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As the world is going through a pandemic, TESOL International Association is responding effectively to support its teachers and learners around the world. TESOL has made a very tough but wise decision to cancel the 54th TESOL International Convention in Denver, Colorado, and will be organizing an online event later in the year. It has also created a dedicated COVID-19 mytesol group, where you can find a plethora of information and practical tools to use in class. Our affiliates have responded with many different solutions around the globe, moving events later in the year, providing free online professional development, as well as moving whole conferences online.
At this time, I would like to invite you to the first Affiliate Network Forum that will take place on Monday, April 20, at 10 AM (EST), or Wednesday, April 22, at 3 PM (EST). We will be discussing how the Denver Convention events will be presented online, as well as, see some examples of our affiliates that have successfully shifted their face to face to online events. Join us to express your opinion and discuss affiliate developments! Keep a lookout for an email in your mailbox for the Zoom invitation or email vnovick@tesol.org for more information.
I would also like to share some other news from the ANPC throughout the year. This year the TESOL Board of Directors has approved the ANPC expansion from 8 to 10 members. We had our new members join us on November 1, 2019. Our team grew with Luis PentónHerrera from Maryland TESOL, Jermaine McDougald from TESOL Colombia, Cherrilynn Washington from GATESOL, Linh Phun from Three Rivers TESOL, Valerie Jakar from ETAI (Israel), and Petro Okoth from TELA (Tanzania). Returning members include James Papple from BC TEAL (Canada), Alex Monceaux (TEX TESOL III), Bessie Karras-Lazaris (CATESOL), and myself representing TESOL Greece. Altogether, the ANPC represents 10 affiliates, 5 from the USA, and 5 from around the world. The new members will help support the work of the ANPC to fulfill TESOL’s strategic plan.
At this point I would like to thank Deborah Short, the current TESOL President, who has been very supportive of the work of the Council, she has been the Board Liaison to the ANPC for last year. We sincerely thank her for all her help. Gabriela Kleckova, the current TESOL President-Elect, has already started attending our Council meetings, and we look forward to working with her. Last but not least, we are very much supported by our staff partner, Valerie Novick, who I think is the backbone of the Affiliate Network and the ANPC.
I would like to give you a little overview of the ANPC committees. The ANPC has several committees that work throughout the year to help support the work of the Council.
The Affiliate Network Year-Round Events committee (Luis, Jermaine, Alex, Linh, and Petro) is commissioned to support the Council with events throughout the year (except the Convention). The committee has organized several webinars with distinguished speakers: Dr. Christine Coombe, Dr. Garbiela Kleckova, Dr. Denise Murray, and Dr. Nikki Ashcraft. You can find recordings of the webinars here.
The Affiliate News committee (Alex, Jermaine, and Cherrilynn) are responsible for soliciting articles from affiliates, as well as proofreading, editing, and promoting it within the affiliate network.
The Communications Committee (Bessie, Linh, Petro, and Cherrilynn) are responsible for disseminating the events that the ANPC organizes in all its outlets: MyTESOL Groups, Facebook Groups, and others.
More exciting news for the Affiliate Peer Advisory Program (APAP) Committee (George, Luis, Jim, and Valerie) has been working to continue the success of the launching of the program last year. All ANPC members have been allocated 10 – 12 affiliates to work with, and you should hear soon from them. The APAP program focuses on creating extensive networks between affiliates and providing opportunities for collaborations in a local, regional, or international network. One of the initiatives of the APAP this year is to create a resource library from our affiliate members in different categories, namely: Newsletter and Journals, Governance, Communications, and Social Media, Budget and Finance, Conference, and Event Planning, Advocacy, Marketing, and others. If you have not been contacted yet for the APAP, please contact me at georgekormpas@gmail.com or Valerie Novick vnovick@tesol.org at the TESOL office. We would be happy to direct you to the dedicated ANPC member for your affiliate.
The Convention Committee (George, Bessie, Jim, and Valerie) has worked really hard to provide sessions that come from around the world and encapsulate a wide variety of topics. As the Denver Convention will not take place, please join the Affiliate Network Forum to find more information about the sessions.
I would like to remind you that all affiliates have an important annual requirement for your TESOL Affiliation, which is completing the annual report. For that report, the primary contact for your affiliate should have received it; if not, please get in touch with Valerie Novick vnovick@tesol.org to make certain that she has the most recent leadership information on your affiliate. The deadline for reports is April 30 but has been extended to June 15. Please make certain that you submit your reports, as this is the material that your APAP contact can source information to assist you. Finally, you should also complete the payment for each year at this link.
The ANPC has welcomed two new Affiliates this year, TESOL Saskatchewan and NVTESOL. We are excited to add two more affiliates, and we will be honoring the beginning of their journey in our virtual Affiliate Assembly. We are also celebrating TESOL Affiliates 50-year Affiliations this year. We will be honoring CATESOL, WATESOL, Illinois TESOL/BE, and NYSTESOL in the Affiliate Assembly as well. Please join us to congratulate new and long-lasting partners!
I would like to close by saying that we are all working together to bring the best service to all affiliates and all members. We are here to listen to your needs and make certain that we address them. No matter how small or big your association is, your voice is always important to us. If you have an idea, find a way to communicate it. Through the Affiliate Report, the APAP, via email, in a webinar, an email, a short discussion. See you around the year, and in the Affiliate Network Forum in a few days!
Georgios V. Kormpas
ANPC Chair 2019-2020 |
