President's Message
The year 2009 is bound to be an exciting year for ATESL with a growing membership, innovative projects to enhance the field of ESL, and the hosting of the TESL Canada conference in Banff later this year. It is my pleasure to be working with this group of dedicated and gifted professionals and I hope to continue the vision of ATESL on your behalf.
We are very pleased with the great success of the ATESL Conference held in Edmonton last October. The conference saw record attendance (501 registrations) and a host of stimulating presentations and activities. Such a conference could never happen without the many volunteer hours donated by our membership. Thank you to all the volunteers who steered their various committees to success. I would also like to acknowledge and deeply thank the Conference Co-chairs, Liz Karra, and Jacqueline Dumas for their dedication, hard work, and excellence.
The Board recently held its annual planning retreat and I would like to thank the board members who gave their time and thoughtful guidance to this organization. One area of discussion centred around how ATESL can continue to collaborate with government in enhancing service provision to ESL learners and professional support to teachers. Some of the projects already on the table for this year include a review and revision of the Best Practices Guidelines, and an examination of ATESL`s accreditation process. More ideas about ways to provide better support province wide are percolating, so keep watching for developments. Both levels of government are also involved in supporting professional development for our membership through their generous contributions to our conferences. We sincerely appreciate this enthusiastic support and collaborative relationship.
We would like to welcome a new webmaster consultant, Doug Elves, who will support Irene Wood, administrative assistant, in the maintenance and development of the ATESL website. This partnership will also assume the responsibility of distributing the ATESL newsletter. Therefore, the board has taken the decision to discontinue the position of newsletter editor, which has been in the capable hands of Tom Jiry for the many years. On behalf of all the membership I would like to thank Tom for his hard work and dedicated stewardship of this important facet of ATESL. The Board will continue to keep alert to articles of interest and we welcome submission suggestions from our membership.
Plans are now well underway for the TESL Canada 2009 Conference, October 1-3 in Banff. Alberta is co-hosting the event under the competent leadership of the conference co- chairs, Cari- Ann Roberts and Sue Taylor. I encourage you to see the website for the Call for Papers and to consider volunteering to help make this national conference a success.
ATESL steadily continues its advocacy work around issues that affect immigrants and refugees. The Board is currently taking a stand against refugee transportation loans and is committed to finding ways to alleviate the difficulties faced by temporary foreign workers. If you are interested in lending your support to these important issues or would like more information, please contact me at atesl AT shaw.ca.
Go out and continue the fine work you are each doing to help newcomers live full and productive lives in Alberta, and as you do, remember this wise and anonymous advice: `Be realistic; expect miracles`.
Sincerely,
Judy Sillito, ATESL President atesl AT shaw.ca