May 2004 Edition of the Skills for Tomorrow Activities and Updates Listserv

There are so many things to celebrate about May. For students, the school year is almost complete (or finished) for workers, we don’t have to drudge through some of Mother Nature’s harsher elements to get to work. Whatever the reason, the summer is almost here and we are all ready to celebrate by spending more time outside in the sun.

Don’t forget, we can still talk to young people about the union way of life. Any time we get a young ear, we should share our reasons for being a part of this labor movement. What you say matters. So, take the time to mentor a young person today.

Remember, if you have anything of interest to share, we would love to hear from you. To submit information on your organization, or career development curriculum, please email Linn Nguyen at lnguyen@teamster.org or Sharlene Mentor at smentor@teamster.org

What's in This Edition

~ Pennsylvania Center for the Study of Labor Relations Establishes New History Program

Teamster Updates

On March 18, the Skills for Tomorrow High School (SFTHS) in St. Paul, Minnesota celebrated its 10th Anniversary as an occupation-oriented charter school. Two hundred guests participated in the event, including students and parents (past and present), teachers, supporters and friends of the institution, and some Teamster leaders. Education Coordinator and Skills For Tomorrow (SFT) Project Manager James Beeharilal represented the Teamsters Union at the celebration.

The school’s director, Tess Tiernan, kicked off the festivities which were followed by presentations by Minnesota Teamster Service Bureau’s Executive Director Jean Dunn and Teamsters International Vice President Dotty Malinsky. Dunn and Malinsky commended the school’s director and staff for the excellent work they perform for the students, thus giving the school a noteworthy reputation. In response to an appeal from Tiernan regarding increasing the size of the school’s library, Malinsky said, “There should never be an empty shelf in a library that serves children.”

Other speakers included alumni and parents. The alumni expressed their gratitude to the school for its contribution in preparing them for careers through life’s journey. Parents highly praised the school’s director and staff for the time and effort they devote to the education of their children.

The SFTHS was established in 1994 through a partnership between labor and employers as a free public charter high school with Teamsters Joint Council 32 as one of its sponsors. The school has a diversified student body that immerses itself in academic courses and learns skills needed to enter post-secondary training and the workplace.

The school partners with Metro State University, Minneapolis Community and Technical College, St. Paul Technical College, and St. Thomas University. Tiernan, Dunn and Malinsky serve as advisors to the SFT project, a Teamster-sponsored career project managed by the Teamsters Education Department.

Conferences and Meetings Nationwide

2004 Charter Schools National Conference. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, in Miami Beach, Fla. Contact: Dean Kearn, USED, 400 Maryland Ave. S.W., Washington, DC 20202; (202) 260-1882; e-mail dean.kern@ed.gov; www.uscharterschools.org.

International Recruitment Center Conference. Sponsored by International Schools Services, in Philadelphia. Deadline: June 1. Contact: Jane Larsson, ISS, 15 Roszel Rd., P.O. Box 5910, Princeton, NJ 08540; (609) 452-0990; fax (609) 452-2690; e-mail edustaffing@iss.edu; www.iss.edu.

Resources to Build Your Curriculum

~~~~>Pennsylvania Center for the Study of Labor Relations Establishes New History Program

The Pennsylvania Center for the Study of Labor Relations at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania has developed a new program to help teachers, students, parents and other interested parties to learn the history of the American labor movement, and the impact made on the society and workplace. Below is the center's description of its "Labor Studies and Education in the Schools" program.

The objective of the Pennsylvania Center for the Study of Labor Relations to help develop and distribute educational materials, and serve as a resource, for primary and secondary schools. They want to assist teachers, students, parents and other interested parties in learning about the history of the American labor movement, and how it helped change our society and the workplace. The current role of the labor movement, globally and domestically, can be integrated into the curriculum. It is their observation that despite the changing nature of what is work, many of the same day-to-day problems and challenges exist regardless of the 'color of the collar.' Their efforts will be concentrated in two vital areas: Labor History and Teen Workers’ Rights.

Labor History: Pennsylvania was the cradle of the American labor movement. The struggle for workers organization and representation is one of the defining experiences of American democracy. Laws protecting workers’ rights and workplace health and safety grew out of the struggles of Pennsylvania workers. The story provides an important part of our Commonwealth's heritage. Curricula and classroom resource materials will be developed focused on the central events of Pennsylvania labor history appropriate for use on both primary and secondary level.

d) Aliquippa's Steelworkers and the US Supreme Court in 1937—How American labor law came to be.

Teen Workers Rights: Work for young people should be a rewarding experience. Besides the money earned, teens can learn to organize their time effectively, be more responsible, and learn the value of work. However, teens can also be an exploited workforce, suffer academically, and compromise their health and welfare because of their work experience. Many young workers face the risk of being injured or killed on the job. Annually, 70 teens are killed and 70,000 injured seriously enough to warrant hospital emergency room treatment according to the Department of Labor. Young people, their parents, and employers need to be aware of and understand the rights and restrictions governing teen workers. By increasing their knowledge, teen workers will be more prepared to be successful workers and avoid work situations that put them at risk. The development and distribution of materials and curriculum should encourage open communication between teens, parents, and employers. A curriculum and resource package is being developed titled, 'From Students to Workers: Your Rights on the Job.'"

Articles of Interest

