September 1999 OCEA Quest
Let the Games Begin!
By Gaylea Manning
Let the games begin! The fun and games that is – or is that the learning games? Anyway, I hope your year has gotten off to a great start and "yer lernin’ them youngins ever-then you knowed."
My year has begun differently to say the least! With new job responsibilities and a new location, I am meeting myself coming and going (although I know not where, sometimes). All I need to do is move one more time and then I think I can get to work!
I’d like to welcome all the new educators to our district and our association. You’ve selected a good district in which to teach and the location is not too bad either. If there is anything that the association can do for you or help you with, please don’t hesitate to call. Your experienced colleagues at your site can be very helpful, too – don’t be shy about asking for assistance.
Each issue of the Quest will feature one of the officers of the association. We’ll provide a little information that may help you get to know us better. The president gets the first issue!
My name is Gaylea Manning and I have been teaching for 22 short years already. While growing up, my father was in the Army so I had the opportunity to live and travel in a variety of places. I attended college at Utah State University in Logan, Utah where I majored in Physical Education and minored in health. The first four years I taught were in a grade 7-12 small school in southeastern Utah. I then moved to southeastern Idaho where I continued to teach PE and health in grades 6-8. It was during this time that some of the earlier personal computers came into the school and I was hooked. Pretty soon I was the ‘techie’ in my building so they let me teach a computer class. After eight years I moved to Carson City where I taught PE, math and computers. And now they’ve promoted me to teaching teachers about computer use in education!
This is my 4th year as president of OCEA. Prior to being the president, I was the financial vice-president and treasurer. I am also currently the president of UCN (UniServ Council of Nevada – the alliance of rural local associations). I’ve learned a lot through my experiences in the association and I’ve had the opportunity to travel and attend some fine conferences and trainings. You, too can experience some of these opportunities through your involvement in the association.NSEA Summer Leadership
By Jeffery Greb
The 1999 NSEA Summer Leadership Conference was held in Lake Tahoe at the end of July. The workshops offered covered a variety of topics from school safety to classroom management to the newly adopted state content area standards. Of course, the results of the 1999 legislative session were also discussed at a general session. If you have any questions about anything presented which might be of use to you in your classroom or you simply want to know more about it, please contact one of the OCEA members who attended: Gaylea Manning, Warren Wish, Jeff Greb, or Ellie West.
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The Professional Libraryby Carol Godwin
Some time ago I volunteered to help establish a professional library for Carson teachers. It seemed like a simple task and one that would be fun. Of course, that was what I thought about becoming a parent. How hard could it be? I found out in both cases that I had no idea how complicated and time consuming those roles could become.
When we called for materials, many teachers donated items they found useful. The hard part was finding an accessible place to store them and someone to manage them. The items had to be sorted, alphabetized and annotated. All is completed. The professional library now lives.
We divided the collection into two parts, one of elementary interest and one of secondary interest. The Carson High School library holds the secondary collection. Empire Elementary School library holds the elementary collection. We will distribute an annotated list of all items to each library in the district.
If you see an item you want, contact the appropriate library. Make a trip to the library and browse through the collection. Some books are still used in classes at UNR and Sierra Nevada so before you buy that text, check the list. If you are doing research for a class or for your classroom, check the periodicals on our list. Maybe a book in the collection will save you a trip to the library.Dear Teachers:
OCEA is your teacher's association. In the last four years OCEA has successfully negotiated for three raises, added on dental and optical insurance, represented many of us through discussions and grievances, added professional development, sponsored book drives, wellness activities and countless other things for you. OCEA, like all associations, is not perfect, but remember this association is made by its members, and more specifically, the officers that we elect. OCEA cannot serve your needs without building representatives and officers. Those people are here to represent each member, keep the members informed, encourage member enrollment, represent members' rights and resolve problems.
Presently (June 1999) we have two active building representatives (1:49 ratio) and one officer at the high school. Next year we will have one officer and as of right now one active building representative (up to four building representatives as of September 1999. If you are willing to put in a little time and work to affect our working situations, please volunteer. There is a thank you stipend at the end of the year of $100.00.
If you are interested or have any questions about OCEA, please see me, Jeff Greb, or Cameron Dain.Sincerely,
Julie Koop
VERY IMPORTANT DATES
PUT THESE DATES WHERE YOU WILL SEE THEM DAILY
Deadline for October Quest – Monday, October 11, 1999 (Quest out October 21, 1999)
Deadline for December Quest – Monday, November 29, 1999 (Quest out December 9, 1999)
Please send articles to Jeanne Quinn at Carson High School. If you have questions about articles or need help, please do not hesitate to contact me at 885-6500 or 884-2751.
