Members Relish Learning, Being Together in Person at Instructional Conference
November 22, 2021
November 22, 2021
There were videos, discussions, meals, lots of learning, and a broad array of topics—but mostly, at this year’s Instruction and Professional Development Conference, there were sighs of relief about being able to meet in person.
“I’ve been craving human interaction,” says Helen Pryor, president of the Education Association of Norfolk. “I’m tired of seeing people in a box—I want out of Zoom world! It’s good to feel part of a team again.”
The annual conference, a two-day event held in Richmond this year, kicked off with a panel discussion featuring Holly Coy and Joan Johnson, assistant superintendents at the Virginia Department of Education, and VEA President James Fedderman. They had a spirited conversation covering everything from teacher recruitment and licensure to burnout and Praxis tests.
Some of the conference highlights that followed that opening event:
Pryor is glad for the networking opportunities at the conference and what they will mean when she returns to Norfolk. “One of the great things about being part of a statewide organization,” she says, “is seeing what’ working in other districts.”
According to the Economic Policy Institute, teachers in Virginia earn 67 cents on the dollar compared to other (non-teacher) college-educated workers. Virginia’s teacher wage penalty is the worst in the nation.
Learn More