Learning
Beyond the Paycheck

Indiana educators play major decision-making role--and 85 percent of new teachers stay.

The Fort Wayne, Indiana, school district had some major planning on its agenda last year:

• Design professional development for the system's 1,800 teachers;
• Choose one schedule for all six high schools;
• Work out strategies to keep the city's 54 schools free of the dreaded "academic probation" label that is part of Indiana's school accountability system.

Many school systems face issues like these. But very few tackle them the way Fort Wayne has. Each decision was effectively made by a committee that included frontline educators, members of the Fort Wayne Education Association (FWEA).

About a quarter of Fort Wayne's teachers serve on one of the system's many decision-making committees. "This is where real, meaningful change takes place," says FWEA President Steve Brace.

Administrators in this mid-sized, working class city also sit on these committees, and in some cases, so do parents and the occasional student. But teachers usually play the leading role.

Based on a survey of educators, the in-service committee chose programs that best met staff needs.

The high school schedule committee narrowed the schedule choices to two, and then all high school teachers voted. Now, with all schools on the same schedule, there's less confusion when students transfer.

The state accountability committees, one in each building, came up with test score targets and strategies for meeting them.

"We all brought different things to the table, including the student member who had many useful ideas," says Kathy Malott, a Portage Middle School teacher who worked on the project in her school.

As a result of all this committee work, teachers laud the improved decision-making process and there's a great deal more buy-in from the educators who must carry them out. "When you have ownership, you take more pride and responsibility in what you're doing," says Brace.

The committees also serve to connect the staff. "I teach art and art history," says Malott, "but now I'm more attuned to what other teachers are doing so I can gear my work to fit. If we didn't have this collaboration, teachers would go back to being more isolated."

Now in Fort Wayne, new teachers don't leave. Eighty-five percent of the teachers hired in the last five years still work in the district. Brace gives a lot of credit for the high retention rate to the district's mentoring program, also run by a joint committee.

School districts across America vary wildly in the ways they make decisions. In some, the superintendent rules supreme, while those who actually work with the children have little say.

Fort Wayne is at the other end of the spectrum. Cooperation between union and management has given teachers a seat--in fact, many seats--at the decision-making table. The FWEA contract specifically provides for these joint committees.

The teachers on the committees are volunteers, sometimes nominated by their principal, but they must be approved by the union president. Eighty percent of Fort Wayne teachers are FWEA members.

Relations between the Fort Wayne school administration and the union aren't always sweet. This spring, negotiations are starting for a new contract, and Brace expects tough bargaining over salaries and other economic issues.

But where educators and administrators share the same goal--namely, giving Fort Wayne's 32,000 public school children the best possible education--the union and administration cooperate smoothly and effectively, and Brace doesn't expect that to change.

Last year, the administration and the union won an NEA-Saturn/UAW Labor/Management Partnership to Mentor New Teachers award for their mentoring program, one of six awards given nationwide for mentoring programs developed together by unions and school administrators.

--Alain Jehlen

For more: Contact Steve Brace, stevefwea@aol.com, or Kathy Malott, Kathy.Malott@fwcs.k12.in.us. To apply for an NEA-Saturn/UAW Award for exemplary mentoring programs, go to www15.inetba.com/saturnuaw/filecabinet/Satfile/PAapplication.htm. The application deadline is March 14.

Dilemma
How do you cool off in a high-stress situation?

When a kid has just stepped on my last nerve, I say, "I want to talk to you after class." That way, I am not putting on a show for the other students, I am giving myself time to think about what to say. I'm giving the student a little time to worry about what he or she has done, and I'm getting a little time to cool off.

Afterward, I ask, "Why did I ask you to stay after class?" Ninety percent of the time, the student will say, "Because I did thus and so." Then, I'm not looking at an argument about whether or not the act took place. The student is admitting it.

I tell the student I know he or she is not the kind who wants to create problems. Again, 9 times out of 10, this is absolutely true.

