. It’s really the only thing I have to compare this to. This conference was amazing. I met so many awesome people and made so many new friends. From start to finish I went on this journey essentially on my own. I am the only para from my school that came and I do not know many of the other paraeducators. I was really scared to go alone, but my community of para’s brought me in and made me feel confident about being there. From the opening ceremonies to the closing ceremonies it was just beautiful. I really appreciate the opportunity and I am incredibly thankful for the support my union and fellow paras provide. We have such a blessed community and that flows out onto our children we teach. When we feel confident and loved, they will too. Much praise to our local union leaders in Wasilla. They do such a wonderful job and are always there for us. We couldn’t do this without them. Huge thanks to the people who put on the conference. They did a great job and I am excited to see what my future holds as a more prepared educational support professional.

Melissa Gum, Paraeducator
Cottonwood Creek Elementary
Wasilla, Alaska"

From Melissa Gregory
"It was a great opportunity to be able to attend the 2024 ESP Conference, I was an alternate this year. And I was happy to get the chance to attend as 2023 was an amazing experience. This year was just as amazing, for the most part. I met new people, not just in our district or in our state, but nationwide. I learned of their experiences, not just as educators, but when they were students as well. 
My favorite class was the very first class of the conference for me. The class was titled, CAP Rules Everything Around Me: Cultural Capital is Community Wealth. It was led by Gabriel Tanglao, Kimberly Scott-Hayden, and James Frazier. Let me start with my father was Iñupiaq and my mother is German. That will be touched on later. When people think of the word Wealth they think of money. To me wealth is about family, knowledge, and health. Wealth isn’t meant to be materialistic. Whose culture has value? One thing I’ve learned, is that most people have an implicit bias. Various narratives taught to us that create prejudice and prejudgment on people of color that are negative in view. I’ve dealt with it, as have my family and friends. People judge what they do not know. Cultural Capital Perspective:
1. Familial Capital and Social Capital- Recognizing and utilizing extended family and community members to enhance social and personal human resources. The network of people and community resources that can provide both emotional support and advice to navigate.
2. Navigation Capital- The ability to navigate social institutions, especially in ways that empower us to maneuver within unsupportive or hostile environments.
3. Linguistic Capital- The ability to develop communication skills through various experiences:
i. Dramatic pauses and comedic timing.
ii. Storytelling and attention to detail.
iii. Facial affect and rhythm.

4. Resistance Capital- The ability for marginalized populations to persist and resist in the face of oppression to become empowered.
5. Aspirational Capital- The ability to maintain hopes and dreams for the future in the face of real and perceived barriers.
 
There were a lot of examples brought up during the class. The first one was Brown Skin Girl by Beyoncé. It brought up how all shades in a race are beautiful. Whether you’re light skinned or dark skinned, you are beautiful. How self-love is important.
​Another example was Dear White Counselor by Sy Stokes. It discussed judgments based on race and the perceived stereotypes that people are most often to believe. This piece went over Resistance Capital and Aspirational Capital. He made it this far “despite never being protected by a system that was never designed to include me. You see this system is not broken. It was built this way.” People of color often get told to look for more realistic options. Like we aren’t people that are meant to succeed in life. The subtitles on the video are important to keep an eye on, you’ll note that the majority of the spoken words say Dear Why Counselor, and almost until the end does it state, Dear White Counselor. Something I hear often in Alaska, and I don’t mean in schools, just in general, is that Alaska Natives (the indigenous population of Alaska) are just going to grow up to be drunks, alcoholics if you will. Which isn’t true. We are so much more. I have friends that are nurses, doctors, secretaries, and artists. We can be whatever we set our minds to. This piece ended by saying, “But the next time a student of color walks into your office. I hope you tell them that this is what a realistic option looks like.” We went over how you shouldn’t judge someone by their work title. Just because we work somewhere, doesn’t mean we have to. I’m here because this is where I want to be. This is what I want to do. I am a secretary for an after-school program that brings enrichment classes to all students in need.
The last example from this class I want to touch base on is a piece written by Anacristina called On Being Bilingual. The first thing to stand out to me in this poem is, “This is America! We speak American in America.” The reason this stood out to me is when I was little, I spent a year in Germany and took Kindergarten there. My family and I moved back here and I had to retake Kindergarten, due to my age. The thing that doesn’t sit well with me today, is that my mother was pulled in for a conference and was told me that we were too stupid to learn English and German at such a young age. She was told to stick to English, because they didn’t want us to become confused. I am just now relearning German and it’s been hard. I shared my experiences with the class and I learned that there were others that this has happened to. While it was sad, I was glad not to be the only one to have had that experience. It was nice not to be alone. A couple other quotes from the poem that caught my eye are, “I will remain unapologetic if the unpredictability of my language choices makes you uncomfortable.” and, “It’s never too late to do the right thing, do today what you couldn’t do yesterday.” This class taught everyone that Every Culture is Cultural Wealth. Every Culture has value. We need to uplift our cultures and uplift our youth, so that no one feels left behind.

My next class, Supporting Students with Grief and Loss, taught by David Schonfeld. This was another good class. In it we learned the differences between trauma and distress. That not all stress is trauma based, but it can be distressing. Also we shouldn’t get stuck on trauma, we need to look into bereavement. In death, most people are afraid of forgetting their loved ones. That once their gone, they won’t be able to remember them.

