VPerspective
‘p.d.’ done right
Apr 23, 2009 12:54 PM
UFT Vice President Aminda Gentile (front row, right) at the PBS Celebration of Teaching and Learning with (back row, from left) Bill Gates Sr., co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; author, actor and director Alan Alda; and Neal Shapiro, president and chief operating officer of WNET.org; and (front row) Meredith Brokaw, WNET board member and chair of its Education Committee.
When I was a young girl I enjoyed watching reruns of “M*A*S*H.” So what a thrill it was for me to not only meet but introduce the star of the series, Alan Alda, at the fourth annual Public Broadcasting System’s Celebration of Teaching and Learning!
This gala event, brought to us by channels 13 and 21, our local PBS stations, is an opportunity to bring together educators to share knowledge and have a professionally good time. At this year’s celebration on March 6-7, more than 4,000 attendees, from 49 states and six Canadian provinces, took part in riveting panel discussions, participated in thought-provoking workshops and learned about the latest in educational practice, classroom technology and issues that affect teachers and their students.
They also had the opportunity to visit the exhibit area, view instructional resources and even pick up an item or two to bring back to their classrooms. A diverse group of organizations, businesses and cultural institutions offered books, software, interactive programs and the always handy “green” shopping bag to put everything in.
Our own UFT Teacher Center was one of the many exhibitors at the event. The specialists who staffed the booth said it was great to greet educators from all over and talk about the many challenges and concerns educators face, no matter where or what they teach.
These days, “professional development” has gotten an undeservedly bad name but I can always point to this event as just one example of how to do “p.d.” right. From the beginning, educators are part of the planning team. They talk about what they and their colleagues are facing in the classroom, what kinds of information they need, and the best ways to get that information. They look at topics, speakers and even scheduling and location of events. And they respect and trust teacher professionalism.
At the celebration some educators chose to learn about the “Future of Technology” in a plenary session with the chairman and chief executive officer of Google, Eric Schmidt, who surprised many by urging everyone to turn the switch to “off” now and then and read a good book. (I’m planning to brush up on my high school French and tackle Proust this summer.)
Others enhanced their knowledge by attending a lively discussion on the ethics of global studies, while another group organized its day around a content strand on autism that included a fascinating presentation by Temple Grandin who urged educators to emphasize developing the strengths of those like herself who are on the autism spectrum, “instead of just hammering away at the deficits.”
No matter what the choice, this event celebrated the professionalism of educators while avoiding the type of top-down, district-driven training that often has little or nothing to do with what educators want and need.
I was especially heartened to see many of the UFT’s newest members, our home day care providers — the first teachers for many children — welcomed at the event. This was a celebration about ideas and teaching, not about ideology and being talked at.
Alan’s presentation (he said I can call him by his first name) was a fascinating, funny and thought-stretching introduction to the question “what makes humans unique?” I guess one answer is the unquenchable desire to ask questions such as that. I’ll be looking forward to getting more answers at next year’s celebration. Hope to see you there!
