At this week’s Merced Union High School District board meeting, a presentation was given on the district’s BTSA induction program.

BTSA, or beginning teacher support and assessment, is a state-funded instructor induction program co-sponsored by the California Department of Education and the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. It is designed to support the professional development of beginning teachers. Along the way, the program also helps those teachers meet the requirements to finalize their teaching credentials.

While this program looks to offer a ton of much-needed support to new instructors, that is not the reason I love the annual presentations the BTSA coordinator Debbie Long gives.

I love them because Long always brings a treat along to share with the crowd.

Last year, she carried in a basket of BTSA Bars, which chocolate candy s bars wrapped in a homemade paper liner that explained what the BTSA program entails. This year, Long did the same thing with handy purse-sized boxes of mints. (I guess she wanted to make sure the big wigs at the school district ate as few empty calories as possible this year!)

The wrapper renamed the boxes “Encouragemints” and is supposed to remind teachers of all the resources BTSA can provide to them as new instructors. Oh, and cleanse their breath, of course.

Thank you, Debbie Long, for adding a bit of freshness to your presentation. I can’t wait until next year.