At the end of June, four lucky and eager union members attended the Bill Pastor Union Leadership Institute for three days of negotiations training, union traning, classroom strategies, and OTES/SLO training. Jeff Hood (President), Bonnie Thatcher (Vice-president), Karla Butler (Secretary), Ashley Wharton (Public Relations chair), and Diane Hood (VWFT member) trekked to Loudonville, OH for three days for this quality professional development opportunity where they stayed at the Mohican State Park Lodge and got to learn from and network with over 100 teachers and union professional from all over the state of Ohio.
Each session had instructors from different local and state positions, many of who were still teaching during the school year and using the strategies presented. While some of the session was used for instruction with a PowerPoint presentation, there was more than enough time for practice, collaboration, and questions in each session. Also, the members who attended were given a flash drive with the information from every session on it, so if you are interested in what was learned, please feel free to ask one of the members listed above.
One of the largest benefits of attending conferences such as this is the chance to network with teachers from other schools. As we transition to common core, implement OTES, and strive to increase our classroom success, professional development conferences can act as a great opportunity to learn, ask questions, get advice, give advice, and gain perspective on issues surrounding education. These conferences are also a great time to keep up with current AFT and OFT happenings or general current events in the field of education.
Any VWFT member has the opportunity to attend the ULI! You do not need to hold a position to attend. VWFT would love to see more of its teachers go out and represent it at this function, as well as other quality professional development opportunities in the future. If you are interested in attending this function next year, please direct questions to our executive board, or keep an eye out at the end of the school year for the chance to sign up!