Congratulations to Ms. Donica Crocker, a first grade teacher at Taylor’s Crossing Public Charter School!  Ms. Crocker was  recently awarded a $500 Classroom Grant from Northwest Professional Educators (NWPE), the state’s only non-union professional teacher association.  Brenda Miller, NWPE Regional Director, presented the award at a school staff meeting.

Ms. Crocker’s grant will fund purchase of three of the National Geographic Readers collections, which will help to address the diverse reading and interest levels of her first grade students.  They will also support technology-based learning.  Ms. Crocker notes that the books will especially appeal to boys. “Research has shown that boys tend to be more interested in reading non-fiction books. My own experiences in the classroom over the past 15 years echo that research.” 

Ms. Crocker described how the materials will help her students meet student learning objectives and advance student achievement: 

The National Geographic Readers that have been selected for this grant will help me, as well as my colleagues, to better address these standards and to fill an interest-based learning need which our school has not been able to meet up to this point. With the overall goal being to provide high-interest, informational texts in an effort to better address the specific learning needs of boys, these books will give us, as educators, the materials we need to begin meeting those learning needs more effectively. They will also provide a means of incorporating technology into early literacy instruction through the use of blended learning. The books provide links to technology connections, collectable learning cards that connect to the different topics, and a Super Reader Challenge that will be motivating to the boys as well as the girls we teach. These books will help us all to capture the excitement of informational reading and to share it with others throughout the school. There are also possibilities for learning connections that could connect home and school. All students will benefit from these materials.

 A generous educator, Ms. Crocker plans to share the materials with her colleagues in order to maximize the benefit of the grant for her school.  She’ll share these books with her colleagues as well as with those who are instructing students in the after-school reading program. The books are part of the Accelerated Reader program, which her school already utilizes, and will add some much needed variety and high-interest reading for students. She notes that the books could also be used to enrich and extend student learning in science since many of the unit topics that are currently being taught are addressed or extended through the books. 

Her generosity is not surprising when one considers that her idea for improving the professionalism of education is based on Servant Leadership. 

Politics and legislation, the promise of higher pay through a career ladder, and other so called incentives will never produce the kind of changes that are needed to raise the professionalism of teaching or enhance respect for education. Service is the key. Emphasizing service will create an environment where ideas can be safely and freely exchanged, creativity and exploration are encouraged, collaboration and constant professional growth are meaningful and sought out, and where teachers are recognized as educational professionals who make a lasting difference for their students, schools, and communities, and their students will have the same effects as they go out into the workforce. 

Many of the most successful companies in the world have come to recognize the value of Servant Leadership and, by embracing it fully, have found tremendous benefits and results. These companies have prospered even during the most difficult times, and their employees have remained loyal and steadfast. These are also companies that experience very low turnover rate and have massive amounts of applicants when a position does become available. Education and educational leaders need to learn what these companies do and find ways to apply it to education as well.

Ms. Crocker believes that having a choice of professional organizations benefits teachers, students, and public education as a free marketplace of ideas. 

Educators need opportunities to become part of professional organizations that support their needs for learning and growth in their chosen areas of the profession. I know that most teachers join professional organizations in an effort to find a source of support and protection in a career field that can be uncertain and subjective. However, I also believe that teachers need opportunities to collaborate with others in their field, to share ideas, and to explore the vast possibilities of the profession beyond the walls of the schools in which they teach. Professional organizations, like NWPE, can provide such connections and learning opportunities, empowering teachers to explore interests, discover new methods and approaches, and to facilitate their own professional growth and development. Choice is a powerful motivator and a free marketplace of ideas cannot exist without the opportunity to make choices. It is a vital part of growth and freedom in any democracy.

 We applaud Ms. Crocker for taking the extra efforts to provide her students with the best possible education and her dedication to professionalism and the free marketplace of ideas.  We’re proud to reward educators like her for their hard work and creativity in the classroom. 

NWPE awards teacher scholarships and classroom grants up to $500 and $250 new classroom start-up grants. All educators are eligible for the awards although NWPE members receive first preference.  Application deadlines are October 1 and March 1 for the $500 awards and December 31 for the $250 new classroom start up grants. 

Northwest Professional Educators is a nonprofit, non-union, professional educators’ organization focused on students as educators’ highest priority and improving the professionalism of education. 

NWPE welcomes educators of any education entity including teachers, administrators and support staff and provides members with liability insurance, legal services, professional development resources, teacher scholarships, classroom grants, and a voice on education issues.  Membership dues are $16.50 a month. 

More information about Northwest Professional Educators and its teacher scholarship and classroom grant program may be obtained by visiting the website at www.nwpe.org or calling 800-380-6973.

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