Thanks to a grant from the Elizabeth Education Association, Joe Galego trains New Jersey teachers and ESP in crisis management.

Elizabeth, New Jersey, can be a tough place for kids to grow up, according to school security guard Joe Galego. "Some kids here are lucky to have a place to go home to," Galego says. "They need so much more.

"They have forgiving hearts, but sometimes they say things not knowing that even words do hurt," he adds.

Galego works as a security guard at George Washington Elementary, the largest elementary school in New Jersey. Though incidents of school violence continue to be reported, Galego takes a pro-active approach to maintaining safe schools in Elizabeth, recognizing that it takes all education employees for the effort to be successful.

Through a Take Pride in Public Education grant that he received from the Elizabeth Education Association, Galego is training district staff members in nonviolent crisis intervention. The program focuses on making children, staff, and parents feel safe at school and helping them learn to handle potentially violent situations.

Galego received four days of training by the Crisis Prevention Institute in New York City before he became a certified instructor. From there, he presented the program to members of his local Association and parents. He started by training his fellow 72 security guards in Elizabeth. All together, he's taught 130 staffers, with more trainings set for this school year.

"I got a better response than expected," said Galego, who started the trainings in May 2000. "The guards were very receptive. I work with elementary students, but I made sure to gear training to those who work with middle school and high school students as well."

Galego also provided training to 26 teachers over two Saturdays. The teachers earned six hours of professional development credit while developing skills for dealing with students in crisis.

"Ninety percent of the time teachers handle a crisis before security gets there," said Galego. "It's important to know how to handle these situations. Your reaction can seriously affect the outcome."

Highlights of what Galego conveys to his trainees are:

• "We have to realize that too often kids don't know better. We have to teach them to deal with their emotions in a positive way," he says. "By being supportive and finding out the history of a child in crisis, we can make a difference.
• "When a child reacts violently, it's not always their fault," Galego notes. "When a security guard challenges a parent and the parent disrespects the guard, how do you maintain composure while not being rude? Stay calm and in control. A steady tone helps. Avoid saying things you shouldn't."
• "Work as a team with your colleagues.
• "And never give up on kids. They teach us so much about survival, and they have a great willingness to please everyone who shows an interest in their work."

Galego came to education after holding a job at a detention center that housed illegal immigrants, and after being "downsized" at a pump manufacturer where he worked for 14 years. And he's now making the most of the opportunities that his Association has to offer.

Galego sits on the executive committee of the Elizabeth Education Association. He also served as chief negotiator of the 3,500-member local, which includes all job categories, during its last negotiations session.

Rose Carreto, the local president, says it's the first time in the ten years she's been in office that a school support person served as chief negotiator.

"It's one of our goals in this local to unite the professional and support staffs," says Carreto. "Joe shows just how well support personnel can handle leadership positions."

Adds UniServ director Al Ramey, "Joe's a great example of of how important our ESP members are to NJEA and New Jersey's public schools.''

More on Pride Grants

The Elizabeth Education Association has taken on several initiatives through grants from its Take Pride in Public Education Committee.

• Elizabeth High School teaching assistant Joe Cortico heads up a youth soccer league in cooperation with several local EA board volunteers.
• Michael Hunter, a security guard at the district administrative building, leads a basketball program during summer months that involves 300 kids ages 10-15.
• Elizabeth High School secretary Sally Hughes has organized a poetry festival during each of the last two years. Says local president Rose Carreto: "Kids at all levels submit poems, and last year there were 300 entries."

Going the Extra Mile

Illinois custodial personnel Bob Gillis and Don Bragg went the extra mile for members of the Custodia Maintenance Unit Association. Over the past six years or so, the two have helped develop and define members' working relationship with the school administration and board of education. Their contract includes a partnership clause and job descriptions.

