Teachers Saving Children® Inc. - National
	Newsletter Volume 16, Number 1 October 2005	Home National Newsletters

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"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Remember the children’s song “This Little Light of Mine” (author unknown*)?

In 2001, Catherine Jacobs donated to Teachers Saving Children^® Inc. – National a set of 10 hand-sculpted models of babies ranging from 6 weeks gestation through 32 weeks gestation. Catherine, a member of Teachers Saving Children^®, is an art teacher at Riverside Elementary School in Elmira, New York, and has hand-sculpted these models herself. These models, which can be viewed at www.Godslittleones.com, have had a major influence on individuals through our “Wonder of Life” exhibit. Seeing such life-size models showing the development of human life touches a mother’s heart in a special way.

Catherine has contacted Teachers Saving Children^® seeking assistance with a new project that the Lord has placed on her heart. The Board of Trustees thought that the best assistance would be found through our members who would have contacts beyond our sources of information.

Specifically, Catherine is looking for grant monies to produce these models as a hands-on learning center packet for schools, especially for science teachers. In addition, Catherine is searching for pro-life physicians who would be interested in assisting her in writing a children’s book about fetal development illustrated with the life size replicas she has made and who would assist her in confirming the accuracy of information. A publisher would also be needed.

Anyone who can assist with contacts, please contact Catherine Jacobs at Godlittle1@aol.com.

We would appreciate hearing from anyone who is able to contribute at this time towards “The Wonder of Life” exhibit. As soon as the designated monies reach $1300, then the application for the exhibit space will be submitted. Thank you in advance for your prayerful consideration of this request.

“How do you bring God into the public school, now that you no longer teach in Catholic schools?" This is a question that gets fielded to me often during the course of my now seven years teaching elementary school in southern, coastal New Jersey. My fifth grade is a self-contained classroom which presents many joys and challenges, but one of the greatest is thinking of ways to extend my Christian faith and pro-life message into lessons for ten-year olds as well as into interactions with my colleagues at the local, state, and national levels. In many respects, it is really not so hard to do!

If you have been able to attend the annual NEA convention every early July, you have probably noticed how large the New Jersey contingent (NJEA) is for such a small Northeast State. We have even been known to come out on top in many PAC contributions. Every early November for two days, we hold the largest state teachers' convention in the country. In the past four NEA's that I have attended, I have known the disappointment and frustration of having pro-life items and proposals squelched by the majority on the floor before we even have had a chance to discuss the issues as a body. I recall the gladness and excitement that I felt when during the Washington DC's NEA (2004), Reg Weaver, our President, prevented us (pro-life teachers) from being "silenced" again and allowed us to have our say after all, acknowledging that "as a democratic organization, we need to hear all sides of an issue."

My county president said the same kind of words to me when he first asked me to become involved in the union a few years ago. I had responded with hesitancy because “some of my views do not coincide with NJEA or the NEA,” I had said. He asked which ones? Abortion was at the top of my list. He paused and said that if we are a democratic organization then it should not be a problem. So, I decided to get involved in my local. I figured that change can happen from within. I should not just gripe about our union's positions, but I should get involved and work at gradual change from within. I became active on the state level, too, by joining the Instruction Committee which meets 4-5 times a year in our state capital, Trenton.

I believe that the pro-life influence can permeate the "school world" and the NEA and its subsets only when we get active and involved. And when we join together, like this organization of Teachers Saving Children^®, we can accomplish a great deal. It is good to keep our membership in Teachers Saving Children^® renewed so we can support those individuals who choose to be involved both at the NEA convention and at the local levels throughout the academic year.

Colleagues at the local and state levels know of my pro-life stance (it's amazing how quickly that spreads!), and at various meetings I have had a chance to say why I am pro-life or talk about a child's sacredness from conception on forth. I have also had many opportunities to listen to others' positions too. When we were given “airtime” by Reg during the DC NEA convention in 2004 and I was waiting to get to the microphone, people in rows behind and in front of me gave their "two cents”, too. I have found, in general, that younger, newer teachers are much more open and receptive to the NEA adopting a "no position" position on abortion and can see it as "only fair" (though they themselves might be pro-choice). However, the "more seasoned" teachers are often the ones who are more entrenched in keeping NEA "pro-choice" and refuse to listen to views to the contrary. These “seasoned” teachers were around during the late 60's and 70's abortion debates and efforts to legalize it nationally. Both generations of educators need to keep hearing the pro-life message we have.

