Professional Development Conference...RIWP

           

The professional conference I attended was the RIWP conference with host speaker Barry Lane. In the beginning of the conference, much of it was Barry speaking and playing music with the guitar. I found the introduction to be one of the many inspiring pieces regarding the RIWP conference.

Barry Lane went above and beyond with his introductory speech. I remember him stressing the importance of sticking to the values of what it truly means to be a teacher. Even though I always believed in the value of what it means to be a teacher, I learned through Barry that just because the CCSS may inflict our state and hinder many things, it doesn’t have to hinder a teacher and their students. Barry expressed that we can go beyond standardized testing and still firmly stick by the roots of what it means to be a teacher—and it goes beyond teaching to the test.

The introductory piece and the conference in general was also dedicated to the amazing RIC professor Dr. Jennifer Cook. Cook is an exemplar of what it means to be a teachers, and so when they played her video of her expressing what she sees in her students as future teachers, the room was filled with nostalgia and tears. It was moving and inspiring at the same time. It felt amazing to be in a room of teachers and future teachers alike who are so passionate about the career.

One of the workshops I attended was held by a middle school teacher named Brittany* that was titled “Talking Back to the Media”. Brittany’s conference was inspiring as well, because as a middle school teacher, she dedicates her time to have her students switch the degrading messages of the media and change them into something positive. From being a young woman surrounded by the plastic images of woman in the media, Brittany truly reached out to me, because like her I believe magazine covers, lyrics, and all kinds of advertisements really can hurt any woman—especially young adolescent girls. Although “Talking Back to the Media” stands for men and woman alone, Brittany’s main focus was to help the young girls who are surrounded by degrading images of women such as Kim Kardashian, or any other blow up doll who is rich just because of going under the knife and their performance in bed.

Brittany represents the kind of teacher I would like to be. She shows her students that one doesn’t need to conform to society’s expectations. Culture is always changing, so why should one stress to follow the trend when one can find peace in being happy with who they are—no matter what the appearance.