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Introduction
West Virginia Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (WV TESOL) is comprised of a small, committed group of educators from around the state of West Virginia that has held an annual conference for nearly a quarter of a century. The Executive Board is comprised of individuals from a variety of language, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds. We represent nearly every continent on the globe. WV TESOL strives to promote the latest research, advocacy projects for students and citizens throughout the state, and the best instructional practices for all grade levels from PreK-University. Also, we promote awareness of the educational and social needs of EL individuals through social and state agencies.
Our 2021 Conference
Our 2020 conference was canceled at the very last minute due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Everything was arranged and ready to go for the event but had to be canceled. As we are a small affiliate, it takes the effort of all of us to keep WV TESOL running smoothly. We were hoping to move ahead with an “in-person” conference in 2021, but revised the format and planned to move ahead with the conference in a virtual format this year on April 17, 2021. Our membership renewal and the conference fees are rolled into one payment each year, so we have had to redouble our efforts to do outreach to our members and set the costs for having access to the program. Our hope is that it will be easier for those with limited travel budgets to attend sessions this year since the conference is being held virtually. We believe our theme, “Culture and Identity in the English Language Classroom” provides an opportunity for K-16 educators and community advocates to examine issues of diversity among EL individuals in a variety of settings.
Our conference theme was selected through a consensus of the board members. Ms. Meriel Delong, Adjunct Professor at Fairmont State University and the current WV TESOL Vice-President is the lead conference planner. Proposals for the conference are selected through a peer-review process. They are chosen for their appropriateness and connection to the conference theme. However, Ms. Delong was responsible for securing our Keynote Speaker. This year we are hosting Dr. Amanda Stinemetz, Director of Educational Pathways for International Centers and Students (EPICS) at Fairmont State University. Her presentation: "The Language of Culture: Relationship Building through Transformative Learning."
Our pre-conference and conference programs are scaled back from the original plan and the informal social events Ms. Delong had organized were eliminated. Our presenters have been organized into breakout sessions according to topics and availability in the program.
Advocacy
In addition to our conference, WV TESOL is working closely with West Virginia’s higher education institutions and the WV Higher Education Policy Commission to propose and codify in law (or otherwise through a Legislative Resolution) the recruitment and retention of postsecondary international students. The opportunities this venture will bring our state are multifold, especially in bolstering West Virginia’s (and our domestic students’) global economic competitiveness, promoting the state as a global postsecondary destination, and encouraging our graduating international students to remain and invest in the state of West Virginia.
WV TESOL is active on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WVTESOL
Here is a post regarding our 2019 conference:
You can also find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WVTESOL
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