Let me take this opportunity to introduce myself as your new vice president for middle schools and to tell you about the UFT’s new conference to help transform middle school education.

My first teaching job was to fill in for a 1st-grade teacher on leave. It was probably the hardest seven months of my life.

I found my passion for teaching middle school when I started in 1989 at IS 68 in District 18 in Brooklyn. I wore many hats during my 25 years at the school, including math teacher, SAVE room teacher, cafeteria coordinator and dean. I admit there were times that I wanted to run screaming from the building. But that feeling is not unique to middle school teachers, and it was a rare one for me.

From the moment I started at IS 68, I became active in the school’s UFT chapter. I served on the consultation committee, was elected as the school’s delegate and ultimately became chapter leader.

In my first year as chapter leader, Michael Bloomberg became mayor and Joel Klein became chancellor. In an instant, the role of chapter leaders changed dramatically as we had to deal with an intransigent Department of Education that made an issue out of everything. Matters on which the DOE and the UFT had previously agreed were suddenly debatable. Collaboration became unheard of. Our profession and our union were under attack.

After serving as chapter leader, I began working in the UFT grievance department part time after school as what we call a PM staffer. I then became the District 18 representative and was elected by the UFT Executive Board in October as vice president for middle schools.

I have always given my all to the members in my school and my district, and I will do the same now for all members in middle schools. This union is about serving our members, which is something I do not take lightly. We are there for you.

As middle school educators, we have a challenging task unique to the grade and age levels we teach: to help adolescent students choose paths toward becoming productive members of the school community and society.

All too often the middle school years are viewed as “lost years” because children this age can get confused by the pressures and challenges of young adulthood. As a result, they may make poor decisions with negative, life-altering consequences.

For many years, it has also been clear that students struggle in middle school. One sign is that test scores typically go down in the middle grades. Few people look back upon their years in middle school as the “good old days.” We need to help make middle school a positive experience for more children.

I believe that Mayor de Blasio’s call for more after-school programs for middle school students and Chancellor Fariña’s decision to make middle schools a priority give us an opportunity to make real and substantial improvements in our middle schools. As a UFT vice president, I want to go a step further by ensuring that our union is an active participant in this work to transform middle schools.

To that end, we will hold the UFT’s first-ever middle school conference on March 29. The event is geared to help middle school educators give our students the academic and emotional preparation they need to lead productive, fulfilling lives. Our middle schools need a radical shift. This conference is about making that shift possible.

Participants at the conference will have 11 workshops to choose from, including:

• English language learners: Scaffolding evidence-based writing in content areas
• Common Core mathematics: Asking mathematical questions that count
• Common Core literacy: Evidence-based discussion and writing
• Social and emotional learning: Understanding behavior and strategizing for success
• Differentiation: Strategies to promote student learning in all content areas

There also will be workshops by Adobe, Apple, LEGO and two different book authors. A detailed description of the offerings and a registration coupon can be found on page 43 of this issue of the New York Teacher and in the listing on the UFT website’s events calendar.

With your support and participation, I intend to make the UFT middle school conference a yearly event.

I look forward to seeing you on March 29 and accompanying you on this journey to change and strengthen our middle schools.