At the ringing of the bell, a frenzy emerges from each of Westford Academy’s classrooms. The sound of materials being quickly shoved into backpacks, chatter between students, and the collective voice of appreciation to the teachers echoes out the door. Through all of this, WA’s teachers begin preparing for their next class, all except for six.
WA’s curriculum coordinators not only supervise their respective departments at the high school level, but also at the two middle schools, Blanchard and Stony Brook. Two coordinators, Health and Wellness Coordinator Brian Roark along with Fine Arts Coordinator Andrea Mejia, look after their departments from K-12 as well. Because each of them teaches a class at WA, with the exception of STEM Coordinator Joe Barnas due to his management of both the math and science departments, they are often heading to their cars at the end of the period instead of greeting new students into their classrooms.
After teaching their class at WA, the coordinators do not have a set schedule for the day. While many of them may plan out what they would like to get done at the beginning of the week, that oftentimes is not what happens by the week’s end due to the flexibility of their job. Many times, urgent matters may come up unexpectedly and shift their days, such as sudden meetings with principals, teachers, or administrators.
“When I came into this role, that was one of the first things I fell in love with,” Social Studies Coordinator Adam Ingano said. “[…] And it’s just so cool, because you get to interact with so many students, so many great teachers. And, yeah, lots of times you don’t know where you’re going to end up in the morning, but I like that.”
Teaching a class at WA has always been part of their job, so managing all of the moving pieces along with a class is nothing new to WA’s coordinators. According to English Coordinator Janet Keirstead, when she first started in this position, coordinators taught two classes, but they soon realized it was difficult to balance teaching two blocks along with their other responsibilities. All of the coordinators agree, however, that being able to teach is valuable not only in their ability to perform in their role as a coordinator, but also because it is extremely self-fulfilling.
“I love the fact that I still get to teach. […] Having direct contact with the students and engaging with them is the best part for me,” World Language Coordinator Stephanie Devlin said. “[…] Having a group of students that are mine for the whole year where I’m actually developing curriculum and delivering curriculum, I think makes me better able to give feedback to my teachers, because I’m still doing exactly what they’re trying to do.”
Besides teaching a class at WA, the coordinators conduct teacher evaluations for all the teachers they supervise, fill in as long-term substitute teachers, create professional development opportunities for their teachers, and act as a link between the teachers at all the schools.
Because of the way the high school is set up, collaboration between teachers is easier due to department offices and prep periods built into schedules. However, for middle school teachers, it is more difficult because of their team system, along with the more rigid schedule they follow. This is where the coordinators come in, as teachers are able to communicate through them. Additionally, the coordinators connect the middle, elementary, and high schools by observing what is being done at all levels and using that information to find items that could be implemented in different places to improve learning.
All of the coordinators believe that the fluidity of their schedules is one of the reasons why they were drawn to the role. Additionally, watching teachers at different levels do what they love along with the interactions they have with different staff members and students are all reasons why they find their position so fulfilling.
“The other thing I love about the job is all [my colleagues] sitting around this table. Without a doubt, it would be a lot less fun and virtually impossible without them. […] I can’t say enough about this team, and as much as we support teachers and help teachers, we’re doing that for each other,” Ingano said. “I mean, Mr. Roark and I get to co-teach lessons at the middle school on some of our stuff that we love. Outside of school, we bring problems to each other. And so many times there’s ideas that somebody else says that I never would have thought of. That’s really what makes us work.”
