September 3, 2010

Teachers, administrators to re-energize at upcoming conference

By Brigid Curtis Ayer

After 30 years as a science teacher, Kim Elpers continues to search for innovative ways to reach her students.

She will have another opportunity to expand her knowledge when Eric Jensen serves as a keynote speaker at Indiana’s Non-Public Education Conference [INPEC] on Oct. 28-29 in Indianapolis. (Related: Want to get more information or register for the conference?)

Jensen will discuss seven discoveries from brain research that could revolutionize education.

“Everything we do involves the brain,” says Jensen of the Jensen Learning Corporation. “That includes instruction, curriculum, environment and food. Every time something does not work at a school or in a classroom, there’s a mismatch or conflict with, one, what we are doing, and two, how the brain really works.”

Such thought-provoking research is one of the reasons that Elpers is looking forward to the conference, which is being organized by the Indiana Non-Public Education Association [INPEA].

“INPEC is very important to me as a teacher,” said Elpers, who teaches kindergarten through fifth grade at SS. Peter and Paul School in Haubstadt, Ind., in the Diocese of Evansville. “It is a celebration of our unique mission as non-public educators. We have the opportunity to network with other teachers in a similar situation and gain professional growth.”

“Unity and Diversity: A Design for Success” is this year’s conference theme. Organizers say the gathering will not disappoint the 3,000 educators that are expected to attend the conference.

“Each year, thousands of non-public school educators head back to classrooms to deliver the best educational opportunities available to meet today’s challenging demands,” said John Elcesser, INPEA executive director. “Part of our role at INPEA is to equip our members to be cutting edge, innovative and technically savvy.”

Debbie Silver, the second keynote speaker, will discuss how teachers can engage students from all backgrounds.

“Children must be given a reasonable chance at success. It’s the job of the teacher to provide an environment for that to happen,” said Silver, who has worked for 40 years in education and holds a doctorate in education.

“In addition to the wonderful keynoters this year, there are many experts from our own schools from around the state who will give presentations in the various sectional break-out sessions,” said Kathy Mears, program chair for the conference and the assistant superintendent of curriculum and learning resources for the archdiocese’s Office of Catholic Education.

The conference will offer 150 educational sessions covering topics such as multiple intelligence and effective instruction, school fundraising and marketing, faith in learning, cultural diversity and emerging technology. There will also be 100 educational exhibitors at the conference.

“ ‘Unity and Diversity,’ the 2010 conference theme, reflects what INPEA is really about,” said Marie Williams, the superintendent of education for the Lafayette Diocese and conference steering committee co-chair.

“One of the things [that] we appreciate about INPEA is our diversity,” Williams said. “The majority of the members are faith-based, but many different faith traditions are represented—from Jewish to Catholic to Lutheran to non-denominational to non-public schools without a faith tradition. While we are different, at the same time we have important things in common.”

Williams said that the most important aspect of the conference is the feeling that she is part of a larger community of educators. Teachers get a chance to grow professionally, share ideas and have an enjoyable time, she noted.

Officials from the Indiana Department of Education will present a workshop on how to comply with new state initiatives for administrators, how to meet state requirements for the new core lesson plans and the Indiana growth model. Department of Education officials will also explain how to use their new Learning Connection, which is the Facebook of education, an electronic, Internet-based learning tool for teachers.

INPEA conferences are important for several reasons, according to Jon Mielke, the superintendent of Lutheran Schools in Indiana and the northernmost part of Kentucky.

“First, they provide a tremendous opportunity for professional development for a large number of teachers,” said Mielke, who has been an educator and administrator for more than 25 years. “Secondly, there is a tremendous opportunity for collegiality and networking. And thirdly, the collective efficacy and capacity for teachers to come together to pick and choose the sectionals that are of interest to them to improve their teaching practice is awesome.”

(Brigid Curtis Ayer is a correspondent for The Criterion.)

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