Marcia Hoffman
Special services teacher
North Kansas City, Missouri

When I feel myself getting heated, I turn to humor. There is a fine line between humor and sarcasm, so you must be careful. First, drop your hands to your side, shake them out, look at the student and say, "You know, that is probably what I would have said when I was your age." This catches the student totally off guard. Sometimes a student says, "Gee, you can remember that far back!" The ice (or fire) has been broken.

When all else fails, you can always try Prozac!

Kay Meredith
High school English teacher,
Powhatan, Virginia

Strong feelings only occur when the individual cares a lot about the outcome. I try to remember that stress is an indicator of how much I care. If the situation doesn't warrant it, I remind myself of that and let go of whatever trivial thing is driving the reaction.

If the situation really is important, I remember that the other person's anger comes from his or her love for the child. I then remember what I like about the child and try to conjure up an interaction I had with the child that was positive. That puts me back into a place where we are all working for what's best for the child. This works with parents, administrators, and fellow classroom teachers and ESPs.

Bekah Saxon
Middle school resource teacher
Charlottesville, Virginia

I find the best stress reliever is exercise. A colleague and I walk after school every day. Often we talk about the things that are stressing us, and by the end, we feel much better.

When I find myself in high-stress situations during the day, I use several techniques to calm myself. Taking a couple of deep breaths gives me a chance to clear my head and plan my next step. When possible, I take notes, which helps me organize my thoughts and deal in facts instead of emotions. Humor is a big help. As I work through a stressful event, I think of how I will relate this story to colleagues, usually ending in a humorous comment like "For this I went to college!"

Janet Shlegle,
Elementary special education teacher
Loveville, Maryland

Our district has a program called "Rough Spot Training." All the students have been taught that when in a tough emotional situation, the first thing one needs to do is to breathe and then repeat an appropriate "cool" self-talk.

After I learned this program, I realized I could use it myself to handle life's stressful moments. So now, I breathe, then tell myself that this is tough, but I can handle it.

Christine Porter
Elementary art teacher
Wilmette, Illinois

In a high-stress situation, I take action that I think is appropriate and move on. It is too easy to shut down and become a deer in the headlights. When this happens, the stress grows. I like to remember that I am a teacher like millions of others who are all doing the best they can. We all make mistakes. If I screw it all up, so what? I did my best.

Chris Perillo
High school science teacher
Kenosha, Wisconsin

Got an answer?

How do you keep your students focused at the end of the year?
E-mail your answer to dilemma2@list.nea.org. Or send by regular mail, or fax to 202/822-7206. Include your name, city, state, and job. If published, you will receive an NEA Today mug!

How I Did It

Noelani Hong
Guidance counselor Hawaii

Helping Students Find Real Heroes

When I came to Pahala Elementary School and Ka`u High School, I knew I was headed into a tough situation.

In a community with high unemployment and where teen pregnancy, drug abuse, and fights were frequent occurrences, I asked myself, "How am I going to be able to help?"

I found my answer in "Hero Hookup."

The Hero Hookup program started in September 2001 to help students find positive role models both inside and outside their community.

Many of my students had trouble recognizing real heroes. When I asked who their heroes were, only a handful selected family members, firefighters, or their teachers, while the majority picked Powderpuff Girls or Superman.

I saw a need for students to be exposed to more realistic heroes.

I decided to go out into the community and find prominent figures whom the children might be able to relate to. By asking people such as University of Hawaii Professor Manulani Aluli-Meyer, police officer Bill Doar, Mayor Harry Kim, physician Josh Green, and Congressman Ed Case to participate, I was able to find heroes the children could interact with on a more personal level.

These speakers talked with students about what they do and the paths they took to get where they are now, including how they dealt with setbacks and defeats.

Since the Hero Hookup program began, the school climate has improved tremendously. Swearing and fights are rare now.

Most important, students are respecting themselves.

Hero Hookup doesn't deserve all the credit. We have made many big changes in our school. But Hero Hookup played an important role.