Samir Omara, Shebin El-Kom IDGL School, Monofia, Egypt

In 1966, the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages or TESOL International Association was founded in the United States of America. It is a professional learning community that has more than 13.000 English language professionals representing more than 155 countries and more than 110 worldwide affiliates. There have been different local, national and international teacher associations that help establish and continue professional learning communities for language teachers and educators everywhere. Wenger (2017) thinks that professional learning communities help create, share, organize, revise and pass knowledge. DuFour (2004) thinks that professional learning communities help teachers focus on student learning as teachers “work together to analyze and improve their classroom practice”. Local, national and international conventions help language teachers, educators and leaders meet, share, reflect on and develop their language teaching and teacher collaboration. The TESOL International Association helps continue teacher professional development in different ways. It provides language teachers with memberships, resources, courses, networks, communities, platforms, webinars, events, awards, grants, scholarships and conventions that help them meet, learn, communicate, collaborate and develop. The TESOL International Conventions & English Language Expos help continue teacher professional development in different ways, too. They help Language teachers, educators, experts, researchers, professors, leaders, publishers and affiliates meet, network, collaborate, share common interests and update their theory and practice.

Since 2018, I have been a member of the TESOL International Association; there were different experiences and reflections. I attended and presented at TESOL 2018 International Convention & English Language Expo, Chicago – Illinois. As a member of the NileTESOL Board of Directors, I and a NileTESOL Board of Directors mate delivered a NileTESOL Booth one-hour session at the English Language Expo Fair. As a RELO Cairo mentor, I and the NileTESOL Board of Directors mate delivered a poster session co-presentation “A Mentoring Story of Success” at the U.S. Department of State’s English Language Programs Impact Session. I reviewed proposals for the virtual TESOL 2021 International Convention & English Language Expo. I attended and presented at the TESOL 2021 International Convention & English Language Expo. I reviewed proposals for the virtual TESOL 2022 International Convention & English Language Expo. I attended and presented at hybrid TESOL 2022 International Convention & English Language Expo virtually. I reviewed proposals for the virtual TESOL 2023 International Convention & English Language Expo. I received TESOL International Association's Leadership Mentoring Program Award 2022. I attended and presented at hybrid TESOL 2023 International Convention & English Language Expo virtually.

I think that the TESOL International Conventions & English Language Expos have helped me learn, share and develop both personally and professionally. The in-person TESOL International Convention & English Language Expo helped me develop my language teaching, teacher training, cultural understanding and communications. It helped me develop and continue my English language teaching and teacher training in Egypt. It helped me develop and continue English language teaching community service in Egypt and beyond. Back in Egypt, I presented at some local events such as the Sadat City NileTESOL Professional Development event, some national events such as RELO Cairo Education Hub and international conferences such as BETT Show London, IPAWL, ILACE and ASES Education Fast Forward Online Debate. I presented different sessions such as classroom assessments, inquiry pedagogy, constructive feedback, mentoring and professional learning communities. I wrote articles for some national, regional and international teacher associations' publications such as NileTESOL, Hawaii TESOL, Texas ELT, New York State TESOL, APPI, ELTA Serbia, TESL Ontario, Argentina TESOL, Africa ELTA and TESOL newsletters. I wrote articles about different topics such as student motivation, content and language integrated learning, online courses, teacher reflection, teacher leadership and teacher associations.

The TESOL conventions have helped me learn different things; they have helped me develop my community service and language education leadership. They helped me develop my understanding of how the TESOL International Association works. They developed my understanding of how TESOL affiliates continue teacher development and community service in different contexts. I had some different leading voluntary roles for NileTESOL; a non-profit teacher association for English language teachers in Egypt. I served as the NileTESOL International Relations Committee Chair, Special Interest Groups Committee Chair, Membership Committee Chair, NileTESOL President-Elect, President and Past-President. I learned that dedication, communication and collaboration help develop teacher development and community service. It is necessary for language teachers and teacher associations to adapt to different contexts to meet changing needs and challenging situations such as the corona-virus pandemic.

The TESOL communications have helped develop friendship and partnership. I met language teachers, educators and leaders from all over the world both in-person and virtually. NileTESOL signed off and acted upon memoranda of understanding with TESOL Libya, TESOL Kuwait, Mexico TESOL, TESOL Spain, Argentina TESOL, IATEFL Poland and Cyprus TEA. They shared teacher development resources, opportunities, events and conferences. The TESOL proposals reviewing helped me develop my understanding of convention focus, settings, strands, call for proposals, session types, submission guidelines, proposal writing and reviewing.

It is never too early or late for teachers to start thinking about and preparing for educational leadership roles. It is useful for language education leaders to read, reflect on and act upon leadership theories, approaches, styles and ethics to develop language education leadership theory and practice. There are different theories for leadership to learn from and act upon. It is useful to delegate duties and responsibilities to more education leaders to motivate them and help them practice leadership. Communication, reflection, passion and change agency make good language education leaders. Communication helps leaders and team members share and act upon their common goals. Reflection helps leaders and team members think of what went well and what could be developed. Passion helps develop leaders into lifelong learners who learn and help others learn. Change agency helps leaders and team members collaborate, reflect and make language education change happen.

To conclude, different teacher associations and conventions help provide in-person and virtual opportunities for personal and professional development, reflection, networking and collaboration. They help English language teachers, educators, researchers and leaders meet, discuss, share, reflect on and develop language teaching, learning, teacher training and community service in different contexts where there are similar and different changes, opportunities, challenges and solutions. The TESOL conventions helped me continue my teacher development, teacher training, community service and language education leadership. They helped me go beyond local and national English language teaching and community service contexts.

References

DuFour, Richard. (2004). What is a professional learning community? The Journal of Educational Leadership, 61(8), 1-7.

Wenger, E. (2017). Communities of Practice: Learning as a social system. The Systems Thinker. https://thesystemsthinker.com/communities-of-practice-learning-as-a-social-system/