March Contract for Grade Glenn Tracey Cohort III

In contracting for a B grade I will attend a curriculum planning workshop in March to help coordinate educational integration of the Great Lakes Aquarium with social studies outcomes in our middle schools. The continued participation in workshops will hopefully lead to a consistent role in making the best use of this valuable resource for our students. This will be summarized in a discourse of no more than three pages.

In contracting for an A grade my continued role as building steward at Ordean Middle School offers many opportunities to develop an understanding of the problems the educator in the classroom encounters and hopefully provides examples of solutions. The current displacement possibilities resulting from 5th grade program choice have many educators questioning where and what they might be teaching next year. Other issues promise even more questions related to our profession which will be thoughtfully related in the three page summary to be included in my portfolio.

-- Anonymous, March 12, 1999

Answers

Spring Contract for Grade Masters of Education Cohort III Glenn Tracey

The Spring contract for grade consists of two parts, the participation in a curriculum planning session at the Great Lakes Aquarium for social studies educators in Duluth and surrounding communities will be discussed in the first pages of the contract summary, followed by the contract for A grade information on continuing union activities as building representative at Ordean Middle School. B Contract In early March of this year the principal at my school approached me about attending the planning session for the Great Lakes Aquarium. This caught me off guard because science instructors and art teachers from our building were already scheduled to attend other sessions and my request to attend had earlier been denied. All the same I was eager to attend and the following week an afternoon was set aside for curriculum planning at the Great Lakes Aquarium on London Road. The old Limnological Research building was a good location to meet as the March wind was blowing off the lake and with a little help from the rain, made for a fierce, gale like, gusting against the large windows. This created an atmosphere of shelter from the storm, yet a desire to be on the edge of a Great Lake facing into it. Refreshments brought everyone together and this was followed by introductions. I was one of six educators gathered around the table, a high school civics instructor from Barnum, a middle school history teacher from Holy Rosary, an Early Childhood Family educator, an American Indian resource administrator, the Great Lakes Aquarium curriculum planner, and myself, a seventh and eighth grade, geography/American History instructor. We quickly began by characterizing the students we have, and the experiences we've had with field trips. Then we were shown a video describing typical visits and the design of exhibits based on educational themes. I was questioning my participation at this point, as I had realized that we were being directed toward designing curriculum for our schools which would provide customers for the aquarium. It didn't take long for my attitude to change from apprehension to enthusiasm though, as we began to discuss the history and geography of our region. Sharing ideas for education allowed me to gain a better understanding of the potential for the aquarium and I soon became interested in supporting this resource of the community. Shortly after this that my thoughts turned to how we could encourage classroom instructors like myself to bring large groups of students to the aquarium. Providing funding sources is the most obvious answer, as well as coordinating exhibits with curriculum requirements in the schools. As the meeting came to an end we were discussing possible grant development, encouraging instructors to use the facility by funding transportation, or otherwise providing resources to get kids in the door. When I left my interest in promoting the Great Lakes Aquarium was genuine, and continued discussion with colleagues at Ordean that were attending future sessions has kept me in touch with some of the developments. My participation in the planning session was rewarding in the awareness it created of the role education can play in helping support a resource we can all share in. A Contract In contracting for a grade of A my continuing role as building representative of the Duluth Federation of Teachers (DFT) for Ordean Middle School will be discussed. The role of union leader is one that I would prefer to avoid when possible, but my desire to assume professional responsibility for developing a positive working environment compelled me to accept the request in the fall of 1998. Initial activity will be summarized, as well as discussion of several concerns that affect how well our schools meet the needs of students, employees, and the community. We began the year with a possible picket line as holiday decoration for our school buildings and I was involved with coordinating DFT communications for buildings and community media, so it felt like I was holding the power cord to lights I didn't want to turn on. Fortunately we avoided any shock to our community with a supportive school board reaching agreement on a contract in the nick of time. All of these experiences gave me an appreciation of the need to be involved on a district wide basis when issues threaten economic security of individuals. The needs of union members to feel they had access to resources were met allowing strength to bargain together for a common goal. In many instances this past year I have been asked to attend meetings, or in some cases requested them, in order to deal with professional issues being addressed by teachers, administrators, and parents. Many have been resolved quickly, with poor communication being a frequent reason for the needed meeting. Often my role has been one of sitting off to the side and listening, but just being there as an observer is difficult, so I frequently found myself supporting a colleague, without saying too much I hope. The list of responsibilities for building representative includes a voting seat on the site council that left me with a personal conflict, to represent the majority opinion on room configuration meant voting against what seemed to be in the best long range interest of program development. The result was a feeling of distrust between programs within the building. This can also be related to the recent choice given parents of children entering the fifth grade in fall of 1999 at Ordean and Woodland, which allows them to remain at the elementary school instead. By not offering a consistent plan for middle level schools in Duluth the district has placed serious stumbling blocks for continued cooperation between sites that share common students. A challenge as a union representative forced me to examine a basic right of student privacy and a common school room practice that is claimed to violate that right. In having students pass assignments, quizzes or tests to their peers for correction we all share in a class-action complaint brought against a member of the Ordean staff. Once again poor communication was a key to creating confusion. The instructor was questioned by the principal about a parent complaint, and a lawsuit was mentioned with a request that the district's legal advisor be contacted. While we were discussing the issue the superintendent called offering support and providing information about previous complaints regarding this practice from the parent. He did assure the instructor that the school district planned to provide appropriate resources to deal with the problem and she need not feel threatened or alone. Further legal advice was made available through Education Minnesota that answered questions and promised additional support. The opportunity to be involved with my colleagues in many professional and individual challenges has provided me with a better understanding of the cooperation that is required to teach effectively. We must continue to promote an active role for educators in making decisions for our schools. A feeling of security in our schools starts with qualified administrators, instructors and other educational professionals believing their work is valued and rewarded. The first order of business as building steward next fall will find me calling a meeting to elect my replacement. The chances are that there may be no candidates as the beginning of the year in the classroom leaves little time for additional responsibility. Perhaps I will volunteer to stay on as our site representative so my involvement in professional education issues can continue to develop at a time I feel I need to be informed. See you in the fall, I hope!

-- Anonymous, June 29, 1999