| Doyle signs 5K attendance bill into law  With a quick lesson in civics, Cindy Littel's kindergarten class watched Governor Jim Doyle sign a law designed to renew Wisconsin's commitment to kindergarten and ensure future generations a head start in their education.
The bill requires attendance for those enrolled in 5-year-old kindergarten and makes kindergarten a prerequisite for first grade with a local option for exemptions. Read the story
You can also follow the discussion with the growing number of comments on our Facebook page and a reaction from WEAC President Mary Bell applauding the new law.
 Site visit shines light on MPS  Educators from across the country were able to see first-hand Thursday how teachers, administrators and local union leaders are working together to close the achievement gap between white and minority students in Milwaukee Public Schools.
The visits to eight Milwaukee schools were part of a three-day National Education Association Foundation site visit hosted by the Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association, Milwaukee Public Schools and the Metropolitan Milwaukee Alliance of Black School Educators, Inc. Read more
Educator selected for national competition  Leah Lechleiter-Luke of New Lisbon, a Spanish teacher at Mauston High School, will represent Wisconsin in the national Teacher of the Year program. A statewide panel of educators, parents, and community leaders selected Lechleiter-Luke from among five Teachers of the Year named in early September. She was chosen for her superior ability to inspire a love of learning in students, her drive to motivate others, and her leadership and service within and outside the classroom. Read more
Continue your ESP certification at Convention In addition to a host of professional development opportunities for teachers, the 2009 WEAC Convention on October 29-30 in Milwaukee is a great chance for education support professionals to continue work on the ESP Level I Certification. This session is for ESPs only and pre-registration is required. Find out more and register for Convention Every teacher has a story Experience a different kind of professional development, where we acknowledge the reality of what it takes to be a teacher hero. Join author and former teacher Laurel Schmidt as she facilitates a Teacher As Hero conversation that will rejuvenate you on your journey to becoming an even better teacher. Read about this and other events, professional development opportunities and classroom resources on the weac.org Educators' Bulletin Board Shape your professional development When and how do you want your professional development? What subjects and topics are of greatest interest? Take the WEA Academy survey to let us know and you'll be eligible for prizes, including sweatshirts, baseball caps, aluminum water bottles and 2GB flash drives. The survey takes about four to seven minutes and is focused on your professional development needs. | 
A classroom battle
... with germs
Teacher and weac.org blogger Lisa Dennis says she fought a hard battle this week. A hard, exhausting, slightly disgusting battle. A battle that proves that the smallest visitors to our classrooms don't care that you have a college degree. "I fought germs this week, and I lost."
New and Future
Educators' Blog 
Next-to-last Kickoff
Kid is picked
With Alexandria Knight of Burlington selected to be a Kickoff Kid for the Badgers' home game October 31 against Purdue, just one more slot is left in the WEAC-UW partnership. Read more and nominate a student
Trust offers
layoff benefit
In these uncertain economic times, the WEA Trust will be there for its members. Starting in 2010, if a Trust health plan subscriber is laid off, the Trust will pay his or her part of the premium for continued Trust health insurance coverage.
Find out more
"Sure I'm late, but don't we live our lives too much by a clock?"
Cartoon Corner
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