By Kim Huffman
Todd County High School
Recently I received the South Dakota Leadership Development Award/Grant, which gave me opportunity to attend our national convention in Baltimore. The Leadership Development Award is a wonderful way to promote the professional growth of new teachers by attending the convention.
One of my peers, Deana Brodkorb, nominated me to the SDCTE committee to receive the award or grant. It was incredibly encouraging to have been nominated and recognized by my colleague that I am doing something right since many times as a new teacher I see my mistakes more than my successes.
The award is specifically designed to recognize and encourage new teachers in their career, which it certainly did for me. The specific criteria to nominate a colleague for this award can be obtained through contacting the SDCTE.
There were over 6000 teachers or administrators in attendance at the NCTE Convention in Baltimore. It was amazing to have all of that knowledge and experience at one convention.
It was great to be able to strike up a conversation with a complete stranger and have the immediate connection of being in the same field. Everyone around was quick to share their knowledge or personal experience and to ask the same of you.
There were so many things to do and to see throughout the conference. The evening speakers consisted of authors that had much to say about writing and literature. Stories came alive through them sharing how they got the idea or by them reading one of their pieces aloud.
The sessions varied by the manner in which they were presented and the topic that they covered which put a new spin on literature and writing. And then there was Baltimore.
Being surrounded by rich culture and in the birthplace of amazing writers was too incredible to even begin to describe.
For a small town girl, it was very overwhelming because there was so much to take in. Being a fairly new teacher, it was such a growing time to be able to listen to sessions and my colleagues. From that I was able to get ideas for my bag of tricks that I am still trying to build.
The greatest thing that I learned from the being at the convention with all of my colleagues and the thought that I would like to leave you with is that it is incredibly important to put yourself in the place of your students. We need to try to see things as they see things and struggle with the same things ourselves before we can begin to help them with their struggles.
[Hard copy of English Notes included two photographs and this explanation:] Kim Huffman, above, enjoyed her first time at the National Council of Teachers of English conference, but took time out for a tour of Washington, D. C. It was her first visit to the nation’s capital. She is shown above in front of the Library of Congress with her shopping bag from the Folger Shakespeare Library. At left, Kim and Deana Brodkorb, also from Todd County, sit on the steps of the nation’s Capitol.