TESOL ACADEMY, 2009

Attendance at the 2009 TESOL Academy was 138 participants, which exceeded the 2008 Academy in Chicago!   Sricucha McCabe of TESOL said that roughly 80% of the participants were from the Carolinas; however, some participants came from as far as New England.  The professional development staff at TESOL was very impressed with the support given by our affiliate and the College of Charleston.

Institute presenters Judy Cheatham, Judie Haynes, Socorro Hererra, Judy O’Loughlin, Donna Moss, and Rob Jenkins were polished presenters who reviewed aspects of their material on the first day, then expanded into new strategies, information, and techniques on the second day.  Many of the presenters have done institutes at other Academies; they agreed that Charleston was one of the best, and certainly the hospitality and ambience of our venue was superb.

Sometimes we get a better perspective from “outsiders.”  Deborah Sams, an ESL teacher from Sevierville, TN, sums up the positive experiences that many of us had when she says, “I thought Charleston was a perfect site for the TESOL Academy. The facility and surrounding neighborhood were great…. Since attending the Charleston TESOL Academy and Southeast TESOL when it came to Myrtle Beach, I tip my hat to your affiliate.  Super experiences!”

Our hats are off to everyone who made the 2009 Academy special:  Sriscucha McCabe  of TESOL; Drs. Frances Welch, Angela Cozart, and Meta Van Sickle of the College of Charleston; and Yvonne Mitchell and the Carolina TESOL Executive Board for their enthusiastic support.

Left to right: Judy Haynes, Yvonne Mitchell, Donna Moss, Socorro Herrera, Angela Cozart, Srisucha McCabe, Pat Majors, Judy O'Loughlin

Submitted by Pat Majors, Local Support Committee