Passing of Dr. M. Jerry Weiss

Dr. M. Jerry Weiss

I am passing along the sad news that I received from my institution (NJCU) about the passing of Jerry Weiss. Many of you knew Jerry well and know how giving he was with his knowledge, time, and passion to the NJCTE community.

-Audrey Fisch, President, NJCTE

Dear Members of the NJCU Community,

We are saddened to advise of the passing of Dr. M. Jerry Weiss, Distinguished Service Professor of Communications Emeritus, who throughout his life made a profound influence on literacy here in New Jersey and the United States. Dr. Weiss passed away on March 12 — one month shy of his 95th birthday.

Dr. Weiss was a nationally recognized expert in the field of children’s and adolescent literature and a pioneer in the area of Whole Language. He taught at NJCU for 33 years before retiring in 1994. For many years Dr. Weiss coordinated the “Adolescent in Literature” series, a highly-regarded program he established. This series featured guest speakers composed of distinguished authors of novels for young adult and adolescent readers.

On October 5, 2006, NJCU dedicated the M. Jerry Weiss Center for Children’s and Young Adult Literature in his honor. This is now the Northeast’s premier review center and offers a unique literature collection that encourages the exploration of children’s and young adult literature and illustrations.

Dr. Weiss completed his undergraduate work at the University of North Carolina and earned his Master of Arts and Doctor of Education degrees from Teachers College, Columbia University. He taught English, language arts, and reading in secondary schools and colleges in Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, and New Jersey.

He held numerous state and national professional offices including serving as president of the New Jersey Reading Association. He also held leadership positions in the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association.

The New Jersey Reading Association presents an annual “M. Jerry Weiss Book Award,” affectionately known as “The Jerry.” Established in his honor in 1993, the distinction is given to a children’s, juvenile, or young-adult author selected by students throughout the state of New Jersey.

A long-time donor to the institution, Dr. Weiss’ gifts to the university have enriched the lives of countless students at NJCU and in the larger community.

A funeral service for Dr. Weiss was held on Monday. The family will hold a final Shiva virtual memorial tonight — Wednesday, March 17 — from 7-8:15 p.m. via Zoom.

Information on ways to donate to the M. Jerry Weiss Center in his memory will be shared at a later date. Join the Shiva service for Dr. M. Jerry Weiss.

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Link to prayer book

Last Call for March Madness! Renew your NJCTE membership for $10 until 3/10

It’s that time again. NJCTE membership runs from March to February, so it’s time for all of us to renew our commitment to the New Jersey affiliate of the National Council of Teachers of English. This year, we are happy to announce that, in light of the pandemic, 2021-2022 membership will be $15 for regular members. We still have so much to offer you, so please join us.

And guess what? Mark your calendars because for the first 10 days in March, get a discounted rate for your annual membership: $10 for the 2021-2022 membership year and only $5 for students and retirees!

Virtual Summer Learning Call for Proposals — Due May 15!

Submit your proposal by May 15, 2021 at https://bit.ly/3bed2Vf or scan this QR code:

NJCTE invites educators of all types from grades K-16+ (public, private, cyber, charter, etc.) to submit session proposals for 30- or 60-minute presentations:

1) approaches for the teaching of reading and writing which amplify student and teacher voice;

2) examples of literacy instruction which develop students’ abilities to read, write, and think critically about equity and justice while adhering to the New Jersey Student Learning Standards; 

3) examples of collaborations with individuals in our diverse communities (public librarians, authors, local historians, social activists, business people, etc.) in order to enrich our students’ literacy education; 

4) methods to engage students with our world.

Kindly note that proposals should reflect educational practices and should not be product promotions or solicitations.

Sessions will run from mid-July through August 2021.

ELA instructors continually create opportunities for students to find and develop their own voice within this evolving world. 

Essential to this process is the infusion of equity and justice in our instruction.

With this in mind, and to help our presenters, there are five strands for sessions. We welcome proposal submissions on these and related topics.

1. Cultural Responsiveness and Equity/Social Justice and Antiracist Teaching
2. Technology Supporting Voice, Equity, and Social Justice
3. Lifting Voices from Diverse Communities 
4. Social & Emotional Learning (SEL) and Trauma-Informed Teaching
5. Flexible Instructional Models to Support Equity, Inclusion, and Justice 

Educators at any level and in any phase of their career, including pre-service teachers, are encouraged to attend and/or present.