Second, which I hadn’t known, is trauma often gets treated, but bereavement is considered a normal thing. It doesn’t get treated. Trauma and grief can co-occur at the same time. If a student goes through loss, a parent, family member, or friend. We need to be cautious on how we approach the subject with students. There are many ways to approach them, some right and some not. Sometimes students don’t want to talk about their loss with us. They talk about it enough with their peers, their family, or therapists; that they just want to have normal conversations with their teachers or ESP’s. It’s okay I do not want to talk about it. We need to be able to respect that. Some children may not appear to be grieving. They may not understand it. They may be overwhelmed. They may express their grief in other ways. Another thing I learned is that adults have the ability to think about Secondary Losses, that’s future events that loved ones may not be there for. Like walking you down the aisle, or being there for prom, or other events that are important. Children are not. They think of losses that are more immediate. Object permanence is hard to grieve and they forget the loss.
When talking with students about loss there are a few things we need to remember not to discuss with them. These are some of the no-no of loss communication:

1. Do not share personal Loss- It creates comparisons and may not make them feel like their loss was enough. Or it could make them think they need to take care of us.
2. Do not try to cheer them up.
3. Do not try to tell them how to feel.
4. Do not encourage them to be strong.
5. Do not judge them for how they grieve.

We also need to be aware of Cultural Diversity. There are differences in cultural practices of grief, but the fundamental experience is universal. If you are unsure of how to proceed, do not be afraid to ask for help. Remember to not make assumptions, because you run the risk of making stereotypical mistakes that aren’t helpful. That could cause emotional harm. Approach the family with an open heart and an open mind. Help the family identify what is important about their cultural practices and work with them to find a solution.
“There’s no problem so awful that you can’t add some guilt to it and make it even worse.” We need to remember that we all grieve in our own ways, there is no right or wrong way to grieve. What works for us doesn’t always work for others.

To stop this from getting too long, let’s move to the final class. Clerical Services. We learned more about the ESP Bill of Rights. You can’t run a school for one day with ESP’s. We are your transportation services, secretaries, lunch staff, paraprofessionals, and custodians.

“You are the only you you have.” “You control how much of you you give away.”
“Never give anyone permission to treat you less than you deserve to be treated as human beings.”

All valuable takeaways from this session. Remember, do not judge us by our work titles. And one job should be enough. Lastly, here are two key points that I got out of the sessions.


1. You don’t organize, if you agonize.
2. Together we bargain. Alone we beg
If you ever get the opportunity to attend an ESP conference, I recommend it. The experience is worth it. The conferences get better every year. I hope to have the opportunity to not only attend the conference again, but to also attend the preconference. I hear it is a necessity. I look forward to applying next year. Thank you again for choosing me as an alternate. And remember, Together we bargain! Alone we beg!"




From Elizabeth McCamon

"I wanted to extend my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity to attend the NEA-ESP conference in vibrant Las Vegas, Nevada, this year. It was a privilege to be selected for my first ESP conference, and I must say it exceeded all my expectations! Throughout the event, I gained invaluable insights into the power of union representation, effective leadership, and the tangible benefits they offer to educators like you and me. As a participant in the True Colors class, identifying my color as "Gold" gave me a deeper
understanding of my strengths and how they contribute to our collective success. One of the most inspiring aspects of the conference was witnessing hundreds of education support professionals come together in solidarity, regardless of geographical boundaries. It was
reassuring to realize that despite our diverse backgrounds, we share common challenges and triumphs. The opportunity to connect and forge friendships with colleagues from across the nation was truly enriching. In the "Social Emotional" session, I learned the importance of prioritizing self-care to support our students effectively. Seeking help when needed is not a sign of weakness but a crucial step in
maintaining our well-being.
The "Effective Communication" workshop equipped me with valuable strategies for expressing my opinions assertively yet respectfully. Understanding the power of body language and the nuances of delivery highlighted the significance of what we say and how we convey our messages. The challenge of creating an origami envelope blindfolded underscored the importance of active listening and following instructions precisely. During the captivating "Public Speaking" session, I discovered techniques for enhancing my presentations, captivating my audience, and managing pre-performance nerves. The "Box Breathing" exercise shared by the instructor proved to be a valuable tool for calming nerves before speaking engagements.

In summary, the Professional Learning Community provided me with many tools to enhance my teaching practice and foster greater collaboration within my team. However, I must express my discomfort with inserting political conversations and partisan advocacy into professional development sessions. Such discussions detract from the primary purpose of these forums and undermine the inclusive spirit of learning and growth. Once again, I extend my sincerest thanks for affording me the opportunity to participate in this transformative conference. It has left an indelible mark on me, and I am deeply grateful for the experience.
Warm regards,
Liz McCamon
Wasilla Middle School ESP"

From Ashley Mattingly
​
"I attended the ESP National Conference in Las Vegas this year 2024. I want to start off by saying it was a privilege to be chosen to go and be part of this conference. I attended some great sessions that i think would be helpful for others here in our area. 