~~~~>Great Expectations
(Drawing from her experiences, Chicago teacher Toni Billingsley pushes students with troubled backgrounds to excel)

By Gregory Michie
For Teacher Magazine
May 2004

Early on a slightly overcast morning on Chicago’s west side, in the basement of a 97-year-old building, it was already show time for Toni Billingsley. Around her, nineteen 7th graders who’d only rolled out of bed an hour or so before were crawling on all fours, following her command to meow like lost cats. Billingsley chuckled. “OK, on the count of three, you will no longer be hypnotized,” she told them. “Uno! Dos! Tres!” This was Spanish I, Billingsley-style; part introduction to the language, part aerobic workout, part improvisation workshop, and part stand-up comedy routine.

“Seńor Jones, levántate!” she called out a few minutes later. A thick kid with a gray hoodie and plaited hair stood up. “Salta y tira la pelotta como Miguel Jordan” (“Jump and shoot the ball like Michael Jordan’), Billingsley told him. Seńor Jones reluctantly raised one arm in the air and stretched the other out behind him in a half-hearted approximation of Jordan’s celebrated dunking pose. “No es como Miguel Jordan,” responded Billingsley, who then took a flying leap across the room and slammed an imaginary basketball through an imaginary hopo. “Eso es como Miguel Jordan.”

Without missing a beat, she turned her attention to another student. Seńor Hill,” she called out, and a boy with a short Afro and reddish skin tone sat up a little straighter. Billingsley held out a pen in one hand and a pencil in the other. “Toma la pluma,” she commanded, and Seńor Hill, after a momentary hesitation, took the pen from her. “Ahora, toma el lapis.” He took the pencil. “OK –la pluma besa el lapis.”

“What you say?” Seńor Hill asked.

Poker-faced, Billingsley said it again, enunciating each word distinctly. Seńor Hill—or Derrick, as he was more commonly known—screwed up his face. He looked around at his classmates, seemingly to confirm whether or not he’d heard his teacher correctly. They were all smiles. “OK—La pluma besa el lapiz.”

Derrick quickly touched the pen to the pencil and made a soft smacking sound with his lips.

“No, no, no,” Billingsley said. “Un beso muy sexy.”

Derrick shook his head in disbelief, then again pantomimed the pen kissing the pencil—this time with a louder smooch of his own to accompany it.

“Muchas gracias, Seńor Hill,” his teacher said, then turned to the class. “And that’s the only sex scene you’ll ever see in la clase de espańol.”

Clever puns, outright slapstick, sly references to black popular culture—they were all part of the program for the 27-year-old Billingsley, one of six teachers that I, a former teacher myself, had been observing for a book I was researching, about minority educators trying to make a difference in urban classrooms. While fun may be overrated as a condition for children’s learning, in Billingsley’s classroom it was an indispensable ingredient “I think the learning experience has to be fun for both the teacher and the student,” she told me. “If I’m bored, I’m not going to be teaching my best. If the students are bored, I’ll get frustrated, and I won’t be teaching my best then, either. So if I see the class is going the wrong way, I’ll crack a joke or something….Most of the time, we have fun.”

The entire class period was a blur of activity, the tall and rangy Billingsley a whirling dervish in sweatshirt, jeans, and tennis shoes at the center of it all. “I’m the star,” she told the class at one point. “Look at me.” She was kidding, but it was hard not to focus on her. She was all over the place: pacing back and forth, jumping around, leading exercises, gesturing, teasing, making faces and sound effects, her voice rising and falling. The only thing that amazed me more than her stamina was the realization that, as soon as these kids left, another group would come in, and it would be show time all over again.

(This article is well worth the read, please visit http://teachermagazine.org/tmstory.cfm?slug=06Great.h15)

Get Connected: Web Site Links

~~~~>Boys and Girls Clubs of America

Boys & Girls Clubs make a difference in the community by giving young people a safe place to learn and grow. Make a difference in your neighborhood.

Young ladies and gentlemen can locate the nearest Club for membership or volunteer opportunities by entering the name of your city on their website form. Or call 1-800-854-CLUB to find the closest Boys & Girls Club. http://www.bgca.org/clubs/

End of Issue

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May 2004 Edition