DEA Members Work All Summer Long

Today may have marked the “first day back at school,” but for many teachers in Davenport, the work continued all summer long. Here are just a few of the conferences and trainings teachers took part in this summer. So the next time someone tries to tell you that “teachers have all summer off,” show them this post.

Many teachers and administrators in the district attended PLC conferences in Minneapolis, MN, and St. Louis, MO. Pictured below are teachers from North High in Minneapolis: Sarah Grimesey, Leslie Schlue, Tina Wallace, Steph Schmid and Nikki DeMars Noel.

Educators from Washington attended the PLC conference in St. Louis. Attendees included Latosha Hayslett, Dania Bebber, Principal Chad Jones, Jessica Dawson, and Shauna Schuman

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Two busloads of teachers attended ISTE in Chicago to learn about new ideas in technology to bring to their classrooms. Some teachers even worked at the Google booth and presented in sessions. One teacher even ended up having a baby while at the conference!

Jillian Johnson, band teacher at Williams Intermediate and Adams Elementary, attended the University of South Dakota Band Director Institute in June. Johnson said, “This was a three-day workshop in Vermillion, South Dakota, with band directors from all over the Midwest. We were able to play new music to help us better choose literature for our students, take classes on specific instruments, and even work with James Curnow, a renowned composer and arranger. Everything I learned will directly impact my teaching this coming school year. While in Vermillion, I was also fortunate enough to visit the National Music Museum. Overall, it was a phenomenal experience and something I hope to attend again!”

Megan Morgan, along with ISEA member Patrick Kearney, organized Empowering Teacher Leaders at Johnston High School for about 500 educators across Iowa. https://twitter.com/iadeptofed/status/1025454139919265792?s=21

West High teacher, Maggie Rietz, attended the Speech and Debate Conference to learn about new ideas in teaching and coaching speech and debate, and besides hearing from so many awesome educators, actor Josh Gad, a former National Champion in speech and debate, was a keynote speaker who reminded everyone that educators are making a bigger impact on their students than they realize: “In a decade, I promise you, somebody much more powerful than me will stand here and thank all of you for making them whoever they become. And maybe they will change the world.”

Thank you to all the educators who spent so much of their summer break working to improve yourself as a teacher. Your work is appreciated, and while not every kid will come back and thank you for helping them, you certainly will have an impact on so many, and the kids will change the world because you helped shaped who they are.