The first session I attended was great. It was the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) From toxic stress to Self-Care. This session was very informative as it gave a lot of useful information on how to deal with toxic work environments and how to cope and take care of yourself when dealing with this kind of environment. It was nice to see that we aren't the only district that deals with these kinds of environments that they deal with the same day to day toxic environments we deal with. It was helpful in the way they gave us ways to handle these situations and people and to help with our own self care to help us get through these difficult times of toxic stresses in our lives. It gave me new tools to use for myself and deal with these environments on a personal level. I would highly recommend this session to anyone who is dealing with these situations in their district. Here are some good tools I learned through this session:
Do a brain dump and make a list of everything going through your mind at the time. This will help to release some of the thoughts and stress and take some deep breaths and release it. Next, using the wheel of emotions to figure out how you are feeling and what self care methods could be helpful to eliminate them and help to deal with those stresses. The 8 dimensions of self care were Intellectual, career, physical, social, spiritual, emotional, environmental, financial. These 8 dimensions help to determine what at the time triggers the stress you're dealing with. We learned to avoid, Alter, Accept, & adapt. It is good to avoid toxic people, relationships, and limit the stress. Alter is when we can't avoid the stressors but to decrease the effect it can have on you. By doing this you can set boundaries and manage your time and prioritize your tasks to alter and decrease the stress it causes a person. Accept is when you can put your energy into things you can change, instead of things you can't. Figure out what you can learn from your stressors and try to practice forgiveness for yourself and not for them. Balance your energy and accept what you can't change. Adapt is where you will need to figure out if you can change your perception about any of your stressors and can you stop striving for perfection and set more realistic expectations. Try to see the big picture as (perspective, realistic expectations, set boundaries). A good example they taught us was 1. toxic people 2. avoid them if possible 3. accept they will not change. 4. set boundaries that you won't accept their behavior any longer. Here was some other helpful tips I learned at this session. 1. Reduce your stress load and learn to say no if you're already overloaded. 2. Develop a good support system of people you can talk with and get help from when needed. 3. Break the stress cycle with relaxation so doing something you enjoy each day. 4. Get regular or moderate exercise such as walking or biking. 5. Do stretch exercises and practice deep breathing to relax your body. 6. Learn to forgive and forget as resentment hurts most of us. 7. Get help from your supervisor if they are the work stressor and how to deal with the work stressors causing it. 8. Don't be hard on yourself and realize that everyone makes mistakes. 9. Take care of yourself by getting 7-8 hours of sleep daily, eat regular meals and limit caffeine and alcohol. 10. Live one day at a time and don't worry excessively about future problems which likely won't happen anyway and focus on what you can do that day. 11. Be positive and optimistic in your thinking as us humans tend to experience in life what they expect. 12. Join an encouraging faith or support group as finding caring friends that can help you cope. 13. Get professional help when needed to talk to a counselor or mental health counselor or doctor as so when a person who takes control of their life and approaches stressful life events as opportunities to learn or grow is more resistant to stress and lives a healthier more fulfilled life. 

I attended the Beyond your Vote: Become an EdActivist
This session was informative as it gave insight on how to help have your voice and opinions heard. It taught us how to start an organizing network for campaigning locally about the issues of what needs to be addressed and to help get people aware and get people out to vote and make their voices and opinions heard. This session helped to be able to communicate at a standard foundation level to listen and communicate written or verbal with a diverse audience such as students, parents/guardians, staff, and visitors of the community. It is important to do relational organizing to emphasize personal relationships and networks. We as individuals can organize personal networks by reaching out to friends and family about important issues that are important to them and to influence their understanding and behavior and call them to action. Once  you figure out who your people are you can start having conversations with members and voters through knocking on doors, texting, email, making phone calls. You can share content on facebook and sign petitions and then they can share with their networks. You can do registered events to help with this as well. When starting a Campaign plan you want to be intentional, strategic, realistic, and to think locally. Thinking about all the work you would do and using a template is a helpful tool to think through the details at the same time share across the team starting with big questions of Electoral Priorities, goals that you want to achieve through the campaign, strategy and tactics on how you will talk with your members and voters, what message it is sending as to why the election matters. Once this is done you can review your campaign template plan and start the campaign with your network you have created.

I attended the Creating your road map to leadership and organizing

This session was fun and informative as it gave information and tools on how to become a good leader and organize a good team. It helped to determine your ability to present and conduct oneself in a professional manner in all job settings. We discussed where we saw ourselves if we were an extrovert or introvert and on our road map of who will be on our team and what each person brings to the team and their abilities for each person so we can have a successful team. I learned there are 7 different leadership styles. 1. Democratic, Autocratic, Laissez-Faire, Transformational, Transactional, Bureaucratic, Servant. We had to determine what energy we are putting towards our team, who we will have on our team with the characteristics and qualities each person brings for a successful journey, and how to determine who will be each title in our team to have success. Once it is determined what each person brings to the team and their characteristics and qualities then we could determine what title each person will have. There will always be roadblocks during your journey and all teams won't always be successful. But if you organize the people on your team with smart goals for each of them and work together by taking others opinions and goals of how to be successful with the journey and compromising together at creating smart goals then your team is more likely to be successful. If you have a good leader it helps to be able to guide your team in the direction of the journey you are seeking. It is good to have individuals that choose to be on your team and those that wish to elevate into leadership individuals that truly want to see  you win as well and understands and appreciates you and your leadership journey as well as your style. When making sure that your leadership is one that others will desire to replicate and reimagine for the greater good of our professions, our union, students, and our communities. All teams will stumble and may not succeed but if you continue to work hard, reinvent and reignite the passion, the people and the journey and you will win everytime. This was very useful for becoming a good leader and helping to organize a great team for success. 

