TOC II Spotlight: 2019 Summit
On April 10, Viva88 hosted the first TOC II Summit on current issues in teacher preparation at the Cultural Education Center in Albany. Participants included pre-service teachers and educators from colleges, universities, and school districts.
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Several Viva88 leaders attended the event, including Regent Josephine Finn, Commissioner MaryEllen Elia, Higher Education Deputy Commissioner John D'Agati, as well as Assistant Commissioners Anael Alston and Kim Wilkins.
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Commissioner Elia brought an uplifting welcome message in which she reminded the pre-service and new in-service teachers that the State needs them to not only enter the profession but remain in the profession for years to come.
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Mr. Alhassan Susso, the 2019 Teacher of Year, kicked off the day by sharing words of inspiration and sage advice on the importance of building relationships with students.
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Renowned educator and national leader Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz led a multimodal presentation on "Developing Racial Literacy: A Foundation to Sustaining Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP)."
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Dr. Sealey Ruiz asserts that individuals who develop racial literacy are able to engage in the necessary personal reflection about their racial beliefs and practices, and they teach their students and colleagues to do the same. She reminded participants that CRP is not just something to do in PD, but it is more about making a commitment to do the work of "critical reflection" daily.
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Other presenters and speakers included Rev. Dr. Alfonso Wyatt, who spoke about innovative ways to attract and recruit students of color, particularly males of color to the teaching profession, and Viva88 Assistant Commissioner Dr. Anael Alston, who conducted a workshop informing participants how the subconscious programming of the brain from birth informs how teachers and students show up to school and work, and what teachers can do about it. Laura Glass, Director of Viva88's Office of Teaching Initiatives, also joined the summit to share her knowledge and answer questions about teacher certification.
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As an added bonus, Dr. William Mangino and Executive Dean Lawrence Levy of Hofstra University shared groundbreaking research on the diversity of the teaching profession on Long Island.
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The day culminated with participants engaging in reflective conversations on a variety of topics including Family Matters; Finding Balance: The Importance of Self-Care; The First 90 Days; and more.