CTA Member Benefits

A leader in the education industry with over 15 years of experience working in schools, Jon Vranesh currently serves at San Lorenzo Unified School District in San Lorenzo, California. Very engaged with his peers and industry, Jon Vranesh is a proud member of the California Teachers Association (CTA).

Since 1863, the CTA has been fighting for public schools, quality of education, and California students’ rights. Currently, the association has over 300,000 members, who are educators based in California, that receive a number of benefits while committing to public education. First, CTA offers numerous professional development opportunities, including leader training programs to local chapter leaders and scholarships and awards.

CTA’s scholarships and awards support and recognize members who promote quality public education and make an impact in their communities during the academic year. Also, CTA is dedicated to maintaining and improving educators’ legal rights and provides them with free consultations on non-employment-related legal matters and free employment-related legal services. Lastly, CTA members have access to discounts and travel benefits, as well as grants through CTA Disaster Relief Fund, which helps members deal with significant economic hardship after damage to their primary residence, classroom, and more.

Why AP Classes Are Worth It

Jon Vranesh is an educator with nearly two decades of experience. This work includes being a special education teacher, an educational consultant, and a program director. Jon Vranesh has also worked as a testing coordinator for advance placement (AP) testing.

An AP class is a special class available to high school students. These classes can be intimidating due to their rigor, and many students question if they are worth the trouble. Rather than take an AP class, they typically can opt for less difficult honors classes.

AP classes can be well worth taking because - as the name implies - they have the potential of letting students skip, or place out of, some classes in college. This advantage is twofold - they can graduate sooner, and they can end up paying less for their college education.

AP classes can also help students get into their preferred university. This is because AP classes carry a higher weight on the student’s grade point average or GPA. Getting a particular grade in an AP class will push the GPA to a higher level than getting the same grade in a regular high school class. Then there is the college entrance committee, which might inquire of an applicant if he or she has challenged herself or himself in high school. For those who have taken AP classes, the answer is a definite “yes.”

 

Three Stress Management Exercises for Students

Education specialist Jon Vranesh counts with over two decades of experience in the education field, specifically special education. He serves as resource teacher at San Lorenzo Unified School District in California, where he teaches 9th- through 12th-grade English to students with learning disabilities, emotional disturbance, autism, health impairments, and executive functioning disabilities. Jon Vranesh has an interest in all topics related to education, such as stress management.

While children often deal with stressful events at school and in everyday life, stress management is most often directed at adults. However, there are several stress management strategies that can easily be implemented for students in the classroom.

Deep Breathing

Deep breathing or belly breathing exercises are simple and effective techniques that can help in dealing with stress. The exercise consists of having students inhale deeply through the nose and exhale slowly through the mouth. The breathing should be focused on the belly expanding as it fills with air and flattening as the air goes out. Sessions of 10 deep breaths can make a difference in stress and anxiety levels.

Progressive Relaxation

Progressive relaxation relieves tension in the muscles and lowers stress levels. The exercise involves tightening specific muscles for a few seconds and then releasing. A teacher can guide children through the different steps, starting from the muscles in the face and moving through the rest of the body, tackling the muscles one by one. For example, students close their eyes as tightly as they can for five seconds then relax.

Meditation

Meditation sessions can be another way of lowering stress levels for students. An introduction to the practice of meditation and its benefits can be followed by a short, guided meditation, with the eyes closed, sitting with the back straight, and focusing on the breath.