I attended the Advance Your Negotiation Mastery
This session was good for advancing your negotiation skills. This session was useful but I felt a little out of place in this one as I haven't ever done negotiations. By the end of the class I felt it was helpful and gave me ideas of how to negotiate and the process of them which was informative if this was something I wanted to pursue. I learned to assume good intentions. To listen actively. To respect diverse opinions. To allow others to share. I learned that with an agreement both sides can come to terms and can live for short periods of time. I was taught there were different bargaining styles such as aggressive which is a win or lose. A passive which could leave things on the table. A last balance which is a win/win or collaborative style. I got informative information on why it is usually hard to reach an agreement in negotiations because of different values, different priorities, different perceptions, different cultural backgrounds, biases/prejudices, and positional bargaining styles. Good leadership helps to utilize skills of negotiation and influence to create change. They described the different styles of negotiation which are compete which describes hard-nosed, conflictual, and moving against the other. Compromise which is splitting the difference, sharing, horse-trading. Avoid which is moving away from the other, losing/leaving, or withdrawing. Accommodate which is yielding/losing, friendly, helping, and moving toward the other. Collaborate which is problem solving, integrating, even handed. With these 5 styles I learned how different people and districts are in their negotiations. Everyone does things a little differently when doing negotiations and how they use their styles to come to an agreement. It does matter on what you say and how it is perceived. They also do a consensus so a group can contribute and make a final decision and support that final decision. When doing trying to reach a consensus it is good to listen and pay attention to others, to encourage participation, share information, try not to agree to quickly and ask questions, don't bargain or trade support, don't vote, treat differences as a strength and don't compete, create a solution that can be supported by all, avoid arguing, try to seek a win/win solution. When a group reaches a consensus they finally agree on a single alternative. They went through how to work with difficult people when bargaining and how to get past the no people. It is best to stay objective, know that you don't have to like them, to stay focused, think outside of the box when in negotiations, be willing to walk away if needed, regroup for another day, be realistic, avoid the answer "no", and beware of gender/race bias. It is good to be prepared, take time to analyze all issues, create as many options as possible, think several steps ahead, prepare for worst case scenarios, consider who should lead the negotiation, set ground rules, schedule multiple negotiation days, and negotiate in person or zoom as opposed to trading proposals. I feel next time if I attend a session like this I would like to start at the beginners class so I could learn more on how to get to negotiation mastery skills. This was helpful if I was part of negotiations and had some experience in it. 

The last session I attended was Clerical Services:
It was great to see clerical staff from all over the USA that had attended this conference. We learned about how their districts are treated and their district works. It was a great learning experience to know we are all alike in what we do as clerical workers and we can stick together. It was nice to get to know how other clerical staff works through problems and concerns with their locals and districts. 

Overall through the sessions I went to my favorite was The Social emotional learning. I can relate to that session in so many ways. I have used the ideas and tools I learned in that session in my day to day life now. It was very helpful and informative for self care and working in a toxic environment and to hear and see others struggling the same way I do. I would love to attend more sessions like this one as in the society we live in nowadays this was very useful."


From Mary Kay Lanstra

"These workshops and conferences made me realize that  there are so many paras like me in the same situation. We are not alone and together we can be a very powerful voice and advocate for other paras. I learned many helpful suggestions and techniques in my field. Meeting new people from all over, including my own state, was awesome and inspiring. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to experience this. I appreciate it.

Conference 1, Social Emotional Learning From Toxic Stress to Self-Care
Self- Advocacy is speaking up for yourself, staying informed, knowing your rights, problem solving, self determination and asking for help. With that being said a few common responses to stressful events are Physical ( weakness, grinding teeth, muscle tremors, and headaches) Cognitive  ( poor attention, guilt, memory problems and nightmares,) Emotional ( anxiety, sadness, fear, overwhelmed, and irritability) Behavior ( sleep disturbance, pacing, change in activity, and anti-social behavior)
The first step to self-care is to Avoid. This a question to ask yourself, what stressors can I limit in my life?, what can you say “NO” to in your to do list in your life.
The second step is to Alter. Ask yourself what can I change to decrease stress, what boundaries can I set and how can I manage my time and task.
The third step is to Accept. Put your energy into things that I can change and what I can learn from them, and practicing forgiveness.
The four step is to Adapt.  Ask yourself can I stop striving to be perfect all the time and give myself realistic expectations, I need to look at the big picture. 
How to speak up is perspective thinking, which is looking through the eyes of others and asking questions to better understand.
 To better help us with self care we have 8  Dimensions of self care to learn.
1 Intellectual/mental - ( read a book, learn a new skill, create a vision board, and puzzles)
2 Physical - (stay hydrated, take a nap, take a bath, eat healthy, workout and swim)
3. Emotional -( it is ok to cry, listen to podcast, watch a favorite movie and sit quietly)
4. Social- ( reach out to someone regularly, social events, and positive media)
5.Spitural -( Pray, journal, meditate, yoga and practice forgiveness)
6. Career - ( set boundaries, it is ok to say “no” take a day off, and give yourself grace)
7.Financial - ( forgive pass financial mistakes, create small and long term goals.)
8.Environmental-( organize your space, rearrange furniture, and make this comfortable to you.)
Great Saying to write or post around you
“ Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love”
“ Be gentle with yourself, You’re doing great” ,  “you got to nourish before you flourish”
Conference 2     You are inclusive induction and mentoring models for Novice Paras
This is an insight of when new paras get hired how many of us have no schooling, instruction or backgrounds in the class they are put in. We have the powder to voice the necessary skills with support and  culture building. 

This session investigates individual settings and participate in strategic, work to analyze strengths and weaknesses. With this we can develop a plan for data collection which will allow better plans of action for paras learning and mentoring while gaining professional growth. The case shows that paras are often asked to support their teachers in the classroom with no para education specific to their duties or have opportunities available to them. 35% of districts nationwide are reporting a para shortage. Onboarding programs should orient ESPs to the following key elements like :school site, their duties, school policies and procedures, along with the appropriate way of communication with parents and colleagues. According to the US By Bureau of Labor Statistics, a para on average receive 0 hours of on-the-job-training.
Conference 3                  Effective Communication Be Seen, Be Heard
This workshop will help learn how to effectively communicate, including how to be clear, concise, and confident in communicating my ideas. Communication is the process of sending and receiving information among people. The process of communication is what allows us to interact with each other. There are Seven C’s of effective communication.
1, completeness - the information should be complete for the communication to be effective
2.Conciseness - communicating what you want in the least possible words. 
3.consideration- keeping the audience into consideration by knowing the viewpoint, background, mindset, educational level and “stepping into the shoes of others”’
4.Clarity- implies emphasizing on a specific goal, to help understand the message easily
5. Concreteness- is being particular and clear, showing a level of confidence
6. Courtesy- is being polite, kind, judicious, enthusiastic and convincing. 
7.Correctness- implies that the information is correct and it conveys through the message
Not only do we have to communicate clearly we also have to have the ability to listen to others,

Active listening is an important aspect of effective communication. You are unable to engage with someone if you are not listening to them because you will tend to make assumptions about their needs based on your perception versus reality. “Communication is a skill that you can learn. It's like riding a bike or typing. If  you’re willing to work at it, you can rapidly improve the quality of every part of your life.”