BASIC INFORMATION

New Jersey educators will gather virtually at the NJCTE 2021 Summer Learning sessions to benefit from professional programs, panels, discussions, idea exchanges, guest speakers, and shared classroom experiences.  

Additionally, many opportunities exist for educators to participate as speakers, chairpersons, recorders, and to assist with session management.

All sessions are offered free of charge to current NJCTE members. Educators will have the opportunity to join NJCTE at a discounted pandemic rate of $15 for the year ($5 student rate). 

Presenters will be notified by the middle of June. If a proposal is selected, NJCTE will work with the presenters to find a mutually agreeable day and time for presentation. All sessions will be recorded and distributed later to registrants.

As a presenter, you have the unique opportunity to influence a wide body of educators. We expect that you will join us as a registered NJCTE member if you are selected to present, and we look forward to your continued contributions to the organization. A yearly membership will be offered at a discounted pandemic rate of $15. A student membership is available for $5.

Find more information about NJCTE: www.njcte.org @NJCTENews Blog: https://njcte.wordpress.com/

Please contact the NJCTE 2021 Summer Learning Co-Chairs with any questions:

Katie Nieves, nieveskathryn@gmail.com and Twitter @Ms_KatieNieves

Denise Weintraut, NJCTEMembership@gmail.com and Twitter @SmilingTeach

NJCTE Meeting with Erika Leak, NJDOE – February 2 at 4

We invite you to join us for a special NJCTE open meeting with Erika Leak, Office of Standards, New Jersey Department of Education, on February 2 at 4. Erika is eager to check-in and discuss experiences that ELA educators are having in this current climate. 

Please register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEldeGurTwpHdM7eFpXsVs9nF4F2uTpEw2O

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

The benefits of joy and gratitude

by Joseph S. Pizzo

At the initial NCTE SCOA meeting, the theme was “Joy.” It was defined as “the feeling that acknowledges satisfaction in oneself and in others as well.” During this pandemic, the main direction was identified as a critical component of both the personalities and the lives of all educators and families. 

We wrote about the topic of joy. We discussed our writings in both breakout rooms and a full meeting. Here is my note.

“Joy is reflected in the woman raising the child. We uplift as we mentor, but we gain from those we mentor as well. We experience confluencia as joy flows inward, but the experience is even greater when the confluencia follows its natural course and flows outwardly to share that which it has gained previously.”

At the second SCOA meeting held later in the day, we examined an article entitled, “How Gratitude Changes You and Your Brain.” Breakout rooms were again used so the article could be discussed in assigned sections. The notes from my group are as follows:

• Positive emotion words, negative emotion words, and “we” words (first-person plural words) that participants used in their writing have an impact.  
• The gratitude writing group used a higher percentage of positive emotion words and “we” words.
• The lack of negative emotion words—not the abundance of positive—explained the mental health gap between the gratitude writing group and the other writing group.
• Gratitude letter writing produces better mental health by shifting one’s attention away from toxic emotions.

Having a positive outlook and avoiding toxic thoughts and situations was found to lessen the use of toxic words in one’s daily lexicon. According to the authors Joshua Brown and Joel Wong, “many studies over the past decade have found that people who consciously count their blessings tend to be happier and less depressed.” The experimental group in the study wrote letters of gratitude while the control group did not.

The research study that was conducted by Brown and Wong involved “nearly 300 adults, mostly college students who were seeking mental health counseling at a university. We recruited these participants just before they began their first session of counseling, and, on average, they reported clinically low levels of mental health at the time. The majority of people seeking counseling services at this university in general struggled with issues related to depression and anxiety.” 

The main findings made in the article are as follows:

1. Gratitude unshackles us from toxic emotions.
2. Gratitude helps (the individual) even if you don’t share it (in some form with others).
3. Gratitude’s benefits… (emerge slowly over) time.
4. Gratitude has lasting effects on the brain. (“…when people who are generally more grateful gave more money to a cause, they showed greater neural sensitivity in the medial prefrontal cortex, a brain area associated with learning and decision making. This suggests that people who are more grateful are also more attentive to how they express gratitude.”)

The authors of the article conclude that “practicing gratitude may help train the brain to be more sensitive to the experience of gratitude down the line, and this could contribute to improved mental health over time.”

