(Vol. 1, No. 2 - Spring/Summer 1997)
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Clark Fellows add their expertise
to JCPS's middle school reform mix
By Anne C. Lewis and John Norton
It was a day only a math teacher could love.
In fact, it was the promise of just such days that lured Kathy Zwanzig from
her Stewart Middle School classroom in the first place -- and thrust her
into the hectic life of a school-reforming "Clark Fellow."
More on that in a moment. First, let's hear about this day.
"It was a perfect day for me," Zwanzig recalls. "The department
chair of one of the middle schools asked me to help train the sixth grade
teachers on their new graphing calculators.
"So she set up a day where I came in. First period, I actually demonstrated
a lesson for one of the sixth grade math teachers. Then second period the
department chair arranged for someone to cover all the 6th grade math teachers'
classes. It was just me and five teachers, sitting around a table with calculators
and an overhead, learning some of the basics.
"As the day progressed, I visited each of the sixth grade math classes
and modelled a lesson for them on the calculator. By the end of the day
I was thoroughly worn out, but I felt more fulfilled than I had felt for
a long time."
Zwanzig's exhiliration over what might seem like a grueling day of in-service
training is a measure of how hungry some teachers are to share what they
know and deepen their knowledge of their craft. Zwanzig's story also speaks
to the most precious educational commodity: time. It's almost unheard of
for a school to arrange for every math teacher in a grade to spend "a
day when the kids are here" learning a new skill.
But unheard-of things are beginning to happen as a result of a decision
by JCPS leaders two years ago to pull a team of master teachers out of the
classroom and use them as catalysts for middle school reform.
Zwanzig was the first teacher chosen to become a "Clark Fellow."
The name derives from the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, which underwrites
some of the cost, and refers to a "fellowship," not "a male
person" (in fact, all the "fellows" are females). Although
the job description of a Clark Fellow is constantly under development, to
put it most simply they are roving experts available to help principals
and teachers bridge the gap between research and practice, and between the
district's pledge to raise student achievement and the daily realities of
classroom life.
Six months after Zwanzig began her work, she was joined by three other accomplished
teachers, each of whom brought a special background to the team. Denise
Finley spent 20 years as a hands-on science teacher, most recently at Brown
Middle School. While a language arts teacher at Southern Middle School,
Melody Raymond satisfied her urge for innovation by participating in a variety
of Clark-sponsored professional development programs. Cheri Lineweaver left
her social studies classes at Myers Middle School to pursue her desire "to
work one-on-one with teachers."
Last fall, when former Iroquois and Kammerer
principal Sherry DeMarsh assumed her duties as director of middle school
reform, she recommended that a fifth Clark Fellow be added to the mix --
a teacher who would concentrate not on a particular subject area, but on
the specifics of standards-based reform. DeMarsh and Middle School Advocate
Sandy Ledford chose 30-year veteran Marcia Lile, an award-winning history/geography
teacher at Kammerer and a district innovator in using standards and authentic
assessments in her own classroom. (See
story in our first issue.)
Although the five Clark Fellows together have nearly 95 years of classroom
teaching experience, it has taken some time for them to find their niche
in the school system's heirarchy. The district discontinued the practice
of having content specialists work with teachers and schools "sometime
in the early 1980s," and even then the district-level experts were
seen more as "outsiders" than experienced classroom practitioners.
Over time, however, the Clark Fellows have insinuated themselves into the
schools, using their obvious expertise, old friendships, and opportunities
created by the pressure to raise KIRIS scores to demonstrate their value.
"Teachers are beginning to realize that we're fresh out of the classrooms
ourselves, and we were good at what we did," says language arts specialist
Melody Raymond. "We can understand everything they are saying when
they're frustrated with what they have to do and all the problems they're
encountering."
DeMarsh agrees. "I think the Clark Fellows have become integral players
in what's going on in the schools," she says. "They're helping
people look more deeply at what and how they teach, and how it all relates
to standards-based reform." As evidence, DeMarsh cites growing requests
for the Clark Fellows' services, not only to work with teachers one-on-one,
but to "work with entire staffs or departments."
With 24 schools to serve, time is a lingering issue for the Clark Fellows
-- they can only stretch so far. As the district revs up its change engine,
DeMarsh says, the middle school reform team will continue to examine the
Fellows program, asking how the district can "maximize" its resources
for reform and make sure all schools are served effectively.
Meanwhile, the Clark Fellows continue to roam the district's middle schools,
modeling, encouraging, researching, listening and coaching. The long hours
that often include Satur-day workshops don't faze them because "we
were the ones who opened and closed schools anyway," says Lineweaver.
Every month or two, each of the Fellows begs her way into a classroom just
to teach. Basking in the glow of high-powered adolescent energy is good
for a middle school teacher's soul, says Finley. "We need a kid fix
from time to time. You lose perspective if you stay away from the kids too
long."
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