Leading the state's education association myeasternshoremd kent county news

Leading the state's education association

By MAEGAN CLEARWOOD Student intern | Posted: Wednesday, August 22, 2012 12:00 am CHESTERTOWN ­ Kent County public schools may not be perfect, but after 30 years “on the front lines” as a middle school teacher, Betty Weller knows the system inside and out. Although she's working behind the scenes now, the recently elected president of the Maryland State Education Association is as dedicated to education reform as ever.

“It's an opportunity to still help students by helping the people who work with them,” she said in an Aug. 8 interview. “I want to help people understand that educators are the experts in the classroom and our voices are important.”

Weller's love of teaching was accidental. She earned her teaching certificate as a back­up career option after her undergraduate and graduate years at Washington College. She never expected it would lead to a lifelong commitment.

“I thought it was hard, but I really enjoyed teaching the students,” she said.

Weller

Weller's career in the classroom spanned three decades teaching science and English in Kent County middle schools. Although she isn't teaching now, she's still involved with the community and lives in Kingstown Manor. A self­proclaimed Army brat, she grew up in school systems all over the world and appreciates the closeness and solidarity of life of Maryland's Eastern Shore.

“My two grown kids grew up here, and they still come back and visit friends,” she said. “Kent County is a really great place to live in. It's small enough that people know each other, and it's a nice working environment for those who want it.”

Her familiarity with the community was an asset throughout her years on the MSEA. She started as the building representative for Kent County and worked her way to president of the local MSEA chapter.

“As a local member, it was nice to say I knew all of the members. Some counties have thousands of members and can't say that. It's a really family­oriented community,” she said.

She then moved on to the state level, serving on the board of directors, then as treasurer and in 2006, MSEA vice president.

“The more I was involved, the more I thought I could do things to help our teachers help our students,” she said. “As vice president, it just seemed logical to run for president.”

Although she's representing the smallest county in the state, Weller managed to pool enough votes to win over her opponent for presidency.

“I'm like any other teacher who's run for this position. I didn't have a large county behind me, but I managed to have enough to get elected, and that's pretty awesome,” she said.

Weller said one of the most difficult challenges she anticipates during her three­year term is garnering

financial resources in difficult economic conditions.

“I'm going to continue helping teachers get professional compensation and benefits,” she said. “There are lots of challenges. There are plenty of people who don't understand what unions do and think unions are the root of all evil.

“Now, given the challenges we face every day, we're quite successful. Can we do better? Yes, we can always do better, and we're working toward that. But given the challenges, especially in Maryland, we're doing a pretty good job,” she said.

Weller recognizes the specific difficulties Kent County faces as a school system. Testing results for the last academic year placed scores here fourth lowest in the state. Weller said she's determined to put her county back on the right track.

“We need to find out why (the scores are so low). Is it the teachers? Parental involvement? We need to be looking into that,” she said. “Kent County can grow and develop. It seems to be almost like a wave. We have our ups and downs, I don't think we've ever reached the peak.”

She said scores statewide may be rocky over the next couple of years because of the transition into a new teacher evaluation system. She serves as co­chairwoman with state Superintendent Lillian Lowery on the Maryland Council for Educator Effectiveness. They've been working on a framework for evaluating teachers based on, among other elements, student academic growth.

Seven counties piloted the program last year, and the rest will join this academic year. In fall of 2013, the program will go live.

“Reality in the classroom is much different than people think it is,” she said. “People who think there can be an upward climb and never have a dip, that's unrealistic. “(The evaluation system) is new and different, and the student growth component is frightening to some people. I think there are going to be some growing pains, but many of the teachers I've talked to are fine with getting timely, accurate feedback,” she said. “Most teachers really do care about their jobs and want to improve.”