Conference 4   Maximizing your financial potential a hands on approach
This workshop allows us to explore a variety of financial management to improve life and learn how to identify solutions to common financial problems by using the Elizabeth Warren Rule 50/30/20 rule.

50% is your essentials - 30% is discretionary  - 20% is your savings / Debt

In order to do this you will need to create a Budget, Build an emergency fund, pay off high Interest debt, save for retirement, invest in the future, plan for taxes, protect family and monitor and review progress.
Thank you again
Mary Kay Lanstra"





From Ginny Allen
"This year the National ESP Conference was held in Las Vegas NV. I was fortunate enough to be selected to attend, and even more excited that it was my first time! I appreciated the wide range and variety of classes offered. Some classes to consider were targeted towards mental health while others went the direction of union engagement and growth. No matter what category your job title fell under, there was an engaging class to attend. Among my favorites were Supporting Students With Loss and Grief, and Toxic Stress to Self Care. Within these two classes alone, I was able to share what I learned with my coworkers, and implement the newly acquired new tools right away.
I appreciate the Unions investment in me so I can continue my professional growth. With their help, I am a better educator. I am a better co-worker. I am better prepared to handle new and challenging behaviors that arise."




"2024 NEA-Alaska Delegate Assembly

From your President, Rick Morgan. 
"Turns out that bargaining the largest classified contract in the state while the teachers were imposed upon attracted some attention. Winning the Outstanding Local Award for 2024 was a surprise to yours truly, but after thinking about it for a minute, totally understandable. Because I represent the best classified employees in the State! And add to that the 2024 NEA-Alaska ESP of the year is our own Mandy Swarthout! And add to that our own CEA Board Member at Large, Chad Swarthout wrote an NBI for a $100,000 solely for membership retention and recruitment!! And it passed! We are going to be seeing the affects of that grant for the next year and see our union grow as a result. This is why attendance is so crucial. What we do at the Delegate Assembly has REAL impact on not only our local, but statewide. That was worth the price of admission and brings our dues back into the valley! Our members are becoming leaders across the state. And the networking we did at the DA is going to help other locals benefit their members! What's next? Membership blitz starts February 12th, we will be talking to new employees across the district, introducing them to CEA and we will hopefully sign every one of them up! Thank you to our entire team that went to Anchorage, hard work in committee and late night working till 11pm on Saturday earned dividends for our members. And you actually saw your President on the dance floor. lol"

From Melissa Gregory
"In January I was able to attend the 68 th Annual Delegate Assembly, DA for short. This is my second DA and I was elected to go by my peers in the MatsuCEA. DA is a place where educators gather and work collectively on New Business Items. Each year NBI’s
are written, some new and some not, in the hopes that they will get passed. Not all do. One of the best parts of DA involve the people. It’s about meeting new people. Working with like-minded people. It’s about collaborating with your peers across the state of
Alaska to pass NBI’s that matter the most to us. It’s about making the change we want to see in Education.

The process of New Business Items begins with someone writing an NBI that makes a difference for them. Then those NBI’s are given a committee where they belong in. The NBI gets worked on in that committee and they decide where to make changes or not.
The committee is also the first place where an NBI can pass on to the DA Floor or where it fails and gets left behind. If it passes, there is one final vote before it is adopted. My committee of choice this year was Communications, our chair Cory Hughes. There were a lot of NBI’s we went through fixing and passing or vetoing.

NBI 24-12: Highlighting Native American and Alaska Native Educators. Specifically meaning that NEA will highlight Native Americans or Alaska Natives from at least two regions in the state of Alaska during the month of November Aktivist. This was made to reflect our states Heritage and History. This NBI passed.

NBI 24-06: Support for Jobs Act. This NBI was written so that the NEA-Alaska President shall send a letter to its members urging support for the Alaska Minimum Labor Standards ballot Initiative. This NBI is created to highlight the merits of increasing Alaska’s Minimum Wage, provide workers with paid sick leave, and protects workers from practices that violate their constitutional rights. This NBI also passed.
​
These were just a couple that stood out to me. There were many that were important. If I were to list them all we would be here a while. If you ever get the chance to, I recommend applying for a position at the next DA. They are held every January, usually beginning Thursday Night and ending Saturday Night or even Sunday Morning. The end date is all dependent on how many NBI’s are passed in committees and how long each are worked on before they pass or fail. This is an amazing experience, one I hope I get the privilege to attend again. Thank you all for electing me to attend the 68th Annual Delegate Assembly. I look forward to applying next year.
Melissa Gregory"

From Robert Parrish
"This year's Delegate Assembly was a very light spending year.  Only around $140,000 came up in the new spending bills.  The BSA rally was an great idea. A lot of local support and a huge amount of support from the DA.  The temperature was a little brisk with temperatures in the low teens to single digits and of course a light Anchorage breeze to help.  We had a large number of new delegates this year. Mat-Su CEA also won for the Best Local Association.  We also had Mandy Swarthout take the ESP of the year award."