I shall conclude my report by sharing the note of gratitude that I have written to my colleagues at NJCTE. 

Dear Friends,

I am grateful to all of you, my colleagues at NJCTE. We consistently have a range of different tasks to address and complete. It is important to know, however, that we gather our talents and combine our efforts to help any of us who may be in need. We acknowledge the commitments made to our organization and our membership by readily offering to help any member who may be in need. The unselfish nature of our organization makes me proud to be a member.

Thank you, NJCTE for your kindness of heart, your generosity of spirit, and your willingness to give of yourself to help others in need. 

Sincerely,

Joe Pizzo

NJCTE High School Writing Contest 2020

The New Jersey Council of Teachers of English invites New Jersey students in grades 9-12 to participate in its 2020 Writing Contest:

“Social Breath 2020”

Deadline: January 11, 2021

Categories: 

• Poetry (one poem, 50-line max)
• Short Story (5 page max, double-spaced)
• Personal Essay (5 page max, double-spaced; MUST respond to prompt) 

PERSONAL ESSAY PROMPT: 

Write a personal essay or narrative about taking a Social Breath in 2020. 

In 2020, we have heard a clarion call for social change. Names such as George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery have become familiar to all who read or listen to the news. Many columnists, politicians, and everyday citizens are calling for change. In a personal essay or narrative, consider the call for social change as you experience it. Have you actively participated? If so, how has your participation manifested itself? If not, why have you chosen another path? What other factors impact your thinking about being a responsible citizen and engaging in actions and activities that result in a socially and emotionally secure world?

Entry Criteria: 

• Only New Jersey high school students (public or private) are eligible to enter
• Students may submit a maximum of one entry in each category (i.e., one poem, one short story, and one personal essay)
• Teachers may submit up to ten entries for their students in each genre. Surplus entries will be disqualified in order of submission date.
• The file submitted must be anonymous. Essays, short stories, and personal essays with a name, school, or class typed on them will be disqualified.

Submission Links: 

• Poetry Submissions: https://www.formpl.us/form/1596696005
• Personal Essay Submissions: https://www.formpl.us/form/1621666005
• Short Story Submissions: https://www.formpl.us/form/1631266002

Questions? Contact njctewriting@gmail.com

Congratulations to the winners of our 2019 contest!

NJCTE OFFERS GRANTS FOR NCTE 2020 Virtual Convention

In recognition of and response to what has been a tumultuous year of teaching, NJCTE is offering one-time grants in the amount of $100 to five NJCTE members so that they may attend this year’s NCTE Annual Convention.

You must be a current member of NJCTE to be eligible. If you joined or renewed your membership after March 1, 2020, you are current. If you can’t remember, please consider re-joining. Membership is only $15 this year.

We will announce the winners, drawn at random, on November 9 at 8 P.M. The application form will be open until then. Please be considerate of the financial needs of others if your district or institution is already supporting your attendance at NCTE.

Join us! NJCTE Open Board Meeting — 10/25, 6pm

NJCTE is required to hold an annual open board meeting. Typically, we hold this meeting after our spring conference, but this year, for obvious reasons, we did not. So, we will hold our meeting on Zoom, October 25, 6pm.

Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAuf-2rpj8oHNC714PMu34gHg3JZ3e03agI. 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Please join us to ratify changes to our constitution and our new board code of conduct. We will also ratify a few of our interim board appointments and elect new folks to some of our new board positions.

In particular, we are looking for someone to serve as a Web Coordinator and Communications Chair. Are you interested?

Or, if you have expressed interest in giving more of your time and energy to NJCTE, join us and we can definitely make a place for you in the organization and talk about how you can become more involved. 

This will not be a long meeting. Come and approve our new constitution and code of conduct and help us by stepping up to serve or by helping elect others.

Questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out: njctepresident@gmail.com.

“We Survived September! Now What?” Virtual Panel Discussion

Join us Tuesday, 9/29, 6-7pm to raise a virtual toast — with whatever kind of beverage and/or ice cream flavor you prefer — to ourselves and ELA teachers everywhere and to talk about what has worked well during September remote/hybrid/in-person teaching and learning and how we will carry that forward into October and beyond.

The discussion will be facilitated by NJCTE board member Denise Weintraut and feature four excellent NJ ELA educators (see speaker topics and bios below).

