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Hempstead educators work on their to-do lists
March 3, 2005 NYSUT's Maria Neira, foreground, looks over materials with a team of Hempstead educators including, from left, Superintendent Susan Johnson, elementary teachers Cheryl Goodridge and Maria Cady, and HCTA President Dawn Sherwood. The team participated in a national union conference on redesigning schools. It's all about the future in Hempstead schools. Don't talk about the past, whether it's with union leaders Dawn Sherwood and Charlett King, Superintendent Susan Johnson or even students in the Long Island district. They are focused on the future. "I'm getting a good education here and I know I'm prepared for college," said senior Melissa Santos. "We know we are capable of more than what they say or write about us."
Articles in local newspapers have dwelled on deteriorating buildings and turmoil and turnover in top positions. The State Education Department has identified Hempstead as a district in need of improvement for its falling test scores, low graduation rate and overcrowded buildings. That designation was a wake-up call. Ever since State Ed sent in crisis intervention teams earlier this year, the district has worked in concert with the state and unions to set up the framework to tackle the problems. Sherwood, president of the Hempstead Classroom Teachers Association, said the district is on the road to a turnaround: "We've been blazing trails and, through the changing leadership, providing students with some semblance of conti-nuity." Sherwood has taught social studies at A.B.G. Schultz Middle and Hempstead High for 12 years each. "What we need is consistency and follow-through." Johnson said the district is on the path with this to-do list: "We have to get the correct professional development and training to our staff, align our curriculum and instruction with the state standards, get our facilities in order and involve the community more." Reports from Hempstead are encouraging, as are the steps the unions and administration are making together, said New York State United Teachers Vice President Maria Neira, who heads the union's Division of Research and Educational Services. "Regardless of the chaos at the top, the teachers, teaching assistants and other staff across the district are providing the stability, continuity and expectation for success that students need." Rachel Blackburn's choir room provides a prime example. On the last day in January, the Hempstead High choir was busy preparing for an appearance at New York City Hall later that week, as well as their appearance with the Louisiana Philharmonic at the New Orleans Choral Fest in April. "Ladies, you're letting the men upstage you," Blackburn chides as she stops practice of "Walking in the Green Grass" by Michael Hennagin. "You have to have the same intensity and energy as the tenors and basses. Now sit up straight and let's try it again." Singing a capella, the teenagers' voices fill the room, blending in the intricate American folk song. "Ooooh, we almost made it," Blackburn said. "Now in this next part, make sure you're watching me for the rhythm. Drop your jaw and let the sound come out." Two more tries and Blackburn is satisfied, just like she is with teaching in the district, regardless of the district's designation. King, president of the Hempstead Teaching Assistants Association, noted both unions have long been strong advocates for the public schools. "We have challenges here, but we also have all the ingredients we need to meet and exceed them," King said. Teacher Pamela Furline agrees. Like many in the district, including Superintendent Johnson, Furline graduated from Hempstead public schools. There is nowhere she'd rather be. "I'm proof of what you can achieve," said Furline, who recently received her doctorate degree from Columbia University . "I tell my kids they can exceed what I've done. "In fact, I expect they will." — Betsy Sandberg |
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