TREND Summer 2014 | Page 3

TREND

The Official Publication of Professional Educators of Tennessee

Trend (ISSN #04) is electronically published quarterly in fall, winter, spring and summer with a focus on the Issues, Ideas and People shaping education in Tennessee. We advance the profession by offering a modern approach to teacher representation and educational advocacy, as well as promoting professionalism, collaboration and excellence without a partisan agenda. There is no attempt to influence any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to candidates for public office. The opinions expressed in this publication represent the beliefs, views or attitudes of the contributor whose name appears in the article and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of Professional Educators of Tennessee or our members. Subscription rates are included in membership dues for members of the association; non-members may secure an online version of the current online magazine for $25 a year. Trend may contain paid advertising contracted for/by the Association. Advertising rates may be obtained by sending a written request, either to the address listed below or by email. Professional Educators of Tennessee reserves the right to refuse advertising contrary to its purpose. All rights reserved. Permission to reprint, in whole or in part, without permission is prohibited. Permission will customarily be granted if the author and the association are properly cited.

ProEd STAFF

JC Bowman, Executive Director

Jan Forman, Associate Director

Mike Sheppard, General Counsel

Samantha Bates

Director of Member Services

Bethany Bowman

Director of Professional Development

Audrey Shores

Director of Technology & Communications

ProEd BOARD

State Officers

Cathy Kolb, President

Karen Stroud, Vice President

Kim Blevins, Secretary

Samantha Bates, Treasurer

Tim Childers

Dewey Esquinance

Jill Pittman

Mike Ridenour

Penny Sutton

JC Bowman, Executive Editor

Audrey Shores, Editor

Letter From The Editor

As the sun sets on another school year and you prepare to embark on your summer “break” remember that your membership with Professional Educators of Tennessee doesn’t stop being beneficial just because you’re not in the classroom. We know that you’ll be working hard throughout the next few months to review the past year and prepare for the next. We too will continue working to provide you with the support and resources you need to continue to fulfill your calling as a Tennessee educator.

This issue focuses on some of the ancillary benefits available to you as a member, such as Director of Professional Development Bethany Bowman’s guide to our educator resource pages, and an exploration of product & service discounts. You have some amazing travel deals that can make a summer dream vacation come true, or alleviate costs of a vacation you’re already planning. I’m heading to the beach myself, and was pleasantly surprised to discover that using the discount codes on our site provided the lowest car rental rates I could find, even better than those we usually get through our business account! Guess where we’ll be making all of our travel arrangements when we start visiting in-services for next year?

Before you completely put the past school year behind you, consider a final fun professional development conference here in Franklin, TN to transition into summer. On June 14 we will be hosting Leader U at the Cool Springs Marriott; this year we have added a pre-conference social event the Friday night before the conference. If you live nearby we encourage you to stop by to meet the Professional Educators of Tennessee staff, board members and fellow members at the welcome reception at the Franklin Cool Springs Marriott on June 13 from 7-9pm. If you will be travelling from out of the area, the Marriott and other local hotels are offering special rates for conference attendees. Bring Dad along and make a Father’s Day weekend getaway out of it! We’re minutes from downtown Nashville and all the great activities Music City has to offer. For more information on the conference and accommodations visit www.LeaderUTN.com.