SCTA Newsletter

The 2002 Southern Regional Conference was hosted at CSU Northridge on February 23rd, 2002. There were over 60 participants from twelve different Universities and four Community Colleges, which covered a broad geographical region from Oxnard to San Diego. The CSU Northridge local chapter received a framed certificate of acknowledgement for having the most members in attendance with ten participants. In addition, the SCTA Community Outreach Committee held a book drive to benefit a school in need - Beachy Avenue School in Arleta.

The conference opened with the introduction of the SCTA Executive Board and followed by a panel of teachers. The panel was composed of Mary Rose Ortega, Alberto Baldivia, Linda Guthrie, Will Adams John Perez, and Lynne Cook. It included one teacher from elementary, middle school, high school, and higher education and two CTA/NEA leaders. The panelists had the opportunity to share their experiences as teachers and the paths they took to be in the position they hold now. Perhaps most important, panelists described ways in which they have changed the lives of students, what they most value about teaching and provided advice to future teachers. The very interesting stories gave a clear meaning to the conference theme "2 Teach is 2 Change Lives 4 Ever." Their comments were inspiring and engaged participants in lively discussion through the lunch break.

Following lunch, participants selected and attended two of three workshop options. These included: Easy Practical Science Experiments for Elementary and Middle School conducted by Roger Adams, a Port Hueneme teacher; Multicultural Diversity Workshop presented by Rosemarie O'Brien from San Diego Unified School District; and Understanding the Credential Maze conducted by Lynne Cook and Nicholas Novosel, both from CSU Northridge. Participants appreciated the range of topics and reported that they gained valuable information from the sessions.

Mary Ann Pacheco of Rio Hondo College, long time Professor, and Vice Chair of NEA's Hispanic Issues Caucus gave an inspirational speech about becoming a teacher concluding the conference. Participants were very moved and enjoyed her presentation.

The conference evaluations were very positive. SCTA members were able to network, share ideas, and interests with members from different campuses. Participants appreciated the range of topics covered by the workshops and most agreed "there was something for everyone." The success of the Southern Conference was due to the tremendous contribution of the Southern Regional Board, CSU Northridge chapter leadership, dedicated teacher presenters and the support of Gail Watts. Most sincere thanks to everyone!