around the uft

‘Social’ event

Mar 13, 2008 11:32 AM

More than 300 elementary and secondary school teachers, supervisors, curriculum specialists and university educators attended the 48th annual Greater Metropolitan New York Social Studies Conference held at UFT headquarters on Feb. 9. GMNY is the oldest and most prestigious social studies conference in the New York area. Sponsored by the Association of Teachers of Social Studies (ATSS)/UFT, with additional support from other groups, this year’s theme, “Defining Social Studies: 2008 and Beyond,” was reflected through workshops covering a variety of areas including the use of technology in K-12 classrooms. “Getting Kids Excited about Economics and Government,” “Presenting Global Issues in the Classroom,” “World War I and the League of Nations Debate,” and “Virtual Learning: Real Results Using the Stock Market Game” typify the wide range of topics. “Our themes and the resources that support them reflect our belief in actively promoting values and principles of responsible democratic citizenship including open-mindedness, balance and fairness,” said conference chair Robert Dytell. “We have a high purpose that is held together with good cheer and camaraderie.” UFT Director of Professional Committees George Altomare praised ATSS/UFT as “one of our most active and vibrant committees.” The day began with the Bernard A. Cohen Awards breakfast, named for a devoted educator who served for 48 years, mostly at Benjamin Cardozo HS, and who was chair of the GMNY conference every year for four decades until his death in 2004. Outstanding educators from the elementary level through high school and social studies supervisors were feted for their contributions and the conference also bestowed special awards on two individuals who each contributed mightily to the causes of inclusive education and public school advocacy. The Rosa Parks Award was presented to James A. Banks, director of the Center for Multicultural Education at the University of Washington. Banks has contributed a lifetime of research toward the advancement of social justice. The Hubert Humphrey Humanitarian Award was given to Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan, who has for almost a quarter century represented the 37th Assembly District in Queens. As Chair of the Education Committee, Nolan has spearheaded efforts to achieve class-size reduction, universal pre-K, middle school initiatives, better high school graduation rates and much more to better public education and protect professionalism in the field. Fifty tables of vendors of educational materials were displayed in a smorgasbord of exhibits. The exhibition was chaired by Carolyn Herbst, who received a certificate of appreciation.