From Arin Tampke
"One of the things I love about DA is the opportunities to meet new people and reconnect with educators I have met in the past. Collaborating with educators from various locations and fields can help put the issues we are seeing on a local scale into perspective. This also is a wonderful opportunity to discuss our local issues and get a fresh point of view on ways we can address shortcomings. This year had a bit of a schedule change as we did a Red for Ed rally in downtown Anchorage to bring awareness to the needs of students and educators by calling for a raise to the BSA.

In the Human Rights Committee this year we only had a few New Business Items we brought to the floor. The one that I thought was worth highlighting was the one to send two delegates from each region to the Alaska Federation of Natives conference. While those who attend would only be doing so as observers and could not vote on issues during the conference, I believe this is an important opportunity for members and delegates to learn about the Stewarts of our lands and better appreciate their cultures.

We also brought forward belief statements so it can be known that NEA-Alaska supports its union members and opposes discrimination against all minority communities. By having these belief statements, we can show solidarity for all members, and they can take pride in being part of a union that is an advocate for change."

From Sherie' LaRue
​"I was fortunate enough to attend the Delegate Assembly this past weekend and it was amazing! It’s so great to see certified and classified staff from all over the state come together and work on what they want our union to do for us. Our voices are heard and we get to decide what we think as a whole body what is important to us and the students we teach. We get to tell NEA Alaska what they should be lobbying for at the legislature level. To watch the whole process unfold is so fun to witness and you learn so much. I would definitely recommend to any member to go and attend.  Get your voice heard and represent your union. Together we can make a difference!"

From Toni Smith.
"The 68th NEA-Alaska Delegate Assembly in Anchorage was the place to be this year. Seven Regions and retired came as one to talk about the direction our union should go. Eight committees ranging from Human and Civil Rights to Building Local Capacity got together to write some great New Business Items (NBI) that our union will be working on this year. Fixing our broke retirement system and education funding were at the top of the list this year. Lots of work was done, but it was also a time to meet and talk to fellow members. It was a great reminder that you are not alone in the daily struggles you face at your schools. If you want your voice heard about the direction you think the union should head this is the place to be."

From Heather Milstead.
"I just attended my second DA. Last year was full of learning what DA is, does, etc. This year I was able to participate on a different level. (I fully participated both years.) Being able to come together, not just with CEA and MSEA but with our peers from all around the state provides invaluable insight into the issues that plague our state. The ability to converse both the positives and negatives shows us we are not alone. I was part of the ESP committee and thought it was wonderful that there were teachers on the committee. Teachers committed to helping ESPs feel appreciated, seen, and heard. I love the ability to come together as *educators* and not teacher vs ESP and help shape the education profession in Alaska."

From Ginny Allen.
"Rick has had many brilliant, and strategic moves during his time as our president. So when he asked me to be part of the 68th Annual Delegate Assembly, I was reluctant, but ultimately agreed with his request... and honestly, was intrigued about being part of his bigger plan. 
    I have heard conversations about DA, and how things worked. The process. The time and energy people put in.The excitement leading up to the event...and even rumors about how "fun" it was. Though I did not completely understand what they were explaining (or expecting from me), I dutifully agreed to be part of the bigger picture.
   NEA Alaska and CEA are both beautifully organized, so checking in was a breeze. 
I dropped my luggage in my hotel room and then made my way back downstairs to the clearly labeled NEA tables. There was so much energy from excited participants that I could almost see electricity emanating off their bodies. The Steering & Rules team handed me my 2024 Delegate Notebook and my credentials. I got a very special white ribbon on my lanyard that labeled me as a New Delegate. A very effective tool used in order for fellow Delegates to identify me and my very new experience.
   Included with my 2024 Delegate Notebook was the weekend agenda.
 First up, New Delegate Orientation. Again, more people explaining to me the series of events, what to expect, how things worked, and how "fun" (?) this was about to be. I was still confused. But, OK. I'm still open to seeing where this will lead...Then we were excused for dinner before starting General Session 1. In the Ballroom we were seated by region. I am proud to say that Mat-Su was heavily represented! 
During General Session 1 we were given a very warm welcome that included a beautiful opening blessing by local Alaskan indigenous peoples and our NEA Alaska President. President Klaymeyer went over rules and expectations. We were then excused to our first caucus meeting of the event.
   Region 7 was a delightful mix of certified teachers, librarians, retired teachers, para professionals, support staff, and related services. Every position in the Mat-Su seemed to be represented. During this session we went over a New Business Item (NBI) and our opinions about it. At this point, I still haven't wrapped my head around what exactly was happening, and we were  excused for the night and reminded that breakfast started at 6am.
    Before arriving to DA we were assigned to committees depending on your own personal interest. I signed up for Building Local Engagement/Member Engagement. Something I thought I'd fall naturally into. Here we went over NBIs that members had previously filed and where we had to vote on whether or not it was worthy enough to bring to the floor for NEA-Alaska to vote on. This is the point where I started to understand what was happening....kinda. Then off to lunch.
   General Session 2. This was a special night for some very accomplished union members to be recognized. It felt so good to share in their excitement and joy! This sparked some very powerful emotions within the room. I wish the recipients could hear the quiet cheers and encouraging words from the crowd. All recipients left the podium beaming. It was amazing. We have some very talented and driven members doing some very powerful and meaningful accomplishments! In natural order, session 2 was over and all members were invited to the Awards Reception and Social Event.
   If it is one thing educators do well, it's celebrate. We LOVE to network, share, have fun, and apparently, dance. Who knew?! I guess we all have that inner Broadway performer just waiting to come out, once a year. I loved it, you guys were so fun! 
   Saturday Morning we all had breakfast before heading to our Caucus Meeting by region. Members gave an update about what was discussed and decided in the previous days committee meetings. Here is where we also got to hear about the broad range of NBIs that were about to be brought to the floor later in the day, during General Session 3.
   The start of General Session 3 we were presented with a very well put together informative mini documentary about Alaskans indigenous students and their families. It was very difficult to watch, but it was needed. There were many tears shed in the audience. After the emotional video, President Klaymeyer gave a passionate speech  about raising the state BSA, and the rally to be held in Town Square Park. I loved how even in the cold weather, Alaskan educators came together to rally for something so SO important to our staff and students. The rally had local government representatives and many regions of Alaska present as well as local media. 
   Late Saturday afternoon started General Session 4 with committee reports and Floor Action. We worked for a few hours before being excused table by table to gather your meal from the buffet for a working dinner. Here is where I started to fully grasp why everyone refers to this event as so "fun".  I love a good healthy debate, and I especially love being part of something that makes a difference that directly impacts my local community. I love long standing traditions and rules, and I loved how there was even a person there who's sole purpose was to make sure that we were following the rules to a T. This person actually turned out to be one of my new favorite people I met! 
We had 35 pages of NBIs. 67 opportunities to have your voice heard. 67 opportunities to have your named tied to something that could change the course of events happening all around you. 
I heard so much passion in Delegates voices while their NBI was on the floor. I heard the passion in Delegates voices while they argued either for or against. This was the FUN. Being part of something that is bigger than yourself is FUN. It is also important. It is important to bring forward new ideas and policies and practices that make public education safe, and effective. Why wouldn't you want to be part of something like that? 
    So, if you are approached by a fellow co-worker (or Rick) to participate in next years DA, or another union event, I hope you give it some thought. But not just a moment of thought, but an actual consideration, There are so many ways to get involved in our Local....and the beauty of it is, is that you get to be part of a larger scope. You can do good things. You can make a difference. You can be informed. You can be part of the process. 
    During my drive home, I told my friend that being part of this event was like being part of Abbot and Costello "Who's On First" 
I didn't quite understand what was happening until I was in the belly of the beast, so to speak.
   Thank you Rick for the gentle nudge to do more things, and to do big things. I can't wait to see what's next!"

