Being Political

Entry One:

"5 found dead in Maryland Park," "Halloway case suspects to face judge," Work off those holiday calories fast," Typhoon Mitag bears down on Philippines," "Deadly blasts rock Indian city," "Bombing at Baghdad pet market kills 13," "Boycott creates political deadlock in Lebanon," and "Australian commando killed in Afghan fight."

These are only a few of many stories that have hit CNN in the past 24 hours. Multiple times every day I have read many stories that can be found on CNN.com. I find it extremely important to get involved in what is going on and staying up to date with the news. Although the news does not directly relate to education it can have a profound impact on one student and as a teacher it is important to be prepared for that situation.

To continue to keep up with the news locally I have subscribed to the South Bend Newspaper as well as reading the Elkhart paper as often as possible. To keep up with the news back home I have subscribed to the Reading Eagle Reading Times paper to know what is happening in my home town. I have also made CNN and BBC news my Internet homepages.

I find it important to stay up to date locally, nationally, and in my home town. As a teacher I feel it is necessary to know what is going on. Part of a teacher's responsibility is communicating to students about the events in their community and on a world scale. I will continue to stay up to date on what is happening in the world.


Entry Two:

Beyond staying up to date of the news I have a subscription to Amnesty International. I received email updates keeping me informed about the unjust laws that are being passed and how I can help. I have signed many petitions through this membership.

To stay current on educational policy I am a member of National Education Association and through NEA I am also a member of Indiana State Teaching Association (ISTA). I receive email updates of educational actions and ways that I can help. I also get information on conferences that I can attend.