President's Message
By KOTESOL President, Dr. David E. Shaffer
Spring is in full swing across the nation, bringing with it its typical brightness, warmth, and liveliness. The same can be equally said of Korea TESOL. Chapters have held conferences in the north, the southeast, and the southwest. Chapters everywhere are holding meetings and workshops. And one chapter has been the primary force behind this year’s National Conference. KOTESOL chapters have been very much alive this spring, testimony that KOTESOL is very much alive and well. A rough count reveals that nearly 40 KOTESOL face-to-face “events,” large and small, have taken place already this year!
Chapters – The health of our smaller chapters has been a concern of mine. This concern, coupled with the inviting program, led me to a recent monthly meeting of the Jeonju–North Jeolla Chapter. The presentations were informative; the audience was engaged, and the attendance was quite high – rivalling that of our larger chapters! The chapter, I found, is very effectively reaching out to the larger ELT community. Thank you Aaron Snowberger and your team!
Another chapter reaching out to the ELT community is Busan-Gyeongnam, who held in April its first chapter conference in years. The event at the University of Ulsan was well attended; the presentations were varied and stimulating. I see much growth at the chapter. Thank you Rhea Metituk and your team. And thank you, Daegu-Gyeongbuk Chapter for making a trip to the conference your monthly event.
Special Interest Groups (SIGs) – Numerous SIGs have also been buzzing. The Seoul and Gwangju groups of our Reflective Practice SIG have been meeting regularly, the Social Justice SIG is presenting at conferences, and both are active online, as is the Research SIG and our other SIGs. We encourage you to become active in one or more of our SIGs if you are not already.
National Conference – By the time this issue of TEC comes off the press, the May 12 KOTESOL National Conference will have concluded, and everyone will be calling it a success. I say this because I am aware of all the work that is going into its preparations, and that author and teacher trainer Barbara Hoskins Sakamoto is the plenary speaker. Hats off to Conference Chair Stewart Gray and the entire conference team – many of whom are from the Yongin-Gyeonggi Chapter! We are now open for proposals to organize the 2019 National Conference.
International Conference (IC) – The IC committee is busy laying plans for the October 13–14 IC at Sookmyung Women’s University in Seoul, and they will continue to be busy throughout the summer. Two of our international speakers will be Scott Thornbury and Jill Hadfield. Check the IC webpages for regular updates. The IC team is still looking for volunteers to fill some of the positions on the team the require service only near or at conference time. Consider volunteering your services. Thank you IC Chair Kathleen Kelley and your team for your service!
Volunteer Service – Speaking of “volunteering,” KOTESOL is beginning a volunteer service initiative to facilitate volunteering for tasks large and small for those who wish to contribute to KOTESOL but do not have enough information to do so. This information is now becoming available online via our Membership Committee. Thank you Lindsay Herron and Maria Lisak! I personally have gained a lot by attending KOTESOL events, but I think I have gained even more by volunteering to help out on KOTESOL events and projects.
Pass-It-On Challenge – Do not forget our Pass-It-On Challenge: If you feel that you have benefitted as a member of KOTESOL, pass on the word. The challenge is for every member to bring one new member into the KOTESOL family in 2018. Are you up to the challenge?
KOTESOL is “Teachers Helping Teachers.” Get involved – by attending KOTESOL events, by helping to organize events, by helping a colleague, by introducing a colleague to KOTESOL. Get involved in your own way.
This "President's Message" first appeared in the Summer issue of The English Connection (22-2).
