Nothing left undone

NEA Today, Oct 1999

Name: Saundra Roberson

Job title: Secretary to the principal at Booker T. Washington High School, Shreveport, Louisiana

NEA local affiliate: Caddo Association of Educators

Experience: Six years as secretary

What I do: Beyond assisting the administrative staff, I handle many of BTW's day-to-day operations. I produce programs and brochures for all school functions and various departments, fulfill material and supply requests from teachers, train students and staff on software programs, and help coordinate both typesetting and reproduction of school publications and organization of homecoming and football activities.

My credentials: I was a computer lab manager at BTW and received computer training and certification from the Computer Curriculum Corporation and Urban Technology, Inc.

How I help students achieve: It's crucial to be visible among the student body. I attend all games (including out-of town playoffs), concerts, and other extracurricular activities. I volunteer in the concession stands when needed. I also have served as co-sponsor of the Black History Program, two pageants, and the 1998-99 junior class.

Not all students have access to a home computer. When they need assistance with research papers and reports, some students come to my house for instruction on how to use the computer for research and word processing. I also instruct students on how to use GED and ACT computer test preparation programs.

With the students' guidance, I help edit and print the school newspaper. The students can bring diskettes to me for grammar and format suggestions.

How I team up with my colleagues: Faculty and support staff need technology support as much as teachers do. At a workshop, I taught the clerical staff how to use Microsoft Word more effectively and efficiently.

New teachers need extra support all around. I have created a booklet called "Know Your School" for the new staff, and I show them around the building during the new teacher orientation.

It helps to have a friend, so I always tell the new teachers to come ask me questions if they need anything!

RESOURCES

Bus Drivers in Cyberspace

If you haven't visited NEA member Frank Hyden's School Bus Driver Web site recently, it's worth a return trip. The site now links to the Web pages of some 25 other school bus drivers around the country. The address: http://user..mc.net/hyden,

Pathways to Teaching

If you're an ESP member considering becoming a teacher, you should look into Careers in Teaching, a program of Recruiting New Teachers, Inc. Call the RNT Careers in Teaching Helpline at 617/489-6407, E-mail them at uhl@rnt.org, or visit for the information you need on making the transition to a certified position, including education and financial aid programs.

Guidance for ESP Professional Development

If you're setting up in-service or other professional development programs for ESP, a new NEA publication can help. Professional Development for Educational Support Personnel: A Resource Manual of Elements of Current and Future Training for Professional Growth and Success contains key program elements, examples from the field, and resources for each of the nine ESP job groups.

For a single free copy of this publication, write to ESP Program, NEA Affiliate Capacity Building, 1201 16th St. NW, Washington, DC 20036, or phone 202/822-7131. You can also read the manual on the Web at http://www.nea.org/esp/resource/profdevl.htm.

Keep Up With Information Technology News

Newsscan Daily is a short, lively, and thought-provoking Email newsletter that provides an easy way to keep up with significant developments in the field of information technology. In addition to news items, regular features include "Honorary Subscriber" and "Worth Thinking About." For more information and a free subscription, visit http://www.newsscan.org.

Useful Tips for Playground Safety

Playground recess should be a time to have fun. Yet each year more than 200,000 children are injured on playgrounds.

The leading cause of playground injuries? Improper surfaces. Hard surfaces such as asphalt, blacktop, concrete, grass, packed dirt, and rocks are not acceptable, according to the National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS). They should be replaced with cushioning materials, like hardwood fiber/mulch, pea gravel, or rubber.

NPPS provides safety information and resources for parents; for people designing, building, and maintaining playgrounds; and for those who supervise children on playgrounds.

Contact the National Program for Playground Safety, University of Northern Iowa, School for Health, Physical Education and Leisure Services, Cedar Falls, Iowa 506140618. Phone: 1-800-554-PLAY, fax: 319/273-7308, E-mail: playground-safety@uni.edu, Web site: http://www.uni.edu/playground/.

Driving a school bus is a mission for Shirley Howard of Midland, Texas. Her passengers' photos are pasted above her windshield, and Howard says she likes to treat those kids "just like they're mine."

Howard, another winner of TSTA's ESP of the Year Award, checks that students on her bus have completed their homework and are dressed well. When homework isn't done, Howard either calls the offenders' parents or offers to tutor them in her spare time. "Some people take kids for granted," Howard laments. "I tell them every day, 'I love you and you can make it, you can do it."'