(HOST) We
wrap up this week’s series of commentaries on education with some thoughts
about investing in educators. Here’s high school teacher, Mike Martin.
(Martin) Barry and Wendy Rowland live on a dairy farm in South Londonderry where the West River Creamery makes award-winning
cheeses for restaurants and farmers’ markets. Even though they still live part
of the year in Massachusetts, the Rowlands are strongly connected to their local Vermont community and like to quietly help out their
neighbors whenever they can. Barry has served on the Burr & Burton Academy
Board of Trustees where the Rowlands have sponsored scholarships for students
and greatly contributed to the school’s media and technology capabilities. In
fact, at last count, the Rowlands still hold the record for making the single
biggest donation to a secondary school in the U.S.
And now through the Rowland Foundation, the Rowlands are making a difference
for Vermont schools throughout the State. The Rowland Foundation
is improving schools by investing directly in teachers. The Foundation awards
fellowships to Vermont secondary school teachers who have ideas on how to
improve their schools. The teachers develop proposals in coordination with
their principals and receive a grant to design the project during a one-semester
sabbatical. Then, during the second semester, they return to their regular
teaching duties and start work immediately to implement their projects. In the
following year, the Rowland Fellows work as mentors for the next class of
Rowland Fellows.
I was fortunate enough to receive a Rowland Fellowship
last year and it’s been an incredible experience. The Rowland Foundation has
been instrumental in helping my school take a new look at how we prepare
students for the 21st Century, but the fellowship is also a vital
investment in Vermont teachers in these turbulent times. Executive Director
Charles Scranton told me that as a headmaster, many of the best ideas came to
him from teachers. Now, through the Rowland Foundation he is providing a way to
cultivate good teacher ideas statewide. Unlike many top-down initiatives in
education, the Rowland Foundation works at the grassroots level by connecting
directly with teachers.
At a time when teacher-bashing is all too common, the Rowland Foundation is a
terrific vote of confidence for Vermont educators. The Fellowship challenges teachers to find
solutions and then provides the means to create them.
In addition, the Rowland model creates a new network of teachers throughout the
State who can share ideas. The 2009 Fellows have been using an online social
network to share resources, plan school visits, and collaborate on our
respective projects. And with each new incoming class of Rowland Fellows, this
community of teachers will grow.
Commitment to community is strong in Vermont and we seem to especially value our school
communities. It’s important to note that, despite the tough economy,
surprisingly few school budgets were voted down this spring. In the years to
come, our schools will be undergoing some significant changes, but it’s
reassuring to know that our dedicated, innovative Vermont teachers are hard at work to make our schools even
better