Schedule | AES 2020

AES Schedule

Aspiring Educator Summit 2020

9:00

- 10:00

Welcome & Keynote Speech

The Aspiring Educator Summit will kick off with a brief welcome from the Watson Student Leader Professional Development Chair, Kalyn Smith, followed by the Keynote Speech by Dr. Daphne M. Penn

10:10

11:10

Breakout session #1

Building a Positive Classroom Community

Strategies/activities for welcoming students in person and virtually to create a respectful classroom community. How to consistently continue to support students emotionally throughout the year. Supporting students during the transition to in person to virtual learning and vice versa. The purpose behind these strategies and activities and why we need a positive and welcoming community.

Building a Positive Classroom Community

Presenter: Emily Rheault, 3rd Grade Teacher, Berewick Elementary

Food Instability and Your Students

In this session we will discuss putting Maslow before Bloom and getting to know your kids. See how Maine Endwell CSD fights food instability. Identify 3 strategies to get to know your students better. Identify 3 resources to connect kids with the community resources that help fight food insecurity.

Food Instability and Your Students

Presenter: Rachel Murat, 2020 New York Teacher of the Year, Social Studies Teacher, Maine Endwell High School

Diverse Book Talk

Discuss unequal representation of cultures among children’s books and the importance of representation in the classroom. Diverse book suggestions will be shared.

Diverse Book Talk

Presenter: Brianna Vaiksnoras, 1st Grade Teacher, Wallace Elementary

Racial Equity and Social Emotional Learning

Attendees will gain understanding of the Casel Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Framework and examine each competency in the context of racial equity. Attendees will leave with tools to support advancing racial equity in classrooms through integration with SEL

Racial Equity and Social Emotional Learning

Presenters: Wendy Turner, 2017 Delaware Teacher of the Year, 2nd Grade Teacher, Mt. Pleasant Elementary & Dr. Byron McClure, Lessons for SEL Founder, National Certified School Psychologist

11:20

12:20

Breakout session #2

Empower Students to Rewrite History

Every child deserves to see themselves reflected in America's story. Let's empower them to listen to the quietest voices and teach them how to be an ally and accomplice. Help them find their voice and turn up the volume on the quietest voices.

Empower Students to Rewrite History

Presenter: Erin McCarthy, 2020 Wisconsin Teacher of the Year, 8th Grade Social Studies Teacher, Greendale Middle School

Social Emotional Learning in the Classroom and Virtually

Present tips and ideas for teaching SEL both in the classroom and online. Present some resources that are available to educators and practices that have worked for me in the classroom. Participants will leave this session with resources that can be easily applied to their daily classroom routines.

Social Emotional Learning in the Classroom and Virtually

Presenter: Trevor Todd, 3rd Grade Teacher, Castle Hayne Elementary

How Poverty Shaped My Childhood and Continues to Guide My Career

Eric Combs describes how poverty shaped his own childhood and education, and how you can change lives of students of low socioeconomic status in your school. Combs will talk about how he gives free instruments and private lessons to any child who wants to be in his band program, and how he developed a system of instrumental instruction that helps students to flourish at their own pace.

How Poverty Shaped My Childhood and Continues to Guide My Career

Presenter: Eric Combs, 2020 Illinois Teacher of the Year, Band Director, Richland County Middle School

The Equitable Classroom

In this session we will discuss welcoming equity into your classroom. First, we will open our eyes to how we are teaching: are we really engaging all our students? Next, we will identify changes we need to make in our classrooms to ensure a positive classroom community is built and maintained.

The Equitable Classroom

Presenter: Ashley Petre, Instructional Coach, MTSS Coordinator for 4th & 5th Grade, Rachel Freeman School of Engineering

12:30

1:30

breakout session #3

Empowering Equity: Best Practices for Student-Centered Learning

This session will review the basics of whole child education, social emotional learning, culturally responsive teaching, and student-centered learning, and then practical applications for the classroom will be provided, with opportunities for small group discussion.

Empowering Equity: Best Practices for Student-Centered Learning

Presenter: Andrea Johnson, Department Chair, English Teacher, Salem High School

Resiliency in the Face of Adversity

An account of a school district that was thrust in the public spotlight for supporting a student who is transgender when she came out to her classmates. What happened and where are they now?

Resiliency in the Face of Adversity

Presenters: Kaelin Swaney, Kindergarten Teacher, Rocklin Academy Gateway & Jillayne Antoon, Principal, Rocklin Academy

Come on Let's S-C-R-E-A-M

This fun, energetic presentation demonstrates to how to build positive relationships with student while embracing their cultural differences. The acronym S-C-R-E-A-M identifies strategies to ensure student success! It involves movement and music!

Come on Let's S-C-R-E-A-M

Presenter: Margaret C. McNeill, 7th Grade English Language Arts Teacher, Dunn Middle School

How Will They Learn to Love Themselves If We Don't Love Ourselves First

As our students become teachers they need to identify how to take care of themselves so they don't pour from empty vessels when attempting to educate. By the end of the session, teachers should have concrete strategies to identify when to seek help beyond self-care in order to best take care of their students and model that, yes, it is okay to get help.

