Teri Wiechart, President Elect

Planning for the next OFLA conference is well underway.  We have much of the WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE AND WHY ready to go.

WHAT:  Embrace the Changes, Reap the Benefits—Teachers Helping Teachers.   There has been so much new thrown our way in the last couple of years—new standards, OTES, SLO, SGM, proficiency based, communicative classrooms, IPAs, Performance Descriptors, Proficiency guidelines, changing emphasis in the classroom, shifting the place of grammar and vocabulary, Common Core, and on and on and on.  OFLA wants to support your journey through all of this by sharing expertise and knowledge.

WHY:  OFLA wants to support teachers all the way as we cross the bridge to new ways of thinking and practicing our craft.  Start talking to your administrators about the importance of collaboration and the value of working in cooperation with other World Language teachers.  Ask your administrators for the days off as soon as you get back to school in the fall.

NOTE:   To help defray costs there will be many scholarships available for pre-service and new teachers.  Information will be coming your way soon via the Cardinal and the OFLA listserv.

WHEN:  Thursday, April 10, to Saturday April 12, 2014.

WHERE:  Polaris Hilton,  http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/ohio/hilton-columbus-polaris-CMHPOHF/index.html.  The venue is beautiful, lots of windows and natural light, more meeting rooms—some large, some small.   There is a patio with fire pits, a fireplace in the lobby, a nice bar, good restaurant and a spa.   We will be adjacent to the Polaris Mall [http://www.polarisfashionplace.com/].  There are nearly 60 restaurants in the neighborhood—from fast food to fancy dining.  The hotel has a complimentary shuttle to take you there.  For those of you who loved the Hilton at Easton, this is similar and more affordable.  We will have the link for registration soon.  Cost:  $119 per night plus taxes.  Parking is included.

WHO:  We have so many OFLA members willing to share expertise to help teachers along this path to the future, giving presentations for each other.  The proposal form will be available in late summer.  Please, start thinking of what you can do.

OUR SPECIAL GUESTS:

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Laura Terrill   (http://lauraterrill.wikispaces.com/Presentations) will give the keynote address on Friday morning, as well as a workshop.

Laura Terrill holds a BA in French from the University of Missouri and earned her MA in Secondary Administration from Northeast Missouri State University. She taught French at all levels for 21 years before becoming the Coordinator of Foreign Language and English as a Second Language, and then Director of Curriculum, in the Parkway School District in St. Louis, MO. She also taught a second language methods course at Washington University. She has been active professionally at the local, state, regional, and national levels. She completed a four-year term on the Board of Directors of the Central States Conference and then served as Program Chair for the Little Rock conference. In 2002 she was elected as the ACTFL delegate for Central States and served on the Board of Directors for ACTFL for four years. During her term on the board she served as the Program Chair for ACTFL 2006 in Nashville. Laura enjoys presenting and has given several workshops and sessions locally, at Central States and ACTFL. In 2005 she took early retirement to join her husband in Puerto Rico. She currently lives in Indianapolis where she recently taught French at the high school level and has been working as an independent consultant.

BANQUET SPEAKER

John DeMado will give a keynote at the Awards Banquet, scheduled for Friday night dinner as well as a workshop.

Since 1993, Mr. De Mado has directed John De Mado Language Seminars, LLC, a full-service consulting firm dealing exclusively with language acquisition issues. He is co-author of Allez, viens! and Bien dit!, high school, proficiency-based, French programs published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, En avant and En route, a middle school, proficiency-based, French program published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, co-author of ¡Avancemos!, a high school, proficiency-based, Spanish program published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, co-author of ¡Viva el español!, a primary/ elementary school Spanish program published by McGraw-Hill and co-author of Keystone, a middle/ high school ELL program published by Pearson. John has also consulted to the US Department of Defense Schools in Europe. A member of several national, regional and state language organizations, John is best known for his motivational keynotes, provocative conference sessions and insightful professional and staff development workshops. Mr. De Mado has also produced and recorded instructional Spanish and French rap CD/DVDs entitled ¡Festejemos!, ¡Somos campeones! La boutique magique and Une boum cool!, respectively. Each features several original raps and animations designed to reinforce specific language functions and related vocabulary.  (www.demado-seminars.com)

WORKSHOP PRESENTER

Carol Gaab will be presenting workshops at the conference.

Carol Gaab has been providing teacher training in TPRS and other CI-based strategies for (inter)national schools and universities since 1996. In addition to organizing the annual international Multi-cultural Language Conference and presenting at the National TPRS Conference, she is also a trainer for the Bureau of Education and Research. Carol has been teaching second language since 1990, including Spanish for all grades / levels and ESL and Spanish for various Major League Baseball clubs. She is currently the director of the San Francisco Giants ESL Program and teaches Spanish and ESL exclusively for the Giants. Carol has authored and published Spanish and ESL curricula and numerous novels and leveled readers for elementary through upper level Spanish. She is president of TPRS Publishing, Inc. and the founder and president of Fluency Matters.(www.tprstorytelling.com)

FINALLY:   Join the OFLA listserv: http://www.ofla-online.org/index.php/ofla-listserv/83-ofla-listserv-instructions.  It is our best way to disseminate information to  many teachers.  And join OFLA: http://ofla.memberlodge.org/Default.aspx?pageId=602455.  It is your dues that support the initiatives and help that we are sharing with you.

I am looking forward to a year of Teachers Helping Teachers.  If you see a need, let me or another OFLA Board member know how OFLA can help.

Teri Wiechart
OFLA President 2013-2014