Milton Alan Turner, President-Elect
French and Spanish Teacher, Saint Ignatius High School

LILL Conference-We Are All Leaders!
40 world languages teachers participated in the Leadership Initiative for Language Learning (LILL) Summer Initiative for Emerging Leaders June 27-29 in Skokie, IL. Over the three days we shared ideas about leadership and worked collaboratively to develop goals for ourselves and our organizations. There are two major takeaways I would like to share.

1. We are all leaders! Leadership is not confined to a title. Identify your spheres of influence (classroom, department, colleagues, school district, state, professional organizations, etc.) and work to effect positive change within those spheres. You have more power than you may think.
2. Reach out to others. Not only is this a good way to learn from others, but also to share your experiences with others! We all have strengths and insights from which others may benefit. Maximize your spheres of influence. Of course, OFLA is a great avenue for networking, learning, sharing, and supporting.

NEH

Each year, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) offers opportunities for educators to study a variety of humanities topics in one- to four-week programs. This July, I was fortunate to participate in the NEH Summer Institute Foreign Exchanges: The U.S. and the Wider World in the Twentieth Century in Boston, MA. Over the course of the three-week institute, we explored new perspectives for the study of U.S. identities and foreign interactions across the twentieth century through a more thorough and nuanced account of American foreign relations, with a particular focus on the regions of Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. We looked at how the ideas of the “foreign” were constructed and consumed by Americans in the twentieth century, and the consequences of those ideas.

This is the fourth NEH summer program I have participated in studying topics such as post-colonial literature, Arabic language and culture, and now U.S. foreign relations. As a teacher of French and Spanish, these programs have broadened my horizons and have allowed me to provide my students richer experiences in the classrooms. In addition, I hope that my dedication to being a lifelong learner serves as an inspiration to my students. I heavily encourage any teacher to consider applying for these programs. The programs are usually announced in the winter with an application deadline on March 1. More information on NEH Summer Programs is available at https://www.neh.gov/divisions/education/summer-programs.

Central States 2019

The 2019 Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages is returning to Ohio. Mark your calendars for March 14-16, 2019 and plan on joining us at the Hilton Downtown Columbus.

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