President's Letter

"Who dares to teach must never cease to learn."
John Cotton Dana

Dear Colleagues:

WELCOME to another new year! - Yes, I know that it is fall, not January, but for those of us in education, the beginning of the school year always brings "newness" with it. This is the time of year when we all are in our anticipatory modes. We start the year with resolutions and plans. My hope this year is that we can help support and sustain your resolutions and plans through VCLD.

We are also working hard on our annual spring conference. The three tenets of VCLD, support, strategies and collaboration, will be the framework for our conference. This year, our conference will be one day only, Saturday, March 8, on the VCU campus in Richmond. Our theme this year is "Leave No Teacher Behind". Harvey Perkins will speak on "Work IS NOT a Four Letter Word" and our session topics include mentoring new teachers, IDEA reauthorization, behavior issues, reading and math instruction, collaboration, and cognitive strategies. Check out the registration information on our website at: http://www.vcld.org/pages/conf.htm.

We have several members who attended the Council for Learning Disabilities conference in Denver on October 10-12. Among them was VCLD's Teacher of the Year, Kathy Roseberry, from Dublin Middle School in Pulaski County. Kathy participated in a Master Teacher Showcase, as well as received recognition during the conference.

VCLD recognizes an outstanding Teacher of the Year on an annual basis. This is an excellent opportunity to provide recognition for outstanding persons who are making a real contribution to the field of learning disabilities. If you would like to promote individuals from within your college, university, or school system who deserve to be recognized for excellence in the field of Learning Disabilities, please go to the Teacher of the Year web page for more information.

VCLD awards mini-grants for up to $500 on a semiannual basis. These mini-grants are intended to support innovative, classroom-based programs/interventions designed for students with learning disabilities. Applicants must be full-time teachers in Virginia schools and current members of VCLD. Funds may not be used for staff development, personnel, or hardware. Mini-grant recipients are expected to submit a summary report to VCLD and to disseminate results of their programs/interventions at the VCLD annual conference. If you are interested in applying for a mini-grant, please download an application from the Mini-grant web page.

During this school year, I hope that we can each gain something new, whether that is a new instructional strategy, a new perspective, or a new opportunity to work collaboratively with our peers. Linked to this letter is a response about teaching that was sent to me. I keep it on my desk to read over when I am tempted to think that I will never be able to teach all of what I need to in the time allotted; that I certainly didn't do a very good, a good, maybe even a fair job teaching today; that I don't think my students will ever learn how to…..; or when I think that if I have to do one more piece of paperwork, I'll scream. In his last paragraph, Schmier says "Falling short of the mark is always possible any time I take aim. Yet failing to hit the mark is a guarantee if I never take aim at all." So, acknowledging all the ups and downs of teaching, the stresses, the tensions, the challenges - I invite each of you to join me this year to a renewed commitment to setting our sights and aiming high for a year full of promise.

Maggie Kyger
President, VCLD

 

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