A Conference Follow-Up Reflection

I am about a week removed from the ACTFL conference. During this week I’ve had time to reflect on my time in Philadelphia at the conference.

First, let me share a bit of gratitude. I am thankful that I had the opportunity to go. I am also thankful that Voces Digital invited me to be part of their team at the conference. I absolutely enjoyed participating in their author panel session and presenting with Justin Scolum-Bailey in an immersive storytelling session. Both were a blast!

I am also grateful to all the presenters that shared their knowledge in their sessions. I can honestly say that I took away something from each session I attended. Thank you! Without you, we do not learn and grow! On a personal note, I have to say that I am always so impressed to see what everyone is doing in their classrooms. Sometimes I feel a bit inadequate as a teacher, when I see all of these good things happening in the classroom – and I don’t know when I will get the time to work them into my lessons! (But eventually I work them into lessons – just not as fast as I would like. Time in teaching is precious!)

Lastly, I would like to thank all the attendees! It is always so fulfilling to see so many people. The opportunity for conversation, side conversations, and even a quick conversation in passing, does so much to recharge my batteries and get me excited. It helps fill my cup, so that I am energized to return to the classroom.

• I’d be remiss here, if I did not give a special thanks to Keith Toda. Our conversations over a breakfast Philly Cheesesteak and our conversations over a beer at the oldest bar in Philadelphia were so invigorating and insightful. He truly is a wealth of knowledge and a great listener also! Thank you!

With that said, I want to go back and touch on my previous blog with Keith Toda about the importance of in-person conferences. You can find it HERE.

After ACTFL, I reaffirm my stance on the importance of in-person conferences. In-person conferences are vital to our field. They are essential to our field and are essential for us – as educators – to continue to learn, grow, and succeed. There is no way around it. Without in-person conferences, we all lose out! The engagement, atmosphere, connections, and experiences cannot be replicated in any other form. In fact, I believe that we need to actively seek out, go to, and support in-person conferences whenever we can!

• And don’t forget to apply to present! (Yes, you!) We can all share our valuable insights and knowledge!

I will leave you with two more quick, personal thoughts before I wrap it up:

I am now actively seeking out “non-language” conferences that I can attend and present at. Not only do I feel that what we are doing is important and we should share it with others, I also feel it is important to see what others – outside our area – are doing and how we can apply it to our area to make us better.

After so many engaging conversations, including conversations at a personal level, I have to say that there are good things happening in our classrooms! However, it is also clear that there are many problems in our classrooms and schools across the country. (I will address those in a future blog post.)

As I wrap it up, I encourage you to do you part and attend (and present at) in-person conferences. We are so much better for them! They truly add so much value to our field and craft. Going = Growing! We do not want in-person conferences going away!

Please join the conversation and share your thoughts below!