KATE Conference and Awesome Giddy Feelings

KATE Conference=Amazing!!!


This past week, I attend the centennial KATE Conference at the Wichita Marriot Hotel.  The breakout sessions, keynote speakers, and networking opportunities were, to the say the least, incredible opportunities to learn, not just as a student, but as a future English teacher.  (And there were free cookies).  I felt completely connected to everyone there, in a We're-All-Working-Toward-The-Same-Goals-So-It's-Not-Awkward-If-You-Sit-Really-Close-To-Me-During-A-Session type of way.  I will now share some of the highlights from the KATE experience:

1. The first breakout session I attended dealt with "Text Complexity"--that is, the overall logistics educators use to determine the difficulty (or relative ease) of curriculum-adherent literature.  The speaker, Matt Copeland, stressed the importance of using quantitative, qualitative, and reader task and comprehension to arrive at the proper Text Complexity (TC) level.  What absolutely floored me was this: if we look at only the (quantitative) numerical data to determine appropriate reading levels for novels, we're completely undermining the system as a whole, and this is detrimental to our students.  For example, based solely on quantitative data, To Kill a Mockingbird is appropriate for 4th and 5th graders.  Areyoufreakingkiddingme? No teacher in his or her right mind would dare teach a novel that deals with rape, racism, prejudice, and injustice to a classroom full of impressionable ten year olds. Thus, it is SO critical that we factor in qualitative data as well as reader comprehension levels.  When these facets are considered together, what we get is a trifecta that shows us where each piece of required literature falls on the academic spectrum.  When the trio of information is taken as a whole, To Kill a Mockingbird falls into suggested (or required, depending on the curriculum) reading for 9th and 10th graders.  Ah, much better. By factoring in multiple elements of any given novel's merit, we give our students the best chances to read the most age- and grade-appropriate material.  This was an excellent session: concise, yet everything I learned was relevant to my future experience as an educator.

2.  Free cookies.

3.  Another breakout session I attended delved into the realm of helping students avoid plagiarism.  This session was a bit more low-key than other sessions, and I found myself taking notes that I quickly realized were mostly common sense.  Nonetheless, the speaker did have a few valid tips: 1) Thoroughly teach students how to properly do an annotated bibliography, so they are forced to search for credible information. 2) Teach students how to do a concise and relevant search using Boolean terms--and, or, not--in order to navigate databases well enough to find the most pertinent information for whatever they're searching for.  3) Using academic honesty software--like SafeAssignments--to lessen the likelihood that a student will plagiarize.  4) Trust your teacher instinct; if you sense that something is awry, don't hesitate to investigate.

4.  Free cookies

5.  JAY ASHER!  Oh my goodness--what a speaker!  I would have paid the regular conference admission price just to hear him speak (can I get an AMEN for student discounts?!?!).  He was so engaging and humorous; he never, for one second, lost my attention.  Thirteen Reasons Why was not my book of choice for a young adult novel, but I am definitely going to read it now.  Mr. Asher spoke with such honesty, such passion, such humor, and such...ordinary-Joe-ness, that I couldn't help but be impressed.  And laugh.  And search eBay, Amazon, Marketplace, etc. for the best deal on his book (What? I only spent like....two...um...hours doing that.  I like bargains.).  Because Mr. Asher spoke with such conviction about why and how he wrote this novel, I have every intention on reading it soon and incorporating it into my curriculum.  I sincerely hope you were able to hear him speak.  He was phenomenal.  Let the awesome giddy feelings about literature abound!

6. Lastly, I got tons of free handouts, presentation notes, and a $25 lunch ticket.  That my mom bought for me.  Without me knowing.  And guilted me into redeeming.  Yep.

I consider my first KATE experience a success, and I will be joining KATE so that I can further benefit my career.  I'm already looking forward to next year's conference.  You should too.

Did I mention there were free cookies?!