Beth Hanlon, OWLA Executive Recorder and Editor of The Cardinal
Spanish Teacher, Oberlin High School

Being a member of the OWLA board seems a little daunting, doesn’t it? I thought that too! But then I served on an OWLA committee. And then I was asked to step onto the board. Was there a bit of a learning curve? Most definitely! I can say confidently that the last 13 years I have served on the OWLA board have been extremely rewarding in a number of ways both personally and professionally.

For many of my years on the OWLA board, I was a singleton in my district. I found community among my fellow board members from around the state. I suddenly had people to email and text with about classroom ideas and questions. I was now at board meetings with our world language consultants from the Department of Education and Workforce and privy to things happening in the state firsthand. Being on the board allowed me to begin attending the Central States and ACTFL conferences.

I could go on and on about my personal  benefits as an OWLA board member, but what does that mean for our membership? Because that’s what it’s really about – how is the board serving our members? As a board member, I became a resource for other teachers because I had access to all the latest news and resources. I now had connections so if I could not answer a teacher’s question, I knew someone who could. When I attended workshops and out of state conferences as an OWLA representative, I was asked to share the knowledge with members as a workshop leader, in a conference session or with a Cardinal article. In talking to OWLA members, board members find out what the members need and are interested in so that we can better cater the annual conference and professional development offerings. 

However, after serving as the Executive Recorder and on the presidential track, my current chapter on the OWLA board is drawing to a close. I would not trade these years for what I have gained and how I have been able to serve. If you have ever thought about joining the OWLA board, I encourage you to reach out to the president elect to see what open board positions there are. Please don’t be intimidated by joining the board. There is a learning curve, but the board is full of welcoming, kind people working to make the Ohio world language teaching profession a better place. 

I can not encourage you enough to take the leap to join the OWLA board!