2012 has been a busy year for TexTESOL IV. Mary Endress, TexTESOL IV president and Martin Loa past president represented the TexTESOL IV affiliate at TESOL 2012 in Philadelphia. Mary and Martin are members of the Dallas 2013 TESOL team. Martin is serving as the co-chair of the bag and program distribution team. Mary is chair of the breakfasts with TESOL’s Notable Experts. Both Martin and Mary shadowed their Philadelphia counter parts and are excited about their 2013 TESOL responsibilities in Dallas. While in Philadelphia, Mary chaired the Council of Presidents luncheon for TexTESOL which was held during TESOL. Presidents and past-presidents from each of the TexTESOL affiliates enjoyed a delicious lunch while having a chance to catch up with the other Texas affiliates.

Additionally, the TexTESOL IV board has been actively making final preparations for its annual fall conference which will be held on Oct. 20 at the Hilton Inn Southwest in Houston.

TexTESOL IV is proud to announce the Dr. Deborah Short will be the keynote speaker for the fall conference. The theme for the 2012 conference is Extreme Makeover: Moving Language Learning into the Future. National Geographic is generously sponsoring Dr. Short’s keynote presentation. Registration for the conference and the call for proposals are open and can be found on the TexTESOL IV Web site. Conference attendees will receive a complete hot breakfast and lunch with their conference registration. Extreme Makeover: Moving Language Learning into the Future will be a day in which to feed your body and mind. In addition to Dr. Short’s presentation, there will be breakout sessions led by local Houston area talent for all levels from K-12 to adult education and higher education. Publishers will be eager to share the latest and greatest resources in the field. TexTESOL IV is constantly seeking ways to support educators of English Language Learners and to promote advocacy for English Language Learners.

Mary Endress serves as the 2012 president for TexTESOL IV. She has 30 years of experience in education including experience in LOTE (languages other than English), reading, and ESOL. She currently is the instructional officer for secondary ESOL for the Katy Independent School District in Katy, Texas.