Time: Sep 29, 2020 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89912280611?pwd=TUo1UE1PY2UwOTZjTWJuTmVQVTViZz09
Meeting ID: 899 1228 0611
Passcode: 708880

NJCTE board member and 2020 AMLE National Educator of the Year Joseph Pizzo on “Poetry and the Pandemic”

“My poetry assignment entitled ‘The First Day of School’ has been transformed by the outbreak of COVID-19 and the accompanying restrictions and regulations. Rather than discussing a typical first day of school, my students focus on the challenges and changes (both positive and negative) that this pandemic has imposed upon them as both students and social beings. Some of the images are very powerful.”

English and Theater Arts teacher Katie Whitley on creating a collaborative virtual classroom environment

“COVID-19 has certainly presented significant challenges in regard to creating a ‘space’ to develop an interactive and supportive classroom community. Complications with computer access and connectivity coupled with the discomfort some students feel sharing themselves on screen can make video platforms feel like an incomplete alternative to an in-person collaborative classroom environment. After much trial and error, I developed a template for a weekly slideshow that  has allowed for a wider variety of ways for students to work together, interact, and get the support and assistance they need.” 

English Special Education teacher Ashley Pollitt on “Check-in Questions: Beyond Simply Getting to Know Students”

“Students often chat as they trickle into the classroom. This year, preoccupied with learning who’s who in a mask and implementing safety protocols, I did not readily engage students… that is, until one day I checked in: What made you smile this week? Before long, this became a daily practice: What have you done for yourself today? If you could describe yourself as an animal at this very moment, what would you be and why? Soon, students will routinely create and ask their own check-in questions. As we move past the “get-to-know-you” phase—and as I continue to learn the unique needs of my students with disabilities—this information will ideally help me structure meaningful goals for all students.”

English teacher Jason Toncic on “The Problem with Zoom”

“With the take-up of remote teaching via Zoom over the past year, many educators have found themselves teaching to blank screens. Although this may be disconcerting for teachers, I’ve found that the discourse about students’ videos has masked a greater issue: the loss of physical space in the classroom. Due to equidistance, classrooms are dominated—even more than usual—by teacher-led discussion with little room for other voices. What consequences emerge in classrooms where only one dialogue can occur, and what options exist within the software that can mitigate some of this unanticipated problem?”

Speaker biographies:

Joseph Pizzo is an English Teacher beginning year 47 on 11/3, Black River Middle School – Integrated Language Arts Teacher and Drama Club Co-director, Centenary University – Adjunct Prof. of Communications, Union County College and College of Saint Elizabeth – Former Adjunct Professor, AMLE National Educator of the Year – 2020, former NJCTE and NJAMLE Educator of the Year, NCTE Historian, NJ Autism Think Tank Member, a poet and author, and much more.

Ashley Pollitt is an English Special Education teacher at Ridgewood High School with experience in General Education, Co-Taught, and Resource settings. She is currently pursuing her PhD at Montclair State University in Teacher Education and Teacher Development with a focus on critical disability studies. At Montclair State University, Ashley also serves as an adjunct professor, teaching courses in the Early Childhood and Special Education (ECSE) and Educational Foundations (EDFD) programs.

Katie Whitley has been teaching high school English and theater arts since 2008 and is an adjunct professor of writing studies at Montclair State University. Katie is also a doctoral candidate in Teacher Education and Development at Montclair State focusing on critical literacy and feminist pedagogies. 

Jason Toncic is an English teacher at James Caldwell High School. As a Ph.D. candidate at Montclair State University, he is examining discourse records from online English classes within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic from March-to-June last school year.

Call for applicants: NCTE/NJCTE Teachers for the Dream – Deadline Oct 31

Call for applicants: NJCTE Teachers for the Dream – Deadline October 31, 2020

The New Jersey Council of Teachers of English (NJCTE) seeks to address and support underrepresented teachers of color in New Jersey and within our own organization. The Teachers for the Dream grant, funded with the generous support of NCTE, will help NJCTE support teachers of color within the state and within the leadership of our organization. We also hope that this initiative will help us increase the diversity of our membership overall.

If you are a teacher of color, please consider applying: https://cutt.ly/NJCTEDream. If you are not a teacher of color, please share this application with a friend or colleague who might benefit from this award.