ITAIS Newsletter - June 2020 (Plain Text Version)
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LEADERSHIP UPDATES LETTER FROM THE CHAIR Maria Mendoza, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
Hello Everyone, Even though we could not reunite in Denver this year, we were all grateful for the opportunity to get together in our virtual Business Meeting and the virtual social back in April. I was happy to see many of you and want to thank you for being there and for your contributions! I would especially like to thank Mo Burke for serving as the International Teaching Assistants Interest Section (ITAIS) chair in the 2019–2020 cycle and for her support as I navigate my new role as chair. I also want to thank those who are serving in the steering committee this year. I am very pleased to see that the ITAIS is as active in the virtual world as it has always been. We began planning virtual formats back in January, and kicked the project off with virtual posters in February and March. I believe this initiative prepared the way for our transition to a fully online professional community after the conference was cancelled due to the pandemic. A group of colleagues worked together to collect presentations from the ITA Symposium to make them available to all ITAIS members. You can access them on the ITA Professionals Symposium Sharing Board. Another group of colleagues is engaging in planning for the next academic year and discussing their institution’s responses to COVID-19. They are holding periodic meetings to discuss virtual orientations, remote ITA training, online assessment, and other responses to our current situation. Thank you for creating new avenues for professional development and new spaces for continuous discussion. Being part of the ITAIS gives us opportunities to share ideas, network, and build new connections. I am grateful for being part of such a supportive community. I am looking forward to a great year as the TESOL ITAIS chair. It is an honor to serve the ITAIS for the upcoming year. Warm regards, Maria |
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