From Mandy Swarthout
​ "I got to attend our 68th NEA Delagate Assembly this year and it was amazing! As the Membership chair I’m proud to say there are great things coming on the horizon. I see changes in how we will be able to reach and recruit potential members and well as strengthening our bond with current members. Having a few NBI’s paving our way to continue the great work our team is doing.   Several NBIs helping the Classified Educators be able to understand and truly help our sped student more adequately. We will be taking action and making not only our local but state stronger together in solidarity we fight and when we fight we WIN. 
Speaking of winning we as a local winning the local of the year award will only insure our growth together. I look forward to representing you our members of CEA the foreseeable future" 

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   The 2023 ESP Conference in Seattle, WA is a must go for all ESP’s! The content was very relatable, fresh, and applicable to Alaska as a state and our students.

I learned as a Union and district we have the resources for grants and really need to utilize those MORE!

I’d like our Union and district to send out interviews, stories, a day on the life of an ESP in our monthly newsletters like another state is doing to raise awareness of our positions.

We are not here because of teachers or any other position, we as ESP’s are here because our support to the students daily education and school life is critical and irreplaceable.

The power of unity is paramount!

Thank You,
Kendra Miner

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   The ESP Conference of 2023 was a great experience, one I would definitely love to do again. And even the pre-conference as well. Most classes were not long enough. The time slots needed to be longer, with a mini break in-between to stretch legs and get some water. The three classes I went to included, Culturally Responsive and Trauma Sensitive, Taking a Stand: Creating Safer Schools, Prioritizing Self Care, and Promoting School Safety and Crisis Preparedness.
 
In Culturally Responsive and Trauma Sensitive, we learned how to assess situations and different actions we could take to help students. Like if a student is late to class ask them if they are okay or pull them aside later to make sure everything is okay, instead of reminding them to be on time and talking with them in front of the entire class.
​ 
Taking a stand: Creating Safer Schools for LGBTQ+. This was pretty self-explanatory, they apologized for barely making it into the presentation with all of the comments they had, and the conversations when they opened it up to commentary on the 1 of 4 scenarios. Respect people’s pronouns, and if you mess up apologize and correct yourself.

 Prioritizing Self Care we learned ways to help us with our health while at work. Like taking breaks, taking our lunch and going for walks around the building. Reminding others that this is our non-scheduled work time and to come back in however many minutes to help them. And to just keep reminding them until they respect our boundaries.

  Promoting Safety and Crisis Preparedness taught us ways to deescalate students with bad days. We learned what to do in differences between natural disaster preparedness and manmade disaster preparedness. What we can to do be better prepared. How we can make everyone feel safe at school.

  I do hope in the future they give the presenter’s longer times in the classes to get through all of the presentation, instead of just getting through 1/4 or 1/2 of the material. I think we would have benefitted more from each class had we the opportunity to hear the endings instead of just the setting up. Most classes got through what the problems are versus how we can help solve them together. The food wasn’t the best, specifically the breakfast, the soupy eggs were not it. All in all the conference was pretty great. I wish I got to go to the preconference. I heard the classes were longer and more information. And I think I would have benefited well with it. I can’t
wait to see the classes they will offer next year. Thank you for the wonderful opportunity to attend the ESP Conference and the Delegate Assembly.

