By DOROTHY CALLACI
What
do you do when there are "lumps
in the melting pot,” when diversity
in the classroom isn’t enough?
Jennifer
Dryer and Jeremy Copeland, both of
School of the Future in Manhattan,
faced the problem of racial tensions
in their classrooms separately but
decided to tackle the problem of their “equal
opportunity haters” jointly.
Dryer
and Copeland explained to scores of
UFT award winners and a broad spectrum
of education and business leaders at
the 24th annual Teachers Network awards
ceremony recently how they examined
the way racial tensions begin and how
to break them down.
As
senior Teachers Network Leadership
Institute fellows, they were engaged
in action research studies that, for
them, resulted in “no more racially
charged work partnerships” in
their classrooms. And like the work
of all Network winners, their analysis
interventions and recommendations are
available to other teachers on the
Web at www.teachersnetwork.org
Some 32 other TNLI fellows were also honored for
their classroom research studies as part of their
effort to strengthen the voice of teachers in education
policy making.
Dedicated
to improving student learning in public
schools by tapping into the creativity
and expertise of teachers — “by
teachers, for teachers” — the
Teachers Network has grown into an
international organization that honors
creative curriculum models through
TeachNet and creative curriculum involving
technology through Impact II.
Many
of the 70 UFT winners at this year’s
ceremony and reception held in November
in the McGraw Hill headquarters in
Manhattan were multiple honorees.
At
the 2004-05 Teachers Network Awards Ceremony,
Jeremy Copeland and Jennifer Dryer, of
School of the Future in Manhattan explain
how they got rid of the “lumps in
the melting pot — the outcome of
their action research studies on racial
tension In their classrooms. |
Marilyn
Siegel, retired but still an active Network
member, was there to support winner Pamela
Salmon of PS 373 on Staten Island, whom she
had mentored, for her award- winning unit Charting
the Weather by using the Internet.
As
retiree Carol Seltzer, one of the first technology
award winners, noted, ‘This is a professional
family. Once a member, always a member.”
Looking
back to her teaching years when she was an
Impact winner, Deputy Chancellor Carmen Farina
said, “We started to get to know each
other, share ideas, find strength in each other.”
She
called teachers the "‘best action
researchers,” and said,
“It is empowering to share.”
"There
is a real need for this kind of sorority/fraternity” the
Network provides “because teachers are
not of ten told that what they are doing is
successful,” she added.
Teachers
throughout the city, country and even throughout
the world can tap into the successful creativity
of colleagues through the Network’s Web
site. Need a lesson on buzzing bees, cave painting,
transforming fairy tales or searching for the
American dream? These lessons--just a sampling
of winning units--and many more are available
for sharing.
Among
the 2004 winners from Manhattan schools were
Laura Anderson of Edward A. Reynolds West Side
I-IS, Meryl Meisler and Grace Raffaele of Institute
for Collaborative Education, Region 10 Project
Director Julie Vitulano, Anthony Salcedo of
IS 223, Cynthia Lewis of PS 142, Susan Ettenheim
of Eleanor Roosevelt HS, Henry Russ, and Leslie
Jirsa of Lower East Side Preparatory HS, Jill
Williams (formerly of PS 171), Shirley Chin
of PS 130, Jennifer Davoli, Chantal Francola
and Erica Litke of East Side Community HS,
Jenn Flandro of PS 34 and Tim Fredrick of Thurgood
Marshall Academy.
Other
Manhattan winners were Christine Heike of City-As-School
HS, Kara Imm of Henry Street School for International
Studies, Amy Kopchains of PS 171, Kameron Lewis-Levin
and David Silberberg of Satellite Academy,
Lisa Purcell of Park East HS, Kristal Rice
of Children’s Workshop School, Vanessa
Rodriguez of MS 255, |
Principal
Ann Marie Gwen (left) and Assistant Principal
Margaret Choy-Shan (right) of PS 164 share
a sense of pride with winner Katarina Kupfer,
computer teacher at the Brooklyn school
she calls “the best school in New
York."
Beverly
Harrigan (left), principal of PS 64, congratulates
winners Carmen Vargas PS 73 and Maureen
Connelly of PS 64, both lead teachers in
the new initiative started by Community
Board One in the Bronx._____________________
Jennifer Rygalski of Mott Hall, Russell Schneider
of PS 158, Luke Janka of Humanities Preparatory
Academy, Kimberly Edelmann of PS 6, AnniIe
Chien of School of the Future, Philip Seymour
of Louis Brandeis HS and Altagracia Torres
of PS 20.
Brooklyn
honorees were Marion Peluso, Carolyn
Hornik and Bonnie Glasgold of PS 101,
Sonji Bent of PS 161, Mary Brouder
of HS of Telecommunications, Richard
Gadsby of JHS 113, Maria Lazarini of
PS 146, Nicole Nadeau of PS 361, Karen
Ramirez of PS 29, Emily Sintz of Brooklyn
Preparatory HS, Lisa North of PS 3,
Christine Gabbert of IS 240, Katerina
Kupfer of PS 164, Elissa Berkowitz
and Raven Royblat of JHS 62, Tatyana
Skalet of JHS 223 and Ginny Clarke
of PS 205.
From
Queens there was Denise Goldman of
the Academy of American Studies HS,
Robin Donovan of PS 50, Aneesha Jacko
of PS 15, Laura Sargo and Hilary Sedewitch
of PS 206, Stephen Blum of PS 205 and
Gail Forsberg of PS 141.
From
the Bronx, John Chew of PS 90, Maureen
Connelly of PS 64, Elizabeth Gill of
PS 211, Paula Murphy of JHS 166, Lucia
St. Denis of PS 102, Lizette Suxo of
PS 156 and Carmen Vargas of PS 76.
Staten
Island winners were Lori Langsner of
IS 24 and Teresa Caliari Olya of PS
22.
The
event was hosted by Teachers Network
board member Charlotte Frank.
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