Alaska Retired Educators Association

Welcome all education retirees

Newsletter  Summer  2007   (continued)

Text Box: ALASKA EDUCATORS HISTORICAL SOCIETY  Following is a letter from long retired teacher Blanche Risk that we received on April 28, 2008 in response to the call for stories in the last newsletter: Hello Virginia, I am a retiree from the Fairbanks School and the oldest ‘retired’ STILL getting a pension from Juneau. I’m sure when they send the monthly check they are saying “Is that old broad still living?” I was in Alaska before it became a state. Fairbanks was a small town. Only one main street, as many bars as churches, only one school, kg. through High School, few teachers on shift teaching, all friends. Celebrating birthdays, trying to adjust to “God’s frozen Country”. The next year I was moved to a room at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church to ‘carry on’ until the first new school was built. I loved that church, all made of logs. Every Friday some of us mushed to our favorite bar, a singing bar. The pianist played old songs but changed the words to be funny. We had drinks and sang the songs. Such Jolly fun! I was in Alaska 16 years before retiring in California. My work there was an ‘adventure’ and I loved every minute. Fairbanks is now a small city with many schools up –to-date, etc. and without the friendships that we had. I liked it my way I now live in a retirement home with lots of aches and pains and loads of pills but—-I’m still around. So...this is my bit of ‘good old days.’ Sincerely Blanche Risk. The three Volumes of TEACHERS TALES already in publication, plus new stories collected for Volume 4 (Including Blanche’s letter) will be published soon in one Volume in time for Alaska’s 50th Birthday celebration. Watch for the announcement!!! FAIRBANKS UNIT HELP NEEDED It is that time again.  We need people to sit at the fair.  We usually have two persons for a shift.  We share the booth with AARP they pay for it but we can have our issues there too.  If you would like to help us let me know the shifts are   12 PM to 3:30 3:30 to 7:00 PM 7:00 to 10:00PM   The Fair runs from Friday August 1 thru Saturday August 9.  Wednesday August 6 is Senior Day so those people will not need a ticket  all other days will be furnished a ticket to get in.  We will have the tickets on July 29th.    I have one sitting taken that is Friday August 1 from 12 to 3:30 so let me know ASAP and I will try to get the one you want   Thanks for your help as usual.  Barbara Rich IN MEMORIAM Emily J. Kemak retired educator from Fairbanks, died on July 3, 2008. She began her Alaska education career in 1953, teaching sixth grade at Denali Elementary. The following year, she taught high school English at Main School and in 1955 took the job of assistant principal at Nordale Elementary. Mrs. Kemak was principal of Hunter School for its opening in 1957 and she returned to Nordale in 1958, where she remained for the next 28 years until her retirement in 1986. While serving as principal, Emily also served as interim superintendent of schools in 1981. Her career was distinctive and she is remembered with admiration and respect by many in Fairbanks. Emily was a Life member of AKREA. CURRIKI NEWS We come to you today with an important message about sharing and an opportunity to offer the kind of help that only professional educators such as you and your members can provide. Teachers across the country and around the globe lack access to high quality educational material. The material these educators need is exactly what we bet you’re saving in a file cabinet or on an old computer. If you’re an expert in math, science, social studies, language arts, foreign languages or technology, ask yourself: Do I have lessons or curricula materials that would help a new teacher? Am I willing to share these resources with teachers, parents and children around the world? Am I interested in leaving a legacy of my experience as a teacher for a new generation of educators? If you can say YES to any of these questions, NRTA and its partner Curriki would like your help. As you may recall, Curriki is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving education by empowering teachers, students and parents with universal access to free and open-source curricula. Curriki is building the first and only Internet site that offers a complete course of open-source instruction and assessment for K-12. We encourage you to let your members know that Curriki offers an easy way to share expertise with teachers everywhere. Simply log on to www.curriki.org/nrta and register. Once you’ve confirmed your free membership, you can easily upload content including:


Text Box: Lesson plans Lectures Study problems Case studies Videos Web links Entire curricula Any educational resource Be apart of a revolution in global education. Log on to www.curriki.org/nrta today! JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT AND NRTA PARTNER TO FOSTER FINANCIAL LITERACY AMONG YOUTH Amid quaking economy, alliance works to keep the “American Dream” alive. Through a grant from the AARP Foundation and The Hartford, NRTA is in a unique position to reach out to volunteers who have first hand knowledge and experience of impacting children in the classroom – retired educators. By joining forces, Junior Achievement and NRTA will advance financial literacy among young people over the next year. NRTA through its nationwide network of Retired Educator Associations (REA) will help recruit volunteers for Junior Achievement programs. Junior Achievement staff will train REA volunteers to help students bridge relevancy and reality, by teaching real-world application of the financial principles fundamental to achieving life-long success. Specifically, students learn entrepreneurial skills, how to create jobs for themselves and others, financial literacy skills including budgeting, the importance of saving, weighing investment options and work-readiness skills that enhance personal awareness of vocational interests and prepare students to succeed in the workplace. NRTA and Junior Achievement aspire to improve financial literacy as young adults labor to grasp basic financial skills like budgeting and saving for the future. According to the 2006 National Financial Literacy Summit Report by the Credit Union National Association, sixty percent of teens do not know the difference between cash, credit cards and checks. Retired educators will be working with local Junior Achievement offices to address the needs of young people residing in the same communities as its chapters. For More Information Contact: Stephanie Bell Danielle Holland JA Worldwide AARP / NRTA (719) 540-6171 (202) 434-2597 sbell@ja.org dholland@aarp.org What, Who, Where, Why… and all the rest of the details What? Mastering Money Management with YOUth is a NRTA program, with grant money made available from The Hartford to the AARP Foundation, to promote financial literacy skills with youth. Who? Through an alliance with Junior Achievement and NRTA, local JA offices and local RTA units will come together to deliver turn-key curricula for youth k-12 on the concepts of wants vs. needs, the beauty of compound interest and the potential pitfalls of having credit cards, to name just a few. Where? Over the summer and into the early ’08-’09 school year, we will connect local JA offices with RTA units across the country to match retired educators with pre-screened schools who already know about the JA developed curricula and would like to have their students benefit from these timely programs. WiiFM (what’s in it for me?) Brief - each class is just 45 minutes per week and lasts just 6-8 weeks..you can still fly south for that winter tan or to visit the grandkids with no long-term commitment! “Beef” (as in “where’s the..) - for each class taught, you will receive a $50 gift card to help at the gas pump! Grief – haven’t been in the classroom for awhile? No need to be anxious..teachers remain in the classroom; you can find a buddy to teach with you; provided toolkit has every lesson planned out so no guesswork or outside preparation necessary! Relief - As a former teacher, you remember what it is like to have someone from the outside serve as a role model and bring a new perspective ..you have been there! Leaf – is your local unit rapidly loosing “leaves”…here’s an opportunity to connect with a current teacher and tell them about the benefits of joining your RTA when they retire! Good families are like good Fudge: sweet with a few nuts!!!

Phone: 866-277-7447

Kenai: 283-7305

E-mail: president@akrea.org

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