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Knowing how to make a classroom come alive New chairwoman of state SRP committee has perspective 
November 20, 2002 Photo by Eric and Teresa Van Dyke Ann Gentilin brings experience and perspective to her job - and to her new union post chairing NYSUT's School-Related Professionals Advisory Committee. At the October SRP leadership conference in Lake Placid, New York State United Teachers President Tom Hobart appointed Gentilin to lead the committee. Working as a teacher aide in the Onteora schools of Ulster County, the state's third largest district in area, Gentilin knows the importance of seeing things from a child's perspective. "Some of our children come from extremely wealthy homes in Woodstock," said Gentilin. "Others are part of the rural poor. Some kids spend up to an hour on the bus before they even get to school. It's difficult for parents who live that far away to be involved." In nine years as a teacher's aide, Gentilin has run the academic gamut - working as a one-on-one aide, assisting in a multi-sensory reading program and helping teachers in self-contained and regular ed classrooms. For thousands who assist teachers in schools, the job title doesn't reflect the actual work. This is important to remember, Gentilin said, as new federal regulations on Title I take effect that don't correspond with state guidelines defining the roles of teaching assistants and teacher aides. Add in that many districts hire teacher aides while requiring them to do the instructional work of a teaching assistant, she explained, "and it's extremely confusing and upsetting for many people who come to work to help children." That's why she will emphasize getting SRPs information they need on new education requirements for Title I in the "No Child Left Behind" Act. "The regulations are still being written, so it's difficult to give definite answers," Gentilin said. "But all SRPs who work with children, regardless of their job titles, need to be aware of this law." (For more, go to the union's Web site at www.nysut.org/research.) In many dynamic classrooms, learning proceeds smoothly because of SRPs' hard work behind the scenes. "We may not be in front of the classroom, but we're the integral and vital force behind making education work," said Gentilin, who serves as president of her 247-member local. "The bus drivers and secretaries are the ones kids see first thing in the morning and last thing in the evening. Kids get breakfast and lunch from us. They come see us when they are sick," Gentilin said. The chairwoman sets the agenda for the 20-member committee. "Our members have to get the proper training they need," Gentilin said. "This is one of the many places where the union is trying to help." NYSUT's Education and Learning Trust's Professional Development Program has 10 workshops, offered on a regional basis, on topics ranging from managing student behavior on buses and in classrooms to preventing exposure to bloodborne disease to supporting students with special needs. For information, call (800) 528-6208. Gentilin is one of 42 SRP members in the state NYSUT has trained to present workshops. "Training by SRPs, for SRPs, makes a difference," she said. - Betsy Sandberg
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NYSUT School Related Professionals
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