EDUCATION 411 SYMPOSIUM A SUCCESS!

PRINCE WILLIAM EDUCATION ASSOCIATION HOSTS EDUCATION 411 SYMPOSIUM

Riley O'Casey, Bull Run MS, Lily Eskelsen, NEA 
Vice President, and Amanda McCulla, Triangle ES

On Saturday October 1st, while most people were sleeping in or heading out for a fun day with family or friends, a group of 90 educators went to the Edward L. Kelly Leadership Center to attend Prince William Education Association's (PWEA) first ever Education Symposium. The event was coordinated by PWEA's Instructional and Professional Development Committee co-chairs Riley O'Casey and Amanda McCulla. The symposium offered a variety of sessions participants could choose from to attend; workshops like De-stressing, Employee Rights, strategies for teaching students in Special Education and Limited English Proficiency (LEP), and Prince William County School specific programs like Professional Performance Process (PPP) and the new Employee Assistance Program.

The day began with a speech from key note speaker National Education Association Vice President Lily Eskelsen. Riley O'Casey said she wanted Lily Eskelsen to speak because "she can inspire and motivate those who listen to her. Right now, educators across the country are being attacked, new initiatives are bombarding us and even the beginning of the year has been overwhelming. I knew that Lily would inspire and motivate those who attended. She encourages them to keep doing what they do best." David Kinsella, PWEA Vice President, agreed saying he found Ms. Eskelsen very inspiring.

At the end of the day, all the participants walked away with helpful work life tips. Dale Marie Walton, teacher at Bel Air Elementary School, said "The sessions were well planned and good. I liked that we could also network with other educators." Carl Mainwaring, a special education teacher at Woodbridge High School, stated he found the sessions "very relevant to my job. I am captivated by every word." He attended one of the legislative workshops and found he wasn't aware of the issues in the Virginia Legislature and now feels the need to talk with other teachers about the possibility of losing a continuing contract or VRS. Sonia Garcia, who works with Head Start, also enjoyed the workshops. "I've been to classes before on these topics, but I always learn something new each time I attend a class."

PWEA hopes this is the first of many Education 411 Symposiums to come.