In the past couple of weeks, there has been much to write about (but apparently, too little time to submit an entry - sorry!) Our Kansas members of the NEA Board of Directors and I did our best to convince our US congressional delegation of how much we needed the federal support for our schools. I also had a chance to meet with members and leaders in several districts from Blue Valley to Buhler and beyond.

Possibly most encouraging, though, was a chance to be part of a presentation on 21st Century Skills at the Kansas Staff Development Conference in Wichita last week. Despite all of the negative economic news, I was so impressed that these teachers and other school personnel were still thinking about how to help our schools do the best job possible. In the face of budget cuts and an antagonistic attitude by key policy makers, our teachers refuse to give up their spirit of commitment to a great public school for every child and a strong teaching profession. I hope we're working on both fronts, though - advocating for our schools AND strategizing how to do our best work.

You can sign up at the KNEA web site to receive news from our legislator or to receive action alerts and become a cyber-lobbyist. You can ALSO learn on that site how to help achieve our vision for 21st century teaching and learning. I hope you'll visit www.knea.org when you get a chance and join the ranks of those committed to making a difference for our schools, our students, and the future of Kansas.