ESP: Professional Development
Learning From One Another

Maryland ESPs network during professional development day.

Throughout her career as an education support professional, Maryland member Barbara Thompson has worried about the "separateness" she has observed among ESPs. Members of the various job groups tend to keep to themselves, she says. But Thompson wanted to change that.

So, when she became president of the Frederick Association of School Support Employees (FASSE) three years ago, Thompson organized a support staff professional development day to unify her colleagues.

"We needed to find how we are the same instead of how we are different," says Thompson, whose term ended in July. "Everybody said it wouldn't work."

But Thompson's event succeeded. Since then, the professional development day has become an annual gathering where ESPs network and build their skills. In May, more than 150 secretaries, custodians, maintenance workers, and other ESPs attended the event. The day included workshops on leadership and communication skills, r?sum? writing, legal issues for ESPs, school safety, and workplace stress, among other topics.

FASSE organized the event with help from Frederick County Public Schools and the Maryland State Teachers Association.

The organizers tried to offer sessions that appeal to a variety of job groups, says Thompson, an administrative secretary at Twin Ridge Elementary School. Staff from MSTA, UniServ directors, members of FASSE, and representatives of the school system facilitated the workshops.

The local, which began bargaining with the county only six years ago, negotiated financial support for a professional development day into its contract. The school system provided $2,000 for the event. FASSE also received a $1,500 grant from MSTA.

Frederick ESPs received release time to attend the workshops since the event took place on a county staff development day. Attendees also received their normal pay, if they ordinarily would have worked that day. (Bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and some instructional assistants were not paid for the day because students were not in school. They could attend the sessions on their own time.)

"This event exemplifies what we should be doing in this county, and that's learning from one another," says Jack Dale, superintendent of Frederick County Schools.

FASSE also used the day to recruit new members. The local encouraged participants to join on the spot by entering all new members in a drawing for a television/videocassette recorder system. About 30 new members signed up during the event.

The professional development day shows nonmembers how FASSE supports ESPs, Thompson says. Attendees also learned about the benefits of Association membership during many of the workshops, she adds.

Peggy Warfield, an instructional assistant at the Frederick County Career and Technology Center, attends the professional development day every year.

"I come to see other support staff and to see what FASSE has done for us," she says. "I think it's beneficial to interact with people from other schools and share tips with colleagues."

Kandys Fitzpatrick, a special education program assistant at New Market and Twin Ridge elementary schools, agrees.

"I definitely will be back next year," says Fitzpatrick, who attended for the first time this spring. "It's great to have the opportunity to do something like this."

For now, the professional development day takes place only once a year, but Thompson hopes the local ultimately will offer it more frequently.

"Support people are on the lower end of the pay scale and because of that I think sometimes they don't feel special," Thompson says. "I want them to know how special they are, and I also want them to know that as an organization we recognize that there is a hunger for personal and professional development.

"I want them to walk out of here today saying 'I'm here for the children.' It's not just about teachers. It's about support staff, too."

--Kristen Loschert

Profile

Providing for Preschoolers

Name:
Delores Murray

Job Title:
Instructional assistant, Mary Scott Elementary School,
Richmond, Virginia

What I Do in My Job:
I'm in the prekindergarten program and we develop the students emotionally and socially. Because of the Virginia Standards of Learning we are getting them ready for reading. We show them how to count and to recognize numbers and letters. We also review colors and shapes. This is part of the Virginia Preschool Initiative, which is similar to Head Start.

The Most Rewarding Part of My Job:
Working with children and seeing them grasp a concept and learn something.

My Favorite Pastime:
Watching classic movies, the old classics with Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, and Humphrey Bogart. My favorite is Wuthering Heights with Sir Laurence Olivier and Vivian Leigh.

How I've Helped My Association:
I first became a site representative. Then I became the chair of the ESP Caucus of the Richmond Education Association. Then I was elected to the REA Board of Directors. I'm now on the Virginia Board. This year also is my last year on the Membership Advisory Committee.

My Community Involvement Includes:
I serve on the East End Civic Board in Richmond. We help revitalize neighborhoods and work with the youth center in the area. I'm also a member of All Souls Presbyterian Church, and I taught Sunday school for a while.

A Little Known Fact About Me:
I love music. My favorite is jazz. I also like reading a good book. I love the works of Langston Hughes and Richard Wright.

Going the Extra Mile

Redlands ESP Local Raises Scholarship Funds
For the second year, the Redlands Education Support Professionals Association in California sponsored a golf tournament to raise money for scholarships for members' children. This year, the tournament had 72 participants and raised more than $2,200. The local raised additional funds through candy sales. Thanks to all of the fundraising efforts, the local awarded three $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors this past spring. "Our golf tournament was a great success," says Paula Monroe, president of RESPA. Monroe credits RESPA vice president Mike Shanteler with the idea for the tournament. The local has awarded scholarships for the past 14 years.

Grand Rapids Member Wins Award
This past spring, the Michigan Education Association awarded its Leon A. Brunner Award to Steve Spica, president of the 600-member Grand Rapids ESP Association. Spica has served as president for the past five years. The award recognizes ESP members who make significant contributions to ESP issues and concerns.

"I really do appreciate the award--it's a great honor," Spica says in the MEA Voice. "I have such a wonderful team behind me."

Spica, who runs his school district's supply department, regularly speaks out against privatizing ESP services.

"I always say that if school systems privatize, they'll have people in their buildings who don't care and who don't know the kids or care about the kids like we do," Spica says. "Our kids need support personnel, and our district needs us."

In for the Long Haul
Wyoming bus driver Linda Fleming knows all about long hours. Every weekday morning, Fleming heads to work before sunrise. While most people are still sleeping, Fleming is on her way to pick up the 59 students she transports to school. Hers is the first bus out of the garage each morning, and it will be the last one parked at night, notes the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, which highlighted Fleming's efforts this past spring.

Fleming's route, which stretches 240 miles round trip, takes her along narrow gravel roads through Laramie County School District. She faces snow and ice covered roads in the winter and muddy ruts in the spring. But Fleming says she wouldn't trade her route for anything. "After 18 years, they can't take this route away from me," she says. "These are my kids."

Resources

NEA Foundation Grants
Apply today for an Innovation Grant or Learning and Leadership Grant from the NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education (NFIE). Grant amounts range from $1,000 to $3,000. Applicants may submit a proposal at any time.

Innovation Grants provide an opportunity for education support professionals, teachers, and higher education faculty to develop and implement programs that significantly improve student learning. Learning and Leadership Grants provide funds for professional development. For more information, go to the NFIE Website at www.nfie.org. The Foundation will contact grant recipients within seven months of receiving their applications.

Healthy School Meals
The USDA's Food and Nutrition Information Center has developed the Healthy School Meals Resource System (HSMRS) in cooperation with the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Maryland.

The HSMRS website includes menus, recipes, a food buying guide, information on food allergies, training materials, online discussion groups, Web links to food service professional groups, and food safety information. You can access the site at http://schoolmeals.nal.usda.gov:8001/.