Sharing Experiences and Story Telling

To be completely candid I was skeptical on attending the KATE conference. I had heard from experienced teachers that teaching conferences were usually a bore and they spent the majority of their time spacing out on their phones. I didn't expect this conference to fit their descriptions of their own conferences, but I was wary of what I was walking in to. I was a little upset that I had to attend because I have been teaching my students for seven weeks now, we are finishing up an essay, and I want to be there every step of the way for them, but the after 12 hours of KATE conference presentations I was glad I stepped away from the classroom to attend. 

There were two presentations in particular that I enjoyed. The first was a seminar from my 10th grade English teacher, Kelly Frederick, joined by Katherine Whepley and Brieun Scott. Their session concerned itself with taking the students deeper into collaborative group discussions. This meeting gave the audience ideas and worksheets for stimulating students into digging beneath the surface of their reading and come up with their own ideas regarding metaphors, symbols, alliteration, imagery, and other literary devices. I am always intrigued with trying to find ways to get students to discuss literature and discuss it well.

On the second day there was a presentation from two former WSU student teachers, Lindsey Slater and Sarah McQery. These two first year teachers had a wonderful presentation that informed us of multiple ways that music can be used in the classroom to help boost student learning. The main idea of their seminar was that music can be a great way to begin student discussion. Music invokes feeling and students especially teenage students are prone to having a deep connection with music and are more likely to open up with a discussion over music rather than with literature. I loved this concept because it allows for the students to discuss their individual and unique ideas, which will help them feel comfortable with their teachers and their peers. 

As the conference came to a close I was getting restless and wanted to head to the exit. It's hard for me to sit still for almost two whole days and listen to speakers, but it gave me some insight on how students with ADD or ADHD feel when they have to remain seated throughout an entire school day. Tired and wanting some sort of stimulation I was getting antsy. I was certain the KATE stories to end the conference would be a snooze fest of what teachers had learned throughout the years, but my assumptions were completely wrong. The KATE stories segment was the highlight of the conference for me. Hearing personal stories from the speakers had the audience in tears and I did my best to hold mine back. I thought I had done a pretty good job of maintaining until the last speaker shared her story of her student, Nicole, who attended school the day after holding her dying mother in her arms. I wish for my students to live untroubled lives, but I know that that is often not the case. Hearing her story affirmed my belief that the student to teacher connection is vital and it is our job as educators to care for these students and their futures.