How Will They Learn to Love Themselves If We Don't Love Ourselves First

Presenter: Jessica Dueñas, 2019 Kentucky Teacher of the Year, Director of Special Education, W.E.B. DuBois Academy

1:40

2:40

Breakout session #4

Using Metacognition in the Classroom

In this session, I will share how I use metacognition in my 5th-grade classroom to promote growth in my students both academically and emotionally. We will explore how to use metacognitive strategies in restorative practices and academic pursuits. I will also share how I incorporate metacognitive strategies into the teaching of reading and personalized education plans.

Using Metacognition in the Classroom

Presenter: Jeanie Owens, 5th Grade Teacher, Ocracoke School

Addressing Poverty and Inequity in Challenging School

Teaching in a high poverty, rural high school has challenges that can be found throughout public schools in America. This session will focus on strategies teachers can incorporate in their own classrooms to advocate for their students. Stephanie King will provide insight into her own experiences teaching and how she developed opportunities for her students to advance their education.

Addressing Poverty and Inequity in Challenging School

Presenter: Stephanie King, English Teacher, Granger High School, English Instructor, University of Washington

You are SMART!

The goal is for teachers to understand that their students are constantly changing. Their minds are pliable and new behaviors can be learned. It is important that teachers relay that information, so students see that learning is not an accident. It is not meant for only a few. It is an action that everyone can take.

You Are SMART!

Presenter: Erica Boomsma, 2019 South Dakota Teacher of the Year, 4th Grade Teacher, Washington Elementary 4-5 Center

2:50

3:50

breakout session #5

What's Free? The Cost of Creating an Equitable and Just Classroom

Participants will dive into a deep understanding of equity, privilege, bias, and its impact on learning environments. Participants will reflect and receive researched based tips that they can take to build an equitable and just classroom that keeps students, our key stakeholders at the forefront of our work.

What's Free? The Cost of Creating an Equitable and Just Classroom

Presenter: Dr. Richard Warren Jr., 2019 Maryland Teacher of the Year, Professor of Education, University of Maryland

Kasserian Ingera: "So How Are the Children?"

The Maasai Tribe of West Africa uses this phrase as a greeting amongst all tribe members. The phrase speaks to the heart of their culture which focuses on the well being of their children as an indicator of the overall success of their tribe. Our session will envision the transformation that education could experience if this question was at the center of all our decision making: "So How Are The Children?"

Kasserian Ingera: "So How Are the Children?"

Presenters: Maggie Murphy, 4th Grade Teacher, Alleghany County Schools & Daniel Scott, Director of Bands, Swansboro High School

Connection Before Content in Early Childhood Education: How to Teach Social-Emotional Skills and Get Our Youngest Students Ready to Learn

This interactive workshop will share the research and importance of including instruction on self-regulation and social skills in early childhood. Participants will leave with some practical ideas to implement SEL into their future classrooms as well as ideas on how to embed social-emotional learning (SEL) practices into their own daily lives.

Connection Before Content in Early Childhood Education: How to Teach Social-Emotional Skills and Get Our Youngest Students Ready to Learn

Presenters: Rebecca Vitelli, Special Education Preschool Teacher, Colonial Early Education Program & Amanda Kane, Paraeducator, Colonial Early Education Program

Making Education Accessible for Students with Visual Impairments

Attendees will learn some of the challenges that blind students run into each day at school. They will leave the session with some ideas of how to level the playing field and help students with visual impairments access the curriculum.

Making Education Accessible for Students with Visual Impairments

Presenter: Kristen Applebee, Art Teacher, Georgia Academy for the Blind

Room

4:00

5:00

Breakout session #6

Moving Inclusion Forward: Access from an Equity Lens

1 in 5 people experience some form of disability. Participants will be able to identify the systemic barriers to inclusion of students with disabilities into the general education setting as well as factors that contribute to misunderstanding of disability. Participants will increase understanding of strategies for improving inclusive access as well as the benefit of inclusion for all students.

Moving Inclusion Forward: Access from an Equity Lens

Presenter: Amy Campbell, 2020 Washington Teacher of the Year, Special Education Teacher, Hellen Baller Elementary

Eliminating Suspension and Expulsion through PBIS

Participants will learn how to apply PBIS interventions in their learning settings. Challenging Behaviors of Children, Implicit Bias and Professional Development of Teachers have been found to be reasons for suspension and expulsion of students. Data shows obvious racial disparities on suspension and expulsion of students.

Eliminating Suspension and Expulsion through PBIS

Presenter: Merve Ozdemir, Doctoral Scholar, Graduate Assistant, UNC Greensboro

How Does Surviving in Poverty Affect Children?

During this session, participants will gain a better understanding of the disproportionality that exists in our state related to poverty. Identify the necessary practices for rules for engagement regarding adult behaviors when working with students of poverty. Reflect on cultural competency and cultural humility as a rule of engagement.