‘We have the same needs and goals’

Queens parent conference: Assemblywoman Grace Meng meets with parents Sunita Suvasia, with a child at PS 212, and Seema Nawa, with a child at PS 69.

Bruce Cotler

Bronx parent conference: At a Power Over Diabetes workshop, health educator Yamileth Martinez gives a thorough overview of Types 1 and 2 diabetes, insulin resistance and deficiency, and how to control blood sugar.

More than 2,000 parents, grandparents and guardians turned out for annual conferences organized by the UFT in every borough on Saturdays this fall, each focusing on topics selected by parents for parents.

The full-day events, which included exhibitors, gave parents plenty of information and resources to use and share.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew attended each conference and told participants that he was pleased to see that their concerns are getting more attention from elected officials and the press these days. 

He said that one of his objectives as union president is to work more with parents, “because we have the same needs and goals.” 

Among those goals: getting the Department of Education to hire fewer accountability experts and more curriculum experts.

“What you see now is teaching to the test and that’s not what real education is about,” he said to applause.

Miller PhotographyManhattan parent conference: Modeling their new tote bags are (from left) Antoinette McHanon, whose grandchild attends PS 75; Lisa McKenzie, whose child attends Frederick Douglass Academy; and parents Mirium Aristy and Kelly Woodman, with children at PS 153.

“Student achievement is about much more than a test score. The things that create a well-rounded child, like art and music, are almost completely gone under this administration,” he said.

UFT Community and Parent Outreach Director Anthony Harmon thanked those who attended and told them that “we believe there’s a real need to bring parents here. We want them at the table and don’t want them shut out of the conversation.” 

He encouraged parents to make use of UFT resources such as Dial-a-Teacher for afterschool homework help for their children, and the Albert Shanker Scholarship Fund, which disburses $1 million a year to help eligible students defray college and graduate school costs.

Brooklyn parent conference: Among those who attended are (from left) parents Shelly Moore, with a son at PS 7; Dana Green, with a child at Bedford Academy HS, and Marjorie Garraway, with a son at Eagle Academy for Young Men.

Parents in each borough chose the theme and helped organize their conference. The Staten Island conference focused on bullying in all its forms, and included a visit from the borough’s recently re-elected district attorney, Dan Donovan.

In the Bronx, the focus was on health and included workshops on diabetes and exercise as well as free screenings on-site and at Maimonides Hospital for mammograms, prostate cancer tests and colonoscopies. 

In Manhattan, workshops ran the gamut from the new learning standards to parent advocacy and empowerment, advice on raising a teenager and how to create more green schools. 

Brooklyn parents focused on “empowering families to build greater educational partnerships,” with workshops on grandparents raising children, cyberbullying, conflict resolution, alternatives to college and more.

Staten Island parent conference: Parent Judy Savoca asks a question during a “Stand Up and Lead” workshop led by George Anthony (with microphone), the UFT chapter leader at Susan Wagner HS, who, with Lindy Crescitelli, developed an innovative and effective anti-bullying program.

In Queens, where many workshops were offered in Mandarin as well as English, topics ranged from academics at all the grade levels to special education, communicating with your child and smoking cessation. 

“I came because of my son, a 10th-grader, and because there are things going on in school you may not be aware of,” said Amethyst Stanley, whose son attends Sunset Park HS in Brooklyn. “You get a lot of information here.” 

For Margaret Peeler, a Parents Association president at PS 314 in Manhattan, a small progressive school her two children attend, parent input is encouraged. She added, however, that “there are schools where parents are intimidated, feel they don’t have rights and fear retribution” if they speak up. 

She shared networking advice at a Parent Advocacy Organizing Toolkit workshop.

Parent Luisa Perez, whose son attends PS 153 in Manhattan, was concerned about overcrowding. As a PTA and school leadership team member, she attended workshops on understanding a school budget and parent advocacy to strengthen her skills and make sure she has a positive impact in her son’s school.