Sharing My Story: Reflecting on the 2015 KATE Conference

The 2015 KATE Conference was jam-packed with fresh ideas and memorable conversations. In all there were seven breakout sessions with six different topics presented during each session. Although all the sessions I attended were excellent and full of valuable information, my favorites were “The T* in LGBT*" and "Professional Proactive: Combating Teaching Like a Champion". Several of my classmates were presenters at the conference this year and their sessions were all amazing as well!

During “The T* in LGBT*: Disrupting Normative Gender Culture through Young Adult Literature”, Dr. Cramer introduced the audience to books which feature transgender characters either as the narrator or a central character. I have noticed a lack of representation for LGBT content in my own placement, so this session was beneficial in helping me get started in planning how I will represent these characters and perspectives in my own classroom.

"Professional Proactive" was a session just for first-year teachers. I was so excited to attend and it did not disappoint! Attendees got to discuss their tips and tricks for classroom management, building relationships with students, and authentic assessment strategies. The best part of this session came when Isabela Nickel – the presenter and first-year teacher herself – shared the best apps and websites she has discovered to help make life in the classroom as efficient and perfect (ha!) as possible. Being surrounded by other pre-service and first-year teachers was so refreshing and comforting because we are all in the same boat in our experiences and being pretty much scared out of our minds.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed attending the KATE Conference and meeting like-minded professionals who were passionate about the same things I love. As one attendee said, we all feel unsure about ourselves when we try something new, which is what I feel like I’m doing every single day. Right now it seems like this feeling won’t ever go away but after attending the KATE Conference I feel validated in my choice to begin a career in the education field. I will definitely be back for next year’s conference and can’t wait to put the ideas I learned at this year’s conference into practice!