​Melissa Gregory

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Becoming: Your Journey as a leader   We learned about what it means to be a leader and how a true leader makes space for others to lead. NEA has a leadership Competency guide to help individuals monitor and map where they are in their current path and what they could do to improve and advance in their effectiveness as a leader. How leaders should warry of volunteering people into roles they are not comfortable with. There was also discussion about true leadership not asking a member or a follower to do a job or task they themselves would not do.
Membership Conversations and Beyond  We learned about: How to engage with potential members and answer hard questions. Such as “I don’t agree with NEA’s politics” – The politics is such a small part of what NEA does. No member dues go into political activism. Also, how to listen to and engage with stories of why you are a member. This doesn’t need to be your own story, but can also be a story that you were involved in. It is important to make the “connection” with the potential member. Don’t make it an ongoing sales pitch, but a conversation. Make a clear “Ask” to join.
Clear Concise Compelling CommunicationThis was a difficult workshop. The information came fast and was difficult to follow due to the speed. The take-away for me was stop using unnecessary language and punctuation in communication. You have about 4 seconds of attention in an email before you lose the audience. Use links to more information and use highlights in the beginning of the writing followed by relevant details at the end for those that want the deeper detail.

Chad Swarthout
​Matsu CEA member at Large| Rights Committee | Bargaining Chair
NEA Region VII NEA-Alaska Director

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This year I had an opportunity to attend the National ESP Conference in Seattle, Washington. The theme was Joy, Justice, Excellence: The Strength of Educators. The Brilliance of Students. The Power of Community. While I was there, I took classes on White Fragility and Deconstructing Whiteness. My greatest take-away from these two particular classes was I need to stop being afraid to talk about it.The conversation needs to start now. I also took a couple classes on growth of the ESPs in our community and union. I really liked the idea of Peer mentoring programs (we have all been the new person and we have no idea about anything from logging into the computer to using the curriculum), the 4 pillars for membership (retention, development, engagement and recruitment), and within those 4 pillars how to bring in and keep members. Many ideas were from brainstorming as a whole group, some are examples of what other locals are doing, and some were just dreams.
    If you have an opportunity to be a part of this amazing conference please do it!! It is a time for all ESPs to get together and talk. Our people with our people:)

Amanda Johnson:
​Member at Large CEA Board of directors, Bargaining team, Legislative Action Team.

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2023 NEA ESP National Conference

I attended the ESP Conference for the first time this year. It was definitely an interesting experience and I hope to attend the next one. My classes were; That’s Not a Union Issue...Or is it?, True Colors of ESPs, Anti-Racist Educator Toolkit: Actions for ALL Educators and Avoiding Burnout with Mindful Self-Care and Self-Compassion. We were asked by our amazing CEA President Rick Morgan to write up something about our experiences and our take away from our workshops. It took me a little time to get this done as I needed to think about what I wanted to say. I want everyone to know it was a whirlwind of sensory experiences. Was it all amazing and life changing .... No it was not. There were some things that I enjoyed so much I didn’t want that workshop to end and others that I did not feel I got much out of it. So here is the synopsis of my take away from each of the workshops I attended.

That’s Not a Union Issue... Or Is it?
Investigating, Analyzing and Addressing Member Concerns

​This really is something I am always interested in. As a newer member I am still learning what is and is not a union issue. Things that we think are, are in fact a gripe not a grievance or issue. But this workshop was not great at all. The presenters were ill prepared to actually present this topic. I did actually learn anything about union issues in the workplace. I went in with fairly high expectations and came out knowing no more than I already did. It did start off late due to computer issues so that was not their fault but at that level of presenting you kind of have to expect the unexpected and be better prepared. In the 2 hours though we covered next to nothing and it was more the attendees ran the show rather than the people up front.

True Colors of ESPs
This class I really enjoyed and wish it had been longer or something. I would take it again. This class went by too fast. There was so much to cover and do that it was hard to keep up. If you ever get the chance to do this class, DO IT!! You learn some things about yourself and what you think you are and what you actually are.

Anti-Racist Educator Toolkit: Actions for ALL Educators
This class was very hard for me. I was very uncomfortable and did not feel I could actually say anything. That is how I felt and it wasn’t because of the presenter or anyone in the room. The class is uncomfortable because we don’t always take this type of thing seriously. There are so many factors that go into a subject like this.

People from different backgrounds, age, where you grew up all play a factor in this. It is totally on me how I felt in this class. Why? I honestly don’t know why I felt that way at the time. The presenter was AMAZING, she knew what she was presenting and how
she wanted to do it. The only thing I didn’t agree with was when she asked for the whitest song someone could think of and someone said “Ice, Ice Baby”, I think that is pretty darn white. They played something else instead. I learned that norm is no longer used. I am still not sure why exactly it’s not a term to use. This goes back to individuals and just who we are. I try my best to not fall into a racist term or slang but I don’t know all the right words. Luckily the middle schoolers at my school are very forgiving and always willing to help me be the best person for them I can be.

Avoiding Burnout with Mindful Self-Care and Self-Compassion
This was my last workshop at this event. It was the best thing I could have picked to end the conference. At this point I was a little burnt out and just had so much going on in my head. We have to take time for ourselves. Don’t give up that free time at work if you are in a position that gives breaks and lunches. Take your break and your lunch. Leave the building if you have to or just let co-workers, students, parents or whoever know that hey this is my break time or this is my lunch time and I can get back to you after. Just remember to take that time for yourself and talk to others if you are having a hard day. I am lucky to not only work with my best friend everyday but also my oldest daughter. They are always there to listen if I am just having trouble letting something go that happened that day or week or month. Take the time for yourself and don’t let anyone begrudge you that. I highly recommend taking this class and that you attend union conferences. During this class I painted a rock and a coaster. It was just relaxing to do this.

Charlie Weaver
​WMS Building Representative