Hinsdale High School Teachers Association

They say that communications is a vital key to solving all problems.  As President of the Hinsdale Central Association I have been working to increase communication between the Association and the Principal, the Superintendent, and members of the Board of Education. 

Starting last year, the negotiation team helped establish quarterly Roundtable meetings with two board members and membership from both Central and South. 

As of this year, I can say that communication has increased and improved.  I now have monthly meetings with Mr. Pobst and Dr. Wahl.  Mr. Pobst and Dr. Wahl have both had an open door policy allowing me to meet with them whenever needed. 

This increased communication has allowed us to work more effectively as a team to be proactive in solving issues that have come up.  I am very appreciative of this increased availability of communication and I hope this will continue in the future.

Tom Ludovice

MINUTES OF THE ROUND TABLE MEETING
BETWEEN THE HINSDALE HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION
AND THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
HINSDALE TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 86

January 9, 2008

Call of Meeting. A District Round Table Meeting between the Hinsdale High School Teachers Association and the Board of Education of Hinsdale Township High School District 86, DuPage and Cook Counties, Illinois was called to order by Superintendent Dr. Nicholas D. Wahl at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 9, 2008, in the Administrative Center Conference Room, 55th and Grant Streets, Hinsdale, Illinois.

Roll Call. The following members of the Board were present: Secretary Dr. Janet Plate and Mr. Vinaya Sharma. Attending for Hinsdale Central were: Tom Ludovice, Tom Dorrance, and Valerie Ruth. Attending for Hinsdale South were: Troy Courtney, Tim Davis, and Rick Cazzato. Also attending was Superintendent of Schools Dr. Nicholas Wahl.

Continue Reading »

Today was our holiday concert. Sitting in the audience and listening to the multitude of talent our students have, brought a smile to my face. Maybe it was just the season cheer, but I think it was something much more. As I looked at the faces that have sat before me in class, I was reminded of why I teach. I teach because of the kids. I love working with them on projects. I find it exhilarating when they struggle with a difficult topic, but then their face finally lights up with understanding and a feeling of accomplishment. I get a kick out them rolling their eyes at my bad jokes. I love it when my creative juices get going, and I develop a new lesson to make my course more real to them.

The sad point is that I needed to be reminded of why I teach. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. I’ve reached a conclusion about the cause of the problem. I believe the problem is that we have too many good ideas but too little time, too few teachers, and too many students to carry them all out. Because they are such good ideas and because we have always been big on “customer service”, we try to do it all. Its as if the teachers of District 86 have embraced Macy’s customer service motto “Be everywhere, do everything, and never fail to astonish the customer.” or Aspect’s “Anytime, anywhere” motto. For almost all teachers, this means that we each have 120+ “customers” that require our utmost attention. Keeping this in mind, consider the following great ideas. Continue Reading »

I like to think that District 86 tries to offer the best of what’s available to our students and faculty. In some things they do. But, in the most recent upgrades of our informational technology program, the District has not provided the best. In some cases, they have not created a system that is even operational.

At the end of last school year, the faculty was told that each classroom would have an LCD projector to project images and video onto our screens large enough for the students to be able to see. The educational benefit to such a situation can be enormous. Especially in the sciences, where I teach, the quantity and quality of computer and internet based demonstrations and interactive lessons are incredible.

When school began in August, many of us were very disappointed in how badly the new technology was working. Of course, no one wants to take the blame for implementing a flawed program, but we were promised that things would get better.

They didn’t. As of December, 12 Science classrooms and labs still have technology problems that range from annoying (a stray cord just hanging from the projector into the middle of the room) to inoperative (the LCD simply doesn’t work).

I know that education has happened for thousands of years without LCD projectors. Trust me, I’ve taught for most of them. But LCD projectors and the lessons that students can get because of them, are miles ahead of textbook demos or teacher explanations on their own. They are, simply, the best we can offer students. And because of financial stinginess, or bad planning, or whatever else, the students are getting it.

At football practice, I always encourage my students to give their best every time they walk onto the field. I just wish I could be giving them what I know is best for them.

Tom Ludovice

President HHSTA

 Last night’s school board meeting saw the presentation of a comprehensive Administrative Organizational Study (AOS) conducted by ECRA Group. The purpose of the study was to determine the most effective, efficient and productive organizational management structure for District 86. Below are links to the executive summary of the report, as well as the January update of Strategic Planning activities.

Strategic Plan Status Report: Jan. 10, 2008
Administrative Organization Study: Executive Summary