It's an honor
Susan VanVlack, Rhinebeck Teachers Organization president, was honored at the Dutchess County Democratic Committee's Salute to Labor ceremony.
Seven New York educators received NEA Foundation grants. Recipients of $2,000 grants include: United Federation of Teachers member Kristen Gloumakoff and co-applicant Steven Speranzo for a pilot research skills program; Karen Paine and Rochester TA member Carolyn Burns to develop language learning kits for teachers of English language learners; and Susan Kellner, Holland TA, to learn strategies for assisting struggling readers. UFT members Adam Kinory and Joshua Hurley-Bruno received a $5,000 grant to develop a school-wide program on best practices in teaching reading and writing. Learn more about grant opportunities at neafoundation.org.
Three New Yorkers advanced to the top 50 shortlist for a lucrative teacher award. The $1 million Varkey GEMS Foundation Global Teacher Prize will be given to one exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession. The finalists from New York are: Lisa Parisi, Herricks TA; Melissa Morris, UFT; and Stephen Ritz, UFT. The top 10 candidates will be announced in February and the winner will be announced in March. Visit www.globalteacherprize.org.
In print
William Fibkins, Shoreham-Wading River TA retiree, has written The Emotional Growth of Teens: How Group Counseling Intervention Works for Schools. The book is a nuts-and-bolts guide for school counselors to use group counseling intervention to help troubled teenagers. For more information, visit http://rowman.com/ISBN/9781475807202.
Anita Page, Warwick Valley TA retiree, is the editor of and a contributor to Family Matters: Murder New York Style, an anthology of 20 short crime stories by members of the New York/Tri-State chapter of Sisters in Crime. Page's debut book, Damned If You Don't, a Catskill Mountain mystery, was recently reissued as an e-book. Visit www.anitapagewriter.blogspot.com and www.womenofmystery.net.
Vic Sgambato, Fort Plain TA retiree, has written Teacher: Touch Their Futures, a collection of educational strategies designed to motivate students. The book is full of personal stories and advice on how to build strong connections of respect and trust with students. It can be purchased at amazon.com and createspace.com. For more information, go to www.helpstudents.education.
Jose Vilson, UFT, has published This Is Not A Test: A New Narrative on Race, Class, and Education. The book, featuring a foreword by Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis, is a coming-of-age story of a naïve young man struggling to mature through the first few years of his teaching career, balancing the lows of poverty and academic failure to the highs of growth and eventual triumph. Visit www.thisisnotatest.us/.