I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it! (or, What I Learned at the KATE Conference)

Speak Louder. Clearer. Slower. Taylor Mali gave this advice to my poetry students at the KATE Conference. It is sound advice for those budding performers. It is also sound advice for every reflective teacher striving to build rapport in the classroom. Such tidbits of wisdom were abundant at this year’s Kansas Association of Teachers of English Conference. Behind the door of every conference room, at the heart of every breakout session lay the collected wisdom of teachers and education students from across the state. Fueled by ideas, passion and the desire to share knowledge these educators brought all their resources to the table to engage and inspire attendees. They succeeded!

                Inspiring is the word I use to describe Annie Flurry’s session on creating spoken word culture in the classroom. While we talk about teaching our students to be more effective in their writing, more vibrant in their descriptions, and more focused on saying what they mean, Flurry takes that focus and translates it into authentic outlets of expression. What better way to connect students to their writing than to give them an audience and purpose…for the students, by the students. Though my school may not have a large creative writing program, many of Flurry’s suggestions can (and quite frankly should) be incorporated in the everyday ELA classroom. By using pre- and post-viewing focus questions for a variety of spoken word performances (many by students themselves), teachers can start discussions on writing elements like allusion, tone, imagery, rhythm and rhyme. The best part of this approach: it is engaging, relatable, moving and even humorous. I can hear my students laughing aloud to some of the poems she showed us. Even better, I honestly believe they will have opinions on

the performances that I can use to sneakily advance my own agenda of stronger writing.

                Many of the sessions I chose to attend centered on utilizing non-print media in the classroom to create deeper, more accessible connections to ELA concepts. Lori Stratton’s workshop, “Musical Links to Critical Thinking,” addressed many of the same writing elements as Flurry’s session, but with a focus on song lyrics and music. Stratton’s attention to theme and allusion were especially useful to me as I find teaching students to tease out themes very difficult. I particularly enjoyed Stratton’s technique of escalating complexity of theme in the music she presents to students. It makes the exercise more like a game and less like, well, and exercise! Though we had little time in the workshop to really explore our thematic ideas, there were many takes on the more complex songs. I can only imagine the argument….er, I mean “lively discussions” my students will have as they try to validate their opinions to their peers in small group discussions. Stratton’s workshop also addressed using music to enhance character analysis by creating “soundtracks” for characters from texts as well as creating soundtracks for entire texts that reflect the change in mood and tone as well as action. I only wish my college English classes offered project options like this. What better way to bring a part of myself into a text than to use the music I listen to as means of explaining my perspective of a text!

                I could seriously write a play-by-play of my entire conference experience (rife with superlatives and exclamation points), but I doubt anyone really want to hear about my Taylor Mali fan-girl moments (like, OMG, he signed my book!) or the tense moments of trying to be lady-like in a dress while crossing a hot-chocolate river on marshmallow plates (actually a fantastic team-building game!). It will suffice to say that KATE fulfilled their mission to offer a chance for teachers  to “Rethink, Reconnect, and Renew” their passion and techniques for teaching. I want to conclude by thanking KATE for the opportunity, the presenters for their eagerness to share everything they have to help better our students’ educational experiences, and…well, Taylor Mali for making me feel like a teenager at a Beatles concert!!

Absolute Aswesomeness!!

Here’s to more KATE Conferences and a Happy Voting Tuesday (and an end to campaign ads),

Sincerely Yours,

Ms. Iseminger

P.S. I also want to thank my English Ed colleagues and Dr. Mason for making this conference a shared experience that I will not forget.