TEACHERS LEARN NEW GOLDEN RULE THEORY

Educators attending the 123rd annual Missouri State Teachers Association Meeting Friday learned they could ease stress by adding laughter and a modified version of the Golden Rule to their daily routines.

About 450 teachers and school administrators attended the general session, which featured a keynote address by Mark Mayfield, the "corporate comedian." The meeting is held annually to provide academic resources to educators regarding general and departmental professional development.

Mayfield, a former high school educator, told the audience their lives were stressful largely because they tried to follow the Golden Rule -- that is, they treated others as they wanted others to treat them.

While not a bad idea, the adage works only when you work with people who have similar personalities, he said. People could eliminate stress by adjusting their style of teaching or working with others to fit the personalities of their class or colleagues.

"You probably have figured out that you have to shift and move out of your box," Mayfield said. "A better way to live is to do unto others as they want to be done unto."

Educators had an opportunity to discuss relevant state and national issues affecting their careers. MSTA delegates from local chapters met Thursday to elect officers and consider resolutions for the state meeting.

One of the primary issues this year was a failed state legislative bill that would have allowed collective bargaining for educators. Local educators renounced the bill, saying it did not support the MSTA mission.

"We're against it because we're for kids first," said incoming MSTA president Dee Cockran. "It takes the money for education and puts it in bargaining situations instead of in the classrooms for the kids."

Another issue educators discussed was the amount of administrative work counselors are required to complete versus the amount of time they spend with students. To be effective, counselors need to work directly with students, but assessments and other administrative duties cut into that time, they said.

A national legislative effort educators are watching centers around the formula used to configure Social Security payments after retirement. Missouri educators pay 10.5 percent of their income into a private retirement system, and boards of education match that amount for a total 21 percent.

They are not eligible for Social Security or Medicare after they retire unless they or their spouses work jobs that require them to pay into the national retirement system. The situation is detrimental to teachers because they receive little to none of the national benefits they deserve but may be forced into contributing to a system that doesn't cater to contributors, said Sheryl Smith-Woeltje, MSTA district coordinator.

"Social Security is weighted so the most benefit goes to the most needful," she said. "On the one hand, we don't want to be sucked into the Social Security system because we have a very good retirement plan. On the other hand, those who have contributed want a fair entitlement for the contributions they have made to Social Security."

After the general session, educators attended various departmental sessions scheduled throughout the afternoon. In the meetings, they discussed topics relevant to their subject area.

New teachers also were given the opportunity to attend a special professional development seminar that provided them necessary credits in that area.

"That training will provide them with six hours of credit they are required to attain during the years," said outgoing MSTA district president Margaret Bilderback. "Helping new teachers meet these requirements is one of the reasons that we hold this meeting every year," she said.