Jill Biden, an English professor and former second lady, will be the keynote speaker for the third annual Better Together California Teachers’ Summit, to be held July 28 at CSU Channel Islands and, simultaneously, on 35 campuses across the state.
Biden’s morning address will be live-streamed to all 35 campuses from where she will be speaking at St. Mary’s College in the Bay Area.
Better Together coordinator Dianne Wilson-Graham, executive director for the California Physical Education-Health Project, said more than 300 educators are expected at the CSUCI event, which runs 8 a.m.-3 p.m in the school’s Grand Salon.
“We are expecting to reach our full capacity,” said Wilson-Graham. “This is a wonderful opportunity for local teachers to come together and talk across schools, across grade levels, and across districts about those things that matter to teachers.”
The summit is a collaboration among the California State Universities, Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, and New Teacher Center. It is open to California pre-K-12 teachers, teacher candidates, and school administrators.
With regards to Biden, Wilson-Graham said, “In her 30 years in education, she has taught at community colleges, a public high school and a psychiatric hospital for adolescents.
“As the second lady, she highlighted the importance of community colleges to America’s future. We are looking forward to her insights on how teachers can change the lives of students for the better.”
At the 2012 Democratic National Convention, Biden said: “For me, being a teacher isn’t just what I do — it’s who I am.”
Following Biden’s address, teachers will hear two Ed Talk sessions from local teachers. Modeled after TED Talks, speakers will offer poignant, inspiring, funny stories about their journeys into the teaching profession. and share tales of the classroom.
Ed Talk speakers will be Fawn Nguyen, a teacher at Mesa Union Junior High in Somis, and language arts teacher Daryl Myers from Monte Vista Middle School in Camarillo.
The morning also will include two Edcamp sessions, during which teachers will select their own topics, ranging from addressing bullying in the classroom, to celebrating diversity, to helping students learn to be critical thinkers.
Participants attending the afternoon programs can choose two of four sessions. The afternoon sessions were developed by CSUCI’s School of Education faculty in partnership with the Ventura County Office of Education. Topics include:
Evidence-based strategies for educating children with autism; 21st century lesson design; 10 tips for proactive classroom management; and social and emotional health education for elementary students.
The theme of this year’s event — Better Together: Now More Than Ever — reflects the importance of bringing teachers together to listen and learn from one another.
Registration remains open but the event is filling up. To register, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/better-together-california-teachers-summit-at-csu-channel-islands-tickets-33571634663.
— Nancy C. Gill for California State University Channel Islands.