Learn basic phrases to communicate with your students and their families in Spanish. Create materials for an bilingual classroom experience for years to come.
This session will discuss how to start a group for Education Support Professionals. The following topics will be covered:
Unpack the purposes of reading and writing to discover how educational technology can level the literacy playing field for students! After this session, participants will understand how assistive technology fits into educational technology and, ultimately, the principles of universal design for learning. Participants will walk away with examples of EdTech that can support student literacy, including built-in features, applications, and extensions, and learn how these can be used as assistive technology based on the unique needs of their students.
The session will answer the following questions: How does intersectionality affect education? What are the impacts in our schools, our classrooms, and our interactions with families?
Participants will learn what intersectionality is and leave with practical, ready-to-use tools and strategies to implement in their educational practice. Emphasis will be placed on classroom implementation but will also address school-home relationships and overall student interaction.
It is uncomfortable to talk about aware and unaware, individual and institutional racism, LGBTQA+ biases, classism, ageism, sexism, micro/macro-aggressions, extreme politics, book banning, sexual identities, Muslimphobia, anti-Semitism, and other urgent topics among faculty colleagues. Many of us do not have constructive skills for such conversations, so we worry: If we speak up for respectful conversation on racial equity, the rights of immigrants, welcoming others from religions different from our own, transitioning students using specified bathrooms, or show support for the policy of one political party over another, we may say something unintentionally offensive, incomplete, inexperienced, lacking context, and we may lose friends and colleagues for a period of time as a result. It is just easier to say nothing and get along, right? Racism, sexism, ageism, biases, cultural-phobias are learned, however; no one is born with such views. One of our jobs as educators, then, is to model and secure a supportive, non-racist, non-sexist, non-biased future for all our diverse students and their families, not just the ones that look and orient like us. Our response to the -ism’s and -phobia’s in today’s schools and communities must be clear, informed, compassionate, and immediate, as settling for indifference exacerbates the issues, a matter of unintentional yet real hurt and oppression. Join us for a candid and practical look at how to begin and conduct conversations on these “third rail” topics that leads to greater communication and constructive responses in our schools and de-escalates our more strident tendencies. We’ll provide dozens of specific strategies to get these conversations started as well as how to respond with civil discourse when things get uncomfortable. This is way beyond assuring every school has a diversity committee: We’re looking at the day in and day out interactions, formal and informal conversations, we conduct with one another that yield powerful and unbiased futures for ourselves and our students. Don’t be left thinking, “I should have said…,” when unsettling or hurtful conversations occur. Instead, get the tools for those interactions right now, so you are thoughtful and helpful in the moment.
Participants will dive deeper into understanding different instructional strategies that can be incorporated into the classroom to help students who have experienced trauma. This information can be beneficial to ALL students regardless of their past experiences. Target audience: Administrators and All Who Work in Classrooms
***It is highly advised that participants sign up for both parts as information learned flows from part 1 to part 2.
It will be an entire Spanish presentation of how to advocate for your community and how to organize to be able to help our students. Help everyone to have a voice. Be bold to be yourself.
The participants will learn to embrace their own culture. Participants will understand the need of the students to be heard and feel identify with their educators.
It will be an interactive class where the participants will share their favorite music, favorite song, and share their culture.
This session will encourage the participants to enjoy various methods of relaxing while relating to one another some of the stresses of the job and discovering how to release the stress at the end of the day. There will be various interactive stations for the participant to become involved with.
Have you ever wanted to submit a VEA mini-grant proposal but found the process daunting, had trouble deciding on an idea, or just need time to write one? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this session is for you!
Come learn about the do’s and don’ts of writing a mini-grant, brainstorm ideas for grants with others, and start writing your very own grant. You will have a solid start on your grant submission before leaving!
This session aims to examine the implications of the recent Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) affirmative application decision on K-12 public education. By exploring the potential impact on bridging the gap between white learners and students of color, we will emphasize the importance of amplifying student voice and supporting black and brown students. This presentation will provide actionable strategies for K-12 educators to eliminate disparities and enhance opportunities for underrepresented students to access higher education.
This session will dive deep into the three brain states, trauma’s impact on the brain, the Polyvagal Theory, and normal versus traumatic memories. Suggested for all audiences, all levels.
Participants will dive deeper into understanding different instructional strategies that can be incorporated into the classroom to help students who have experienced trauma. This information can be beneficial to ALL students regardless of their past experiences. Target audience: Administrators and All Who Work in Classrooms
***It is highly advised that participants sign up for both parts as information learned flows from part 1 to part 2.
We are calling all educators to join our “cast” to help advance the mission and vision of VEA. Using the Advocacy and Social and Emotional competencies of the NEA Leadership Framework as the script, cast members will practice a peer problem solving technique to build more diverse relationships and advance equity and inclusion. These tools can be used with multiple audiences and settings. “Cast members” would become part of a future cohort of VEA Advocacy and Thought Leaders.
Paraeducators play an essential role in our schools and are critically important to student and school success. Learn how a team of school leaders and ESPs transformed the paraeducator’s role in Northern Virginia Middle Schools. The schools realized increased instructional quality, ESP self-efficacy, and workplace equity by investing in differentiated professional learning, leadership development, and equity. Learn about how school’s commitment to paraeducator development transformed student learning environments, and sustained increased employee retention, and efficacy within their role.
We are sure you have heard about the Award for Teaching Excellence, but have YOU ever considered submitting an application? We know it can feel weird to nominate yourself and the application can be overwhelming. Come learn about the different components of the application process and how you can make each step more manageable. You will leave with the knowledge and confidence that you can and should apply in the next round!
Black Americans are deeply rooted in the community. School counselors must make connections within the community to truly reach Black American students. School counselors underutilize three community entities within the Black American community: the Black Church, salons and barbershops, and Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs). This presentation will give school counselors the information necessary to assist students, bolster student success, and close the achievement, attainment, and opportunity gaps.
Participants will learn about opportunities to allow their passions to be seen through working with the VEA Teaching and Learning Department in developing and/or facilitating content. Regardless of the role you play, (teacher, bus driver, administrator, library/media specialist, paraprofessional, retired, etc.) we are looking for you to help create quality learning opportunities for other members. Even if you have never developed content, we can work with you.
This interactive session will present a nationally known research-based classroom management system that helps teachers save instructional time, strengthens the teacher-student interaction, and improves the school and classroom environment. Participants can expect to learn high-impact classroom design techniques, how to enhance the teacher-student relationship, and influence positive student behavior.
Virginia is a top 10 state in median household income, but ranks 36th in the US in state per pupil funding of K-12 education.
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