“If you could pick a movie that best describes your week, what would it be?” UFT Vice President for Middle Schools Richard Mantell asked the more than 70 educators gathered at union headquarters for the union’s Middle Schools Conference. Attendees shouted out answers, with “Titanic,” “Dazed and Confused” and “Mad Max” drawing the biggest laughs.

“It’s the hardest of all the divisions,” Mantell told the members at the Feb. 7 conference, acknowledging that middle schoolers are at a uniquely challenging age. “We have to be prepared for anything.”

As such, diverse professional development resources are crucial for middle school educators, who must wear many hats, said Mantell. The conference offered workshops on managing disruptive or aggressive students, special education compliance, immigration issues and more.

Tiffany Roy, a school counselor and the chapter leader at MS 581 in Brooklyn, signed up for “Morale Matters,” a workshop that encouraged chapter leaders and other attendees to foster bonds among the UFT members in a school. Roy said morale is critical not just for union solidarity but also for the benefit of the students. “If a teacher’s morale is low, it affects their mood during the school day. It can affect the pedagogy,” she said. She left the workshop with a new understanding of how a chapter leader can build solidarity and a sense of shared purpose in a school community.

Members also gained practical knowledge on contractual issues. Viola Scott, a 6th-grade English language arts teacher and the chapter leader of MS 266 in Brooklyn, attended a workshop on understanding both the purpose of preference sheets and what questions a principal can legitimately ask on them. Facilitator Debra Poulos, the director of the UFT Contract Empowerment Department, explained that some principals will use the spring preference sheet or even the end-of-year summative conference to determine if a member is preparing to resign or start a family — inquiries that are not appropriate for a principal to make.

The workshop was illuminating and provided Scott with new information and tools to take back to her school. “I am making sure my members are covered and I am supporting them with the correct contract information,” she said.

Scott values coming together with her fellow UFT educators as a way of reinforcing mutual support. “We can share successes. And for those who are struggling, we can build bridges and get support from our other colleagues,” she said.

Members also gained personal finance knowledge. UFT Assistant Treasurer and Teachers’ Retirement Board member Tom Brown discussed the union’s current efforts to reform Tier 6 of the state pension system and instructed educators on the nitty-gritty of the defined benefit pension plan, the Tax-Deferred Annuity, and what members can expect in retirement.

The information and networking opportunities provided during the conference were restorative and invigorating, said Marie Lewis, an 8th-grade social studies teacher at MS 302 in the Bronx. “It’s good to know what’s happening in other buildings,” she said. “We see a lot of the problems, but when we get together with other teachers, we start to talk about solutions.”