In my classroom, I pass up no opportunity to let my message about the sacredness of human life "seep" into my lessons or discussions with students. Many are "all ears" already because I am usually their first male-teacher experience so far in schooling. For ten-year olds, it is usually obvious that it is a human life in the womb of any mother and that the baby's life is greatly to be valued. In Health class, when we cover male/female reproduction and how babies develop and grow, I rarely use the word "fetus" and refer to the "child/baby" in the uterus. I pass out wallet-sized cards I had obtained from a pro-life booth once somewhere that show the 9 months of development of the preborn child and what he/she can do at what stages, complete with photos. The cards list no church organization on them, and the children love them. In Science, when we learn about the human body and its incredible systems, I frequently state "that is how we are made...isn't it amazing?" In Social Studies, when we examine the founding documents of the Declaration of Independence or the United States Constitution, they all answer "God!" when I question them about who is this "Creator" that the Founders keep referring to. You certainly aren't letting the cat out of the proverbial bag with fifth-graders!! In December, I do a whole week on Hanukkah, then one on Kwanzaa, and then one on the Nativity event, using "God" references and all, but having given equal billing to all three celebrations at that time of year.

So, in this new school year, we can look for the many rich opportunities, great and small, to share our message of respect for life at all its stages. Getting involved in our schools, local union activities and committees, state union work, and even at the national level will allow our collective voices to be heard. There are so many children and parents who want to know that teachers are pro-life and that the schools to which they send their children live out that message day-to-day. We simply need to ask God to use us and fill us with courage, creativity, and compassion to affirm the goodness and sacredness of the lives of our children and of our colleagues.

Editor’s Note: Paul Schirmer, a fifth grade teacher at Elementary #2 Middle Township in the Cape May County School District, Cape May, New Jersey, has taught for seven years and has been an NEA delegate for four years. He is a member of Teachers Saving Children^®.

Last April 25, EIA reported that the annual NEA member survey would include questions on whether the religious beliefs of members affect their voting on political candidates and issues, and how they feel about private accounts in the Social Security system. That survey was conducted in May by Michigan-based Star Research and delivered to NEA in July. Concurrently, the firm conducted a parallel survey of NEA’s local affiliation presidents, completing it in August. The union has nearly 14,000 locals of varying size, and the survey’s sample admirably accounts for these variations.

EIA has the results of those surveys, and is now equipped to definitely answer once and for all the question: Does NEA represent the views of its members?

Answer: It depends.

As unsatisfying as that short conclusion may be, the two surveys, examined together, explain clearly how an organization of 2.7 million members of widely divergent political and social views can end up championing a narrowly liberal worldview.

A few highlights:
* About half of NEA’s new members are “not at all” involved in the organization at any level.
* The top reason new members join NEA is because they have “no choice.”
* Fifty percent of NEA members identify their philosophy as “conservative” or “tend conservative.” Only 40 percent identify themselves as “liberal” or “tend liberal.”
* As the size of a local affiliate grows, the more likely the local affiliate president will be liberal. Eighty-two percent of the presidents of NEA’s largest local identify themselves as liberal.
* Eighty-nine percent of NEA local affiliate presidents were unopposed in their last election.

EIA’s full report is posted on its web site at http://www.eiaonline.com.

October 1, 2005: The Teachers Saving Children^® National Board of Trustees met in Columbus, Ohio, for their regularly scheduled Fall meeting. The following are highlights of some of the items that were discussed.

1. The Board of Trustees accepted the reports of the State Affiliate Chapters. Both the Pennsylvania and Michigan Board of Trustees currently need individuals who would be willing to serve as Board members.

2. The Board of Trustees amended the Affiliate State Chapter Application process. In addition, the Board approved the concept of having regional chapters.

3. The Board of Trustees made a decision to make application for an exhibit at the NEA Expo 2006 in Orlando FL, June 30 – July 2, 2006.

4. The Board of Trustees approved the 2004-2005 fiscal report and the following 2005-2006 budget:

		Affiliate State Chapters	$ 500.00
		Awards & Gifts	100.00
		Legal & Accounting	1000.00
		Office Administration	600.00
		Postage	2500.00
		Public Relations
		Printing	1200.00
		Promotion	500.00
		Telephone	800.00
		Travel Expense	800.00
		Total	$7500.00

*The NEA Exhibit Line Item Balance is $635.88
**The Telephone expenses were higher than normal again this fiscal year due to the set-up expenses incurred when it was decided to change phone companies to save costs.

Please note: There were a large number of membership renewals paid prior to September 1, 2005. Thank you for helping the Board to have a better picture of what our finances would be like for the 2005-2006 fiscal year. A reminder that all memberships are now being handled through the National Office. Teachers Saving Children^® does not solicit additional contributions beyond memberships, but does appreciate any additional contributions received throughout the year.

The National Teachers Saving Children^® Board of Trustees would like to express their thanks to everyone who has taken the time to renew. As of September 30, 2005 there are 333 paid National Teachers Saving Children^® members. Your continued support is greatly appreciated. If you have not yet done so, there is still time to join and receive full membership benefits. Membership cards will be mailed in mid-October.

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