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Union training emphasizes state standards
Oct. 7, 2004 Teresa Konopelko, a teacher aide from the Sayville TA, practices a presentation on learning standards for a workshop through NYSUT's Professional Development Program. In 21 years as a teaching assistant with the Rensselaer-Columbia-Greene BOCES, Kelly Hardy wishes she had received more professional development from her employer. The best overview of the drive for higher academic standards she has found, Hardy said, came from her statewide union. The training was combined with useful strategies for helping students achieve the standards. She's not alone in her enthusiasm. "What I know about the standards I got from my union and being involved in NYSUT's Professional Development Program," said Teresa Konopelko, a teacher aide at Sayville Middle School on Long Island . This summer, Hardy, a member of her BOCES Special Support Services Federation, and Konopelko, a member of the Sayville Teachers Association, were among 14 members of New York State United Teachers around the state trained to present workshops to other School-Related Professionals through their statewide union's Education and Learning Trust. Konopelko has provided a training session in Brentwood . "Because support staff are usually left out of training, the whole standards movement is this big, unknown thing," she said. The training worked for Cathy Rienth, a teaching assistant with the Sachem Central TA. "Besides helping me in the classroom with special-needs kids, it's helped me as a parent with two children who are now taking all of these higher-stakes tests," said Rienth. This year, Rienth is working with fifth-graders. Districts should put more emphasis on such training. "The standards are expectations," Rienth said. "If we don't know the standards, how can we know what to expect from our students?" To get training Workshops such as "Helping students succeed, Parts I and II" are available for conference days, union events and teacher center programs. For information, call the Education and Learning Trust at (800) 528-6208 and press 5 for the SRP Professional Development Program. Other workshops include:
— Betsy Sandberg |
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