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IEA honors Debbie Ciciora
The Illinois Education Association has selected Eisenhower High School staff member Debbie Ciciora as the Education Support Staff of the Year.

The award recognizes one person from eligible paraprofessionals, administrative assistants, custodians, bus drivers, and food service workers in Illinois.

IEA will honor Ciciora on March 5 at its Representative Assembly. She also becomes automatically eligible for the National Education Association ESP of the Year.

Ciciora earned this prestigious honor for her service work both at Eisenhower and in the community. She serves as the manager for The Closet, a project providing free clothing, hygiene products and other necessities for students at Eisenhower.

Last year McCready Law Firm selected The Closet for the award for Best Local Youth Organization for 2019. Ciciora received $500 for the award for The Closet.

Ciciora also volunteers at a local animal shelter and assists with the Bremen High School prom dress sale by helping collecting dresses and volunteering on the day of the event.

This year she also helped at the Blue Island trunk and Treat and Kris Kringle Market.

Primarily, however, the award recognizes her commitment to The Closet.

Now in its fourth year, the project helps students and families in need. Students may discreetly complete an on-line form to request a winter coat, new socks, hygiene products, and other items. The Closet also features a washer and dryer for students to use.

Eisenhower staff members founded The Closet for many reasons. Apart from the kindness of helping students in need, The Closet serves academic purposes.

Staff members would see some students wearing the same clothes day after day. They understood that not having clean shirts or jeans, or a variety of clothing to wear, would stand as an obstacle to student attendance.

Rather than feel embarrassed about wearing the same clothing frequently, because they know classmates would notice, students sometimes would stay home.

The 166^th IEA-NEA Representative Assembly begins on March 4 at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Rosemont, IL. If you are attending the IEA RA please don’t forget to visit the ESP Resource room for great information and resources for you and your members. We look forward to seeing you there.

ESPs make a difference in students lives everyday. Thank you Mary Ann Rivera for not letting time and distance stop you from reaching out and helping students, teachers, and communities in Puerto Rico.

ESP are critical members of the education workforce and ensure student success from pre-school through college. They have a wealth of knowledge, experience and passion and play critical roles in the school community.

Education Support Professionals: Meeting the Needs of the Whole Student. Through the eyes of Sofi, a middle school student, see how Education Support Professionals (ESP) make a difference in the lives of their students, both in and out of the classroom.

Do you have federal student loans?
Do have federal Parent PLUS loans?
Do you have family or friends burdened with student loan debt?

If you answered, “Yes!” to any of the above then Degrees Not Debt is for you!  The National Education Association recognizes the burden student loans debt is putting on public educators and developed a campaign called “Degrees Not Debt.” This campaign is intended to inform student loan borrowers of their rights and options in the repayment process.  Many borrowers are unaware of their eligibility for programs that can make their monthly payment affordable and provide loan forgiveness.

What is Degrees Not Debt and how does it work?

The final Public Service Loan Forgiveness Application for Forgiveness has been released by the Department of Education. Complete this application after your 120 qualifying payments.

Strong unions help provide a strong education to all students and build strong communities. If you need proof, just look at what happened to Wisconsin after it became a right to work state. A strong voice means we can stand up for our students and make sure that all students, regardless of where they live, have access to a high quality, public education. We are stronger united!

When asked what you do…how many of you say, I’m just a…… para-pro, bus driver, or fill in the blank with your job position? Let me make this very clear. You are not “Just” anything! You are important and what you do is essential to our students and school community! You are an Education Support Professional!! Thank you for all you do for out students, schools, and the communities that support us.

We need to see value in ourselves if we expect others to see value in us.

As ESP we often are treated like we are a dime a dozen profession. Not worth the time and energy to support or respect. Well today I started a journey. A journey that my IEA (Illinois Education Association) president suggested I apply to take. Wow, yes, how do you say no to that? A journey that NEA believes ESPs deserve. A journey that I’m told will test and stretch me. I believe it…its day one and for me to step this far out of my comfort zone, to fly across the country in to LAX by myself is extremely unnerving but also so exciting! I will update this blog post as the weekend continues. I hope you follow and will be encouraged that you are apart of something great, something that sees greatness in you as an awesome ESP.

Day 1 NEA ESP Leadership Institute: Started early as I flew from Chicago to Los Angeles. I arrived in LAX nervous but excited for this weekend. As we came together for the first time it was evident to see how much love, strength, and personality was in the room. So much love for their students, their schools, and communities. I saw the strength of each ESP as we got up in front of everyone and told our “Why” of why we do what we do. Tears were spilled as well as so much laughter. The personality in the room…lets just say this will never be boring! So many hilarious amazing new “sisters”. I look forward to tomorrow as we continue this journey.

Day 2: NEA ESP Leadership Institute: Wow, today was a long but amazing day. My interpretation of today’s theme was self-awareness. It was an extremely reflective, and challenging day. We were challenged through many activities to discover our true self, our sense of self, self-image, and self esteem. We learned that if you want to make a change and develop new skills, you have to know where you are so you know which skills you need to develop that will help you get to where you need to be.

One quote from today that has resonated with me is: Start were you are, with what you have. Make something of it and never be satisfied. – George Washington Carver (My interpretation: Start with who you are, with the skills you have, do the work, and never stop learning)

Day 3: NEA ESP Leadership Institute: Growth and self reflection was a continued theme today. We tested our own ideas and beliefs on our leadership qualities to see where we are. Am I passive, assertive, or aggressive? What are my weaknesses? I feel a huge difference today with my confidence during discussions and activities. I feel more comfortable sharing my thoughts and ideas. This class of 20 ladies have come together from all across the country, most extremely unsure of what to expect during this weekends training. We are ladies from different experiences, cultures, and races and we have become so close in such a short amount of time. I love my NEA ESPLI 2020 sisters! Bring on tomorrow!!

Nine out of 10 students in America attend public schools. Public Schools Week is a national celebration to highlight the great things happening in our nation’s public schools as well as bring attention to the critical issues facing our schools, students and educators. This initiative shows the strength and potential of public schools in a democratic society. Public Schools Week 2020 will be held February 24-28, 2020. Click the link above for more information and to take the pledge of support for public education.