My very first KATE conference!

On October 30^th and 31^st, I attended my first KATE conference (with the Kansas Association for Teachers of English). I had a wonderful time, not only attending the keynote and breakout presentations, but also socializing and networking with current English teachers (and my fantastic classmates). I am definitely feeling inspired; I hope I get a job in Kansas next year so I can become and KATE member and attend again!

 

The most inspiring keynote session was Friday afternoon—Taylor Mali. Oh. My. He inspires me to be a great teacher AND a great writer. He included poems both about teaching and his personal life, which was refreshing after talking only about teaching for two days. My favorite poem that he performed was about his ex-wife not trusting him with her PIN number—it was like the entire room stopped breathing at once. He turns seemingly every day, normal things into profound metaphors for life, love, and learning. I hope to be a tenth as inspirational for my students as he is for me.

 

There was one breakout session that stood out to me as being the most helpful and innovative. It was called “Icebreakers, Teambuilding, & Brainbreaks: Using Collaborative play to foster positive learning.” The presenter, Ms. Pameticky, took us through a series of game demonstrations that we could use with our middle and high school students. The games can be used for team-building and collaboration. My favorite gave was one that included throwing a ball back and forth in a circle, following a particular pattern. Mostly, it was just really fun, but I think there may also be a way to incorporate content. Perhaps students could answer quiz questions or practice vocab words as they are playing. I recently read an article (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/10/24/teacher-spends-two-days-as-a-student-and-is-shocked-at-what-she-learned/) about a former teacher who shadowed a student for two days. She was amazed at how tired she felt after sitting and being quiet all day. These collaborative games would be a great way to give my students a break from sitting.

 

I really enjoyed the networking opportunities at the KATE conference. I met many teachers from all over Kansas! It was particularly nice to chat with WSU graduates who are now teaching—a little glimpse into my possible future! My cooperating teacher is very involved in the conference, and she introduced me to some KATE officers and board members that I probably wouldn’t have met on my own. Mostly, I just enjoyed hearing their stories about teaching, but I also hope that I left a good impression. Who knows! I may be working with some of them next year! (Crossing my fingers…)

 

I would have liked to see more interactive breakout sessions. Like the high school students in the article, sitting through hours of sessions per day was exhausting. I really appreciated the session about games, so I could move around. Perhaps more modeling during sessions would be helpful. I would have also loved to hear more about the texts being used in Kansas classrooms, particularly if anyone has been successful incorporating young adult literature into their curriculum.

 

Overall, I was extremely pleased with my experience at the KATE conference, and I look forward to (hopefully) attending again next year!