AEA Leadership Conference (June)
AEA Professionals Rights & Responsibilities (PR&R) Conference (April)
ACT/AEA Professional Development Conference (March)
Alabama Aerospace Celebration (March)
AEA Divisional Conference (January)
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)
Student Alabama Education Conferences (April and November)
Future Teachers of Alabama Conferences (March and October)
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AEA members turned out in mass for this year’s Leadership Conference. According to Terri Walker, conference organizer, there were close to 500 attendees at this year’s conference. It was a huge success. Members were given an opportunity to attend sessions on budgets, local elections, preparing for a crisis, communications, recruiting, discipline, association representative training, and results of the Take 20 Survey, just to name a few.
The Emerging Leaders School and the AEA BELL Team Training were held in conjunction with the conference. This year there were over 40 graduates of Emerging Leaders (click here for full story) and 10 locals participating in BELL Teams (click here for full story).
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Jeff Kallay, of TargetX, spoke at the closing session of the conference. Kallay spoke to the group about the newest generation of members coming into the education field, known as Millenials. To make his presentation even more engaging, Kallay hosted a game show with contestants from the crowd. Several members participated and the audience really got into the game. Kallay’s goal was to get the membership thinking about ways to engage this new type of member and to better understand how to relate to the younger teachers and education professionals now coming into the field of education.
Kallay described the differences in generations, what this new generation believes and responds to, and how to engage them in the education arena as members and advocates for the education profession.
For a downloadable copy of Kallay's presentation, click here.
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The 2008 AEA Leadership Conference welcomed special guest and AEA member, Alabama Teacher of the Year Roy Hudson. Hudson spoke to the luncheon crowd on Tuesday.
Hudson is the 2008 Teacher of the Year and the first arts teacher ever to win the prestigious award. Hudson teaches theater at ??? High School.
Hudson was extremely entertaining and kept the audience engaged as he outlined what he called a “marketing problem” for teachers. He described how teachers are viewed in our society and how the education field doesn’t get the respect it deserves. When he told friends he was going into teaching they asked, “What’s happened? What’s wrong? Did your business go under?” They just couldn’t believe that he had chosen to go into the teaching field.
Hudson says that teaching was the “hardest thing I’ve ever done.” He believes that every American should have to teach school for one year – then they wouldn’t give us such “crap,” he laughed.
In combating this “marketing problem,” Hudson outlined a few key points that helped him in attaining recognition for his programs. First, he said to make yourself relevant. He did this by figuring out and working to get his students scholarships. Second, Hudson says to make noise where you are – let your parents and your school board know what you’re doing. Lastly, don’t just tell your colleagues; tell everyone you meet about what you are doing in your schools.
According to Hudson, “They see us as a labor union, not as a group of professionals. The world needs to see us as professionals, not laborers.”
Hudson’s advice – Let people know you are important.
Several local associations were honored at this year’s Leadership Conference for their continued growth of new members. There were two awards given out this year – an award for largest locals for both active and ESP and an award for the largest increase in membership for both active and ESP.
The winners of the Largest Local Awards are:
Active Locals
• 1st Place – Mobile County Education Assosiciation – 3,713 members
• 2nd Place – Montgomery County Education Association – 2,201 members
• 3rd Place – Birmingham Education Association – 1,989 members
ESP Locals
• 1st Place –Mobile County ESP – 2,486 members
• 2nd Place – Montgomery County ESP – 1,063 members
• 3rd Place – Shelby County ESP – 1,056 members
The winners of the Largest Membership Increase Awards are:
Active Locals
• 1st Place – Hoover Education Association – 82 new members
• 2nd Place – Shelby County Education Association – 70 new members
• 3rd Place – Madison County Education Association – 67 new members
ESP Locals
• 1st Place – Montgomery County ESP – 149 new members
• 2nd Place – Hoover Education Association – 79 new members
• 3rd Place –Jefferson County ESP – 77 new members
Piedmond ESP won a special membership award for an increase in membership of 190 percent.