CEA Advisor_April 2022

CONNECTING

10 CEA ADVISOR APRIL 2022

EARLY CAREER EDUCATOR CONFERENCE OFFERS PROFESSIONAL LEARNING, CONNECTIONS

CEA’s Early Career Educator Conference drew teachers from all corners of the state. Clockwise from top, CEA President Kate Dias, Kristin Colonies, Lily Lung-Grant, and Katie Grant lead discussions with fellow educators.

It’s been a long time coming since the start of the pandemic, but CEA was finally able to welcome new teachers and provide a face-to-face forum for them to meet, learn, and share their experiences. “I’m excited to come out and network with other teachers and keep adding to my knowledge,” said Michael Jones, a third-year English language arts teacher at Waterbury’s Crosby High School. New and aspiring educators from every part of the state came together for a day of professional development at CEA’s Early Career Educator Conference in Southbury on Saturday, March 26, and came away with fresh ideas for their classrooms as well as stronger connections with colleagues and mentors. First-year Ridgefield High School business teacher Bob Keyes, who pivoted to teaching through Connecticut’s ARC program after a 25-year career as a lawyer, echoed Jones’s sentiment. “I’m here to learn and interact with other educators,” said Keyes, adding, “I’m interested in bringing new technology into the classroom and keeping students engaged. My department is collaborative and growing, I feel well-supported in my district, and my students are great. They make me laugh and smile every day. But I also know that kids today have a lot of anxiety, and I want to ensure my classroom is a compassionate, nonjudgmental environment for them.” Marvin Hicks, a fourth-year computer/information science teacher at Bridgeport’s Harding High School, also came to teaching as a second career, after retiring as an engineer with AT&T Labs. “Teaching is hard work,” he said. “Coming here has made me feel energized and better equipped to do that work.” Hicks, who works with a number of English language learners, participated in sessions on engaging ESL students and using the question formulation technique (QFT) to enrich learning. Participants were able to choose from a variety of workshops on timely

topics, including decreasing anxiety in the classroom; incorporating inquiry to enhance student engagement; creating anti- racist classrooms; teaching with technology; working with English language

Becoming active in her union, said Dias, taught her about the

better teacher. The longer you teach, you’ll get ahead of those problems, but in the early years you’re flying by the seat of your pants.” Buchta shared deeply personal stories, helpful readings, and an ever- expanding toolbox for reducing anxiety in the classroom and beyond. “This session resonated with me because I see the anxiety in my students, in my colleagues, and in myself,” said Housatonic Valley High School teacher Beth Foulds. “It’s helpful to see that we’re not alone. The strategies I learned here reignited my desire to incorporate new ways of reducing anxiety, both in my role as a teacher to my students and as a union leader for my colleagues.” Foulds, a 26-year veteran teacher and president of the Housatonic Valley Regional Faculty Association, invited her district’s new teachers to participate in the conference—and joined them. “It’s a great offering not only for our new teachers but all educators, because we’re lifelong learners,” she said. Colleague Rene Boardman, in her third year teaching agricultural and natural resources at Housatonic Valley High School, agreed. “There are a lot of tools and insights to be gained from this training, and that’s true at any point in your career.” Empowering our students, ourselves Teachers were also keen to learn about promoting diversity, particularly as conversations about race and racism have become more prevalent, more urgent, and—at times—more volatile. “You wouldn’t know it to look at me, because I’m white and heterosexual, but I was an at-risk kid, and teachers saved my life,” a social studies teacher confided. “As an adult, I’ve been awakened to systemic racism and stereotyping. I see it in my district. Once you see systemic racism, you can’t unsee it.” “As a Black Latina woman, I am the only educator of color my students see,” Southington health teacher Kimberly Phillips shared

importance of teacher voice.

“And that’s one of the things I want you to think about throughout the day today: the power of your voice. I encourage you to

use the tribes you run with to develop your

learners; using escape room activities to promote social emotional learning, problem-solving, and classroom management; and more. Your voice, your tribe In her welcoming remarks, Dias described her own journey as an educator and union member and the “tribes” she has joined along the way. Recalling her early days as a substitute teacher in an alternative education program with tremendous freedom, few constraints, and little guidance, she said, “It was terrifying, but also there was lots of room for creativity.” Later, she taught in a

voice. This is a powerful time for us as educators. Whether this is day one or day 3,001, your voice matters. Maybe it matters to the person next to you. Maybe it matters to your local union president. Find your voice, your message. Say what you have to say—because it matters.” Advocating for students With a widespread and worsening crisis in children’s mental health, recognizing anxiety in students and minimizing it were primary goals for many conference attendees. Fairfield music teacher and band

Teaching is hard work. Coming here has made me feel energized and better equipped to do that work.” MARVIN HICKS, BRIDGEPORT TEACHER

regular classroom—often with 30 students crowded into it—before expanding outside the classroom into leadership roles within her local and statewide union. “I stand here as the sum total of the people who have guided me to this place, which includes my alternative education tribe, my regular education tribe, and my union tribe. I learned how I could be good for my kids. Then I learned how I could be good for my colleagues. I’ve never left any of these tribes; I take them with me.”

director Jim Buchta led a session aimed at helping teachers do both. Having experienced the debilitating effects of his own child’s undiagnosed anxiety and somatic symptom disorder, Buchta understands what a mental health emergency looks like from a parent’s perspective as well as a teacher’s. “Parenting is the most emotionally charged job, and parents will challenge you when their child is in trouble,” he explained. “They may come after you really hard, but that has the potential to make you a