Justin Shewell, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA

I have the opportunity to serve as the board of directors liaison for the International Teaching Assistants Interest Section (ITAIS), and I am excited to be able to serve. Before my election to the board of directors, I was heavily involved in the interest sections (ISs) myself, serving as a member of the steering committee for the Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) IS, then chair of the CALL-IS for a 3-year term, including chair-elect, chair, and past chair. I believe the ISs are an integral part of TESOL International Association and essential to the fulfilling of its mission to "[advance] the expertise of professionals who teach English to speakers of other languages in multilingual contexts worldwide."

The ITAIS, especially, plays an important role in the fulfilling of this mission and TESOL's vision to be "the trusted global authority for knowledge and expertise in English language teaching." I see the ITAIS as the experts on all things ITA-related, but I wanted to point out two specific examples where I think the ITAIS has or can contribute greatly to the expertise that TESOL shares with the world.

As some of you may already know, the board recently approved a new Diverse Voices Task Force, which has been examining the issue of diversity and inclusion in the TESOL profession and our own organization. I am sure many of you have experienced, as I have, situations where someone whose first language is something other than English is discriminated against because of their "accent," though they are perfectly able to communicate and teach in English. I believe that ITAs and those who work with them are uniquely placed to bring about greater diversity at our universities and in settings where ITAs work and thrive, by focusing efforts on increasing the acceptance of so-called "nonnative" accents in our places of higher education. By inviting university officials, professors, students, and others to engage in discussions about the hiring and testing standards for ITAs, and by proposing solutions that eliminate discrimination, our ITAIS members can advance the mission of TESOL and increase diversity in our places of learning. If there are ways that the larger TESOL organization can support you in this effort, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

Another area where ITAIS members can both contribute to TESOL's mission and benefit from TESOL experts is through the soon-to-be released 6 Principles® book for EAP and ESP, coming in March 2020. If you have not yet heard of The 6 Principles series released by TESOL, it provides an excellent guide for teachers looking to improve their practice and guide others on the same path. You can find out more about The 6 Principles by downloading a free PDF. The Principles include knowing your learners, creating conditions for learning, designing high-quality lessons, adapting lessons as needed, monitoring and assessing student development, and engaging and collaborating in communities of practice. These principles can be taught to new ITAs to help improve their teaching. Additionally, TESOL is continuing to release 6 Principles materials, and I believe that ITAIS members, being the ITA experts, can contribute to additional resources on The 6 Principles, specifically written for the ITA context. If you have ideas for ways you might contribute, again, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

Finally, I would encourage all ITAIS members to register and attend the Convention in Denver, Colorado, 31 March–3 April 2020. Despite all the online innovations we have today, there is nothing quite like being all together in a single location and sharing ideas that will change the world for ITAs and all TESOL professionals; you can view the convention program online. Just doing a cursory search for “ITA” in the session title comes up with numerous sessions, and I am sure there are many others that will be of great benefit to all those in your professional network.

If you have questions about TESOL International Association and its vision, mission, or strategic plan, please reach out to me directly at jshewell@asu.edu. As your board liaison, I would love to discuss how the ITAIS fits into the mission of TESOL and to set up connections with other communities of practice and other components of the larger TESOL organization. I look forward to working with you.