Nearly 600 teachers will gather at Warsaw Community High School Performing Arts Center today and Friday for the All Write!!! Summer Institute.
This is the second consecutive year the conference has been hosted by Warsaw. Previously, the All Write!!! Consortium held its annual conference in Shipshewana.
Warsaw Community Schools Chief Academics Officer David Hoffert said Eisenhower Elementary School Principal Chris Gensinger was instrumental in getting the consortium to move its summer conference to the WCHS PAC two years ago. Gensinger talked to the consortium’s coordinator, Mindy Hoffar, and told her about the beautiful facilities Warsaw had to offer. He also told her about the large number of teachers who would be able to attend the conference.
The two-day event also is a win for the Warsaw community, Hoffert said, in that teachers come from all over Indiana and out of state. They stay at local hotels, and spend money on food and shopping.
The All Write!!! Consortium is based out of Kendallville, Hoffert said. It includes about 24 northern Indiana school corporations that are able to pool some resources together for professional development, especially in literacy. During the summer institute, Hoffert said teachers can collaborate to make sure they have the best scientifically based information, and discuss what to do and not to do in the classroom.
The conference features several well-known speakers in the education world, including Ruth Ayres, April Pulley Sayre, Franki Sibberson, Debbie Diller and Jim Burke. It started today at 8:30 a.m. with a keynote session in the auditorium featuring Ayres.
The 2012 summer institute will make use of pretty much all of the rooms in the PAC. There are a number of break-out sessions, with schools showcasing some of the ideas and activities that are working at their schools. Textbook vendors also will be on hand to display their latest ware.
All of Warsaw’s academic coaches are facilitating the event, including its two literacy coaches, two science coaches, two math coaches, its technology coach and professional learning communities facilitator.
“We believe literacy is what binds all of our curriculum together,” said Hoffert. No matter what grade level or discipline, literacy is the key component.
Kelly Meeks, WCS instructional coach with a focus on literacy, said about 100 Warsaw teachers signed up to hear local as well as nationally known speakers. Hoffert said the teachers are voluntarily attending the conference out of their desire to learn more.
The consortium pays for the conference, Hoffert said. Warsaw is the host school, but the consortium puts the summer institute together.
“In the summer, this is a great facility for conferences,” said Jennifer Shepherd, WCHS assistant principal. “We have a lot of the amenities for conferences.”
Meeks said the conference ran so smoothly in 2011, the consortium wanted to have it at Warsaw again.
“We’re very hospitable,” Shepherd said. Warsaw has the facilities, technology, transportation and people to put on a good conference, she said.
Hoffert said one of Warsaw School Corporation’s goals is working with teachers through professional learning communities. This conference puts people together to learn from each other.
Lorinda Kline, WCS math coach, said PLCs are “the corporation vehicle for achieving our mission, so it’s very important.”
The conference offers teachers the opportunity to learn from each other and work collaboratively for the students, she said. Teachers talk about what they want students to do and be able to do and learn from each other.
“This is a great opportunity for teachers to learn more skills to help their students,” she said.
Hoffar, during an interview Wednesday afternoon, said the All Write!!! Consortium was originally funded in 1999 through a grant from the Dekko Foundation.
“Our goal is to provide professional development in literacy, so reading and writing, for all our members,” Hoffar said.
As the consortium learns new things, she said, it wants to help its teachers grow.
The purpose of the conference, she said, is to bring in guest speakers as well as some of the newest thinking in education. She said schools are moving toward the national Common Core Standards, so the focus is on that.
There are national conferences on literacy, but many teachers from northern Indiana don’t get to attend those. The consortium’s summer institute provides some local and nationally known speakers for member schools’ teachers without the expense or distance.
“This year we had 565 people signed up,” Hoffar said, “almost the same number as last year.”
However, more people could show up than signed up for it.
“Last year was the biggest year and we’re matching that this year,” she said. “We had 200 the first year and we’ve grown from there.”
This year’s conference is the first year a teacher from Europe has signed up to attend the conference, Hoffar said.
“People love it here,” she said of having the conference at WCHS PAC. The conference also is good for the community in that hotels get booked, attendees eat here and they shop.
But the focus is on the teachers learning.
“We know how teachers are constantly thriving to learn and grow to teach the best to our kids,” Hoffar said. “They spend a lot of time and a lot of their own resources to be the best teachers they can be. These people are committed to our kids.”
