Over the last few months, I have been living and breathing all things Institute Day.  I have never planned a large event before, and now have a greater appreciation for event planning!  I am so excited and impressed by the awesome educators that we have in Kane County who were willing to volunteer their time to share their knowledge with their colleagues in breakout sessions.

This year the Kane County Institute Day will be held on 3/4/22 8:00 am-3:15 pm at the Q Center in St Charles. Registration is open now and closes 2/9/22.  Now that everything is up and running, I wanted to take some time to recognize the talent we have in our Kane County Districts.  Click here for registration information.

No one in the district is closer to the work in the classroom than the teachers.  Tapping into that knowledge and expertise benefits everyone.  Teacher leaders can see their work in fresh, new ways which helps with job satisfaction. Their fellow teachers get relevant professional learning from a trusted source that they can follow up with throughout the year.  Building and district leaders can build a network of teachers to facilitate a culture of trust and respect.  Finally, students benefit from the amazing expertise that is shared amongst colleagues.

I would encourage teachers of all levels to consider taking on leadership roles within your building or district.  Helping to shape the vision and direction of your department or grade level can be a valuable experience that makes an impact beyond your classroom.  By sharing their expertise at Institute Day, these educators are making positive contributions to all of the schools in Kane County:

 

Kane County Educator Spotlights

Ryan McCann and Mary Jane Tupper are both Teachers at Batavia High School in Batavia Public Schools 101.  Mary Jane teaches Science, and Ryan teaches EL. They are running the sessions “Autism: A Mother & Teacher’s Perspective” and “Benefits of Effective Co-Teaching”.

 

David Brannstrom will run “The 5 W’s of Differentiation for Special Education and English Learners”.  David is an Instructional Coach, with a specialization in Special Education, in Burlington Central 301. 

 

The session “How to Unleash the Writer in all Learners” will be run by Kelsey Diehs, Amanda Sauceda, and Erica Kile.  Kelsey, Amanda, and Erica are Instructional Coaches for CUSD 300.

 

The session “Building a Community of Readers” is being run by Kathryn Dagres, Brenda Engelhardt, Ashley Falkos, and Kim Hollis from Geneva CUSD 304.  Brenda is a Teacher and Ashley is a Reading Specialist at Geneva Middle School North.  Kim is a Literacy Coach/Reading Specialist and Kathryn is a Teacher at Geneva Middle School South. 

 

Don Spencer is running “Sleep Deprivation and It’s Epidemic Impact Upon Students/Teachers” and “Breathing Enhancement to Improve Our Overall Life”.  Don is an English Teacher in St. Charles CUSD 303.

 

Eric Smith is running “Implementing the Teaching Equitable Asian American History (TEAACH) Act:  A Discussion”.  Eric is from the Illinois Math and Science Academy.

 

Mike Doyle and Stacy Reagan will run “The Power Up with Podcasts” and Mike is running “Google Earth: More than Just a Map”.  Stacy is an Instructional Coach and Mike is an Instructional Technology Coach for Burlington Central 301.

 

The session “Communication Circles” will be run by Sarah McEwen, Jocelyn Kotrba, and Linda Lee Saflarski.  Jocelyn is an Assitive Technologist, Linda Lee is a Speech Language Pathologist, and Sarah is a Teacher for Batavia Public Schools 101.

 

Gail Stover and Leah Herold will be running “Google Workspace Wonders” and “Set Yourself Up for Success with Slides”.  Gail and Leah are both Instructional Coaches for Burlington Central 301.

 

Jason Lesatz and Tom Miller will be running “Introduction of Hydroponics in your Classroom”.  Jason and Tom are both teachers at Geneva High School and will be hosting their session at their school in Geneva CUSD 304.

 

Kim Paulus will be running “Remove the Mask” and Removing Labels”.  Kim is an Instructional Coach for Burlington Central 301.

 

Nicole Woodruff and Kathryn Hoving are running the session “Curing the Secondary Literacy Epidemic by Cultivating Reading”.  Nicole is an ELA teacher at Batavia Public Schools 101.  Kathryn is an ELA Teacher/Reading Intervention Teacher at Hampshire High School in Burlington Central 301.

 

Aimee Miller and Kathy McCoy will be running “Engaging Students in the Library-A Sharing Session”.  Aimee is LRC Director for Batavia Public Schools 101 and Kathy is Library Media Specialist for Burlington Central 301.

 

Rachel Priola and Erica Snyder are running “Changing the ‘B’ in Cubes”.  Erica and Kim are both Instructional Coaches at Burlington Central 301.

 

Kristen Miller is running the session “Structured Literacy Elements in Every Elementary Classroom-Syllabication and Beyond”.  Kristen is a Special Education Teacher in Burlington Central 301.

 

Finally, I want to give a huge shout-out to Ming Shelby  from Batavia Public Schools 101 for being the face of our event!

Are you ready for the Kane County Institute Day?  Please tag us @KaneCountyROE if you are planning on attending and tell us what sessions you are most excited about.  See you there!