How I spent my vacation | Professional Development

Washington's Cheryl Koenig

As a "perpetual student of Spanish," Cheryl Koenig is always looking for ways to bone up on her grammar and practice her conversational skills. Six years ago, this veteran teacher from Manson, Washington, spent a month in Cuernavaca, Mexico, soaking up the country's language and culture. Living with a Mexican family and spending six hours a day in intensive Spanish classes gave Koenig plenty of opportunities to grasp the subtleties of the local dialect and learn the proper use of the subjunctive. But the most valuable thing Koenig brought back from her summer abroad was a deeper understanding of her students at Manson Elementary.

Located in rural North Central Washington, Manson Elementary serves a growing Hispanic community. Lured by steady jobs in the area's orchards, packing sheds, and burgeoning tourism industry, migrant families from Mexico have steadily become permanent residents, causing the school's Hispanic population to explode by 350 percent since 1993. Today, close to 70 percent of Manson's 390 K-6 students are Hispanic, and nearly half have limited English ability.

"Visiting Mexico gave me a huge understanding of where my kids are coming from — both them and their families," explains Koenig, 48, who has been teaching since 1973. "When the entire culture is new to you, and you don't understand what people are saying or what you're supposed to be doing, it is overwhelming. This helped me know what our students are going through."

With language barriers making the school's traditional curriculum ineffective for a growing number of students, connecting with kids and their families has taken on new importance at Manson over the past few years. Inspired by her trip, Koenig, who is also the school's Title VII grant coordinator for bilingual education, came up with an idea for a program where other teachers could study Spanish and travel to Mexico. The district and school board agreed to set aside money from the budget, and Manson's Spanish for Educators program was born.

Staff can participate in the program in two ways. During the summer, the district pays for an intense, 40-hour week of Spanish instruction for interested staff. Those who want to take classes on their own can do so; the district will pay for the classes, but it doesn't compensate them for their time. After completing 40 hours of Spanish instruction, staff are eligible to travel to Mexico for a two- or four-week program. Koenig looks for established study-abroad programs that offer college credit. In addition to Cuernavaca, teachers have visited Morelia, Mexico, through a program at Central Washington University. Many Manson families have come from both regions.

The program has three primary goals, according to Janet Cline, Director of State and Federal Programs for Manson School District:

To have teachers experience the frustration, the breakthroughs, the progression of learning a second language
To increase their Spanish skills
To provide a sense for staff of where students come from

With effective professional development, notes Cline, "there is never a single thrust. It has to be many things, at many times, for many people. This program does that."

After five years, what keeps the program going strong? Flexibility is key. While the staff has enthusiastically welcomed these opportunities, sometimes interest and available dollars don't match up. New babies and other commitments meant that one summer no one could make the trip to Mexico; another year there wasn't enough money in the budget. By taking it one year at a time and accepting whatever commitment people are willing to give, the school is usually able to meet everyone's needs. This summer, for example, a Title VII bilingual grant is sending the six eligible staff members to Mexico. Some teachers, like Koenig, have even made repeat trips, and last year the school nurse, librarian, and counselor went, too. Eighteen people — about a third of Manson's staff — have visited Mexico so far. An additional 15 have participated in the weeklong summer Spanish course.

Teachers at Manson don't have to search to find other opportunities for staff development. Adopt-A-Family is a summer literacy and enrichment program that pairs paid staff members with families in need of one-on-one literacy support. About once a week, staff visit the family home to work on literacy activities. Last year the program culminated in a group field trip to Seattle, where a busload of students, parents, grandparents, siblings, teachers, and paraprofessionals visited the zoo and shared a picnic in a nearby park. Cline explains that while the program "is not really staff development in the usual sense," it does improve school climate and encourage communication between teachers and families.

Monday Madness, another activity funded by Title VII, takes place three Mondays a month throughout the school year. Staff spend an hour or two after school — they are paid $25 an hour — discussing such topics as Washington's assessment, teaching and learning strategies for bilingual students, and using technology to enhance teaching and learning.

While professional development is just one part of Manson's improvement plan, these programs seem to be making a difference. Student achievement levels have improved dramatically over the past five years, families are more involved in their children's education, and Manson was named a 1998-99 Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. After 17 years at the school, Koenig has seen what these programs can do. "We used to be a disjointed staff," she admits. "This has really pulled us together."