Dining With Friends Staff Development Underway in GISD
Article Date: September 25, 2008
Three large educational groups have joined forces to create a staff development initiative for educators who are committed to professional growth.
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Garland ISD, Region 10 Education Service Center and Friends of Texas Public Schools last week launched Dining With Friends – a dialogue session where area teachers and administrators can reflect on the positive aspects of their jobs.
“It’s nice to have a venue where the majority of discussion focuses on the positives that come from our field,” said Dr. Cathy Ostmeyer, assistant director of special programs for GISD. “There is a lot of positive substance to talk about in the field of education. Several attendees have let us know how much they enjoyed the session and learning about other good news out there.”
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Dining With Friends is designed to be a four-part session hosted at GISD’s Harris Hill Administration Building. The two-hour segments are intended to accommodate 35-40 attendees. According to Brenda Jean Patrick – a Region 10 consultant – the goal is to host 50 educators each year who want to dialogue with peers about educational issues.
The first session featured Scott and Leslie Milder, the co-founders of Friends of Texas Schools. The husband-wife duo addressed how to overcome the influx of negative news associated with public schools.
The group’s next meeting is again set for the Harris Hill Administration Building on Nov. 6. For more information, contact Region 10’s Patrick at bjp@brendajeanpatrick.com or (214) 693-2411. Ostmeyer is also available at cjostmey@garlandisd.net.