Oklahoma bus driver Pat Miller, a member of the Noble Support Personnel Association, is proud of the progress her local has made since it began bargaining 15 years ago. One of its successes is a bus discipline policy that the drivers were involved in creating. It defined how bus discipline was to be handled and opened communications between the drivers and administration. Miller and fellow member Shirley Jennings coordinate another project called "Bear Fair,'' which helps ready kindergartners for bus travel.

Each year, the Washington Education Association presents a host of awards to its members, recognizing them for the multitalented people they are. This year's awards included ESP scholarship grants to Kay Pennington from the Seattle Education Association, Chet Pitner from the Eagle Crest Education Association (Sekiu), and Laurie Whitaker of the Eastmont Paraprofessionals Association (East Wenatchee).

At NEA's Representative Assembly this July in Los Angeles, NEA President Bob Chase singled out eight special people whom he called heroes for the work they do on and off the job.

One of those cited was Oregon school bus driver Janis Eggert. Chase recognized Eggert for her unstinting efforts on behalf of the Lebanon, Oregon schools.

Thanks in large part to Eggert's efforts, Lebanon voters passed a school bond issue that will allow the construction of two new schools. Eggert's next project is raising $4,000 to buy two new sousaphones for the Lebanon High Marching Band.

Two Maryland ESP members have won $1,000 leadership grants from the NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education. Meera Nagarajan, a special education assistant in Howard County, will use her grant to learn a variety of new computer applications. Wanda Newman, an educational interpreter in Prince George's County, will learn advanced techniques and methodologies in interpreting. In all, 49 NEA members were awarded NFIE grants. For more information on the grants offered, visit www.nfie.org.

Books on The Bus

Name: Terry Appelgate
Job Title: Bus driver, Cherry Creek Schools, Englewood/Aurora, Colorado

Background: Colorado bus driver is my latest job. For 20 years I flew fighter jets for the Navy. Later, I ran a trucking company, then retired again to become a corporate consultant.

Bright Idea: I was never a reader, even in college. If I didn't pick it up in a college lecture, I wasn't going to pick it up. Then my wife, Suzannee, a middle school teacher, gave me The Bridges of Madison County a few years ago, and that got me started reading. Now, I hardly ever watch television, I always have a book going.

Anyway, last year she and I were talking about how kids need to read more. I wondered if they would read to and from school if they were allowed to go to the front of the lines to board the bus or get off first.

How it worked: In the morning, kids brought their books with them to the bus. When they get off, I would ask them how many books they've finished at home, on the bus, or at school. For the most part, they would tell the truth--I've taken to looking them in the eye. I kept track of the books on sheets posted in the buses.

End point: I wanted these kids to have an appreciation for reading, a chance to expand themselves. If one of them does, it's a success.

This year, my bus routes have changed and so have the kids. Many of my riders have problems with English, but we're working with the library personnel to get them books they can read. 4

Resources

The Latest Stats
For a relatively concise report on the nation's educational system, check out the eighth annual Mini-Digest of Education Statistics (2000). This two- by three-inch booklet offers a good summary of key data--including graduation rates, teachers' salaries, and government spending on education. To order, call 202/512-1800.

Have a Great Meeting
Not looking forward to that meeting next week? Maybe it's because meetings that you've attended in the past have not been fruitful.

For possible solutions, take a look at the 3M Corporation's Meeting Network site. This corporate giant seems familiar with the waste involved in having a bad meeting, as well as the benefits to all in a well-timed and planned gathering.

Chances are you'll get a kick out of the cartoons, and find the presentation kits useful.

There is some hawking of 3M products, but there's also plenty of useful information to help you (or your supervisor, if he or she needs it) make sure that your next meeting is a helpful one, and not a bore. Look at www.3m.com/meetingnetwork/.

Sites To Watch
Want to know all about who we are as a nation? Visit the Web at www.census.gov for all the latest about America and Americans.

For the latest information about consumer fraud-and a toll-free number to report it-log on to www.fraud.org.

One more good site is www.students.gov/index.html, a U.S. Department of Education effort to help students and families plan the future beyond high school.