AEA Divisional Conference (January)
ACT/AEA Professional Development Conference (March)
Alabama Aerospace Celebration (March)
AEA Professionals Rights & Responsibilities (PR&R) Conference (April)
AEA Leadership Conference (June)
AEA Emerging Leaders School (held in conjunction with Leadership Conference)
AEA Bell Team Training (held in conjunction with Leadership Conference)
AEA Minority Leadership Conference (November)
Future Teachers of Alabama Conferences (March and October)
Student Alabama Education Conferences (April and November)
AEA Delegate Assembly (December)
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More than 400 participants at the recent AEA/ACT Professional Development Conference, held March 23 in Birmingham, walked away with over 3,200 hours of CEUs. Thirty different sessions provided a total of eight CEUs to each participant who took advantage of the one-day conference.
During the opening general session, AEA Executive Secretary Dr. Paul Hubbert, who celebrates his 40th year with the association this month, provided a membership update and a look at the recent economic stimulus package and its impact on education jobs in Alabama.
“When I started with the association in 1969 there were 21,000 members. Today there are 104,431 members,” Hubbert said. “The dues back then were $12 and teacher salaries were about $4,000 per year. We have come a long way and hopefully we will make more progress. We work everyday to protect all the gains that we have made for school employees over the past 40 years,” Hubbert said.
The passage of the national economic stimulus package will protect many education jobs, Hubbert told participants. “Though we will have a bare bones budget this year, AEA delegates told us to protect jobs and to protect the current classroom divisors,” Hubbert said. “The stimulus funds will help us keep state units funded. Without those funds the education budget would have been disastrous. More than 4,000 teachers and support professionals would have lost their jobs,” Hubbert said.
The 2008-2009 Teacher of the Year Roy Hudson also addressed participants during the opening session reminding teachers of the important job they do. “The loneliest job is teaching, but coming together like this makes us all feel special,” Hudson said. “Please remember that you may be the only voice that helps one kid stay in school. Each teacher and school employees reaches each student differently. Without your voice that certain kid may not make it,” said Hudson.
The program at this year’s conference featured something for everyone, according to Dr. Tyna Davis, manager of AEA’s Education Policy and Professional Practices Department. Davis’ staff coordinated the conference. “We had such a broad range of sessions this year for all education job categories. Many of the sessions were open ended and will have follow-up or continuing sessions at the AEA Leadership Conference this summer,” said Davis.
The sessions included topics for all job categories. There were discussions about future trends in education and sessions for the new teacher. Other sessions addressed strategies for being a better teacher and the latest teacher evaluation procedure. Several sessions featured ideas to incorporate technology and online tools, including twitter, moodle, and wikis, to make the classroom come alive. Aerospace and other science ideas were include along with meeting the needs of the English Language Learner as well as the special education student. Professional excellence topics for the National Board Certification process and for being a true support professional were included.
Representatives from the State Department of Education offered several sessions on the pathway to excellence for both teachers and students.
“Based on the evaluations of the conference, we know that the sessions provided professional development that keeps on giving,” said Davis who noted that participants of the World Cafe session plan to set up a discussion group on-line to continue their dialogue on the future trends in education.
Teachers across the state, more than 500 in all, attended AEA’s recent Association of Classroom Teachers one-day professional development conference in Birmingham that offered more than 20,000 hours instruction to the total participants.
“We offered a wide variety of new and contemporary workshops for educators who are striving everyday to become better classroom teachers,” said AEA’s Manager of Education Policy and Professional Practices Dr. Tyna Davis. “I think we are increasingly able to offer exciting and worthy opportunities for teachers to stay on top of their professional responsibilities.”
Not only do teachers get educational opportunities at the annual conference, but teachers also get the opportunity to visit with other teachers and enjoy the networking opportunities that the large gathering provides, said Davis.
The conference provided 30 unique workshops ranging from differentiated instruction to school safety.
Participants attended general assemblies where they heard of the latest developments regarding AEA’s efforts to be a stronger voice for public education. During a luncheon meeting, ACT provided nationally recognized Dr. Adolph Brown to instruct and entertain. Since the conference, the EPPP Department has been inundated with calls requesting information on how to confirm his attendance at statewide and local events. The EPPP Department is pleased to provide such enriching professional development opportunities for AEA members. We look forward to seeing you again next year!