January Leadership Message

Dear TED members,

Here we are already two weeks into 2024! Welcome to this year of change and uncertainty. I say uncertainty, because it is an election year, and I see more infighting on a national level every day. Yesterday, I heard Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group, talk about the biggest geopolitical threat to the United States, guess what, IT IS US! According to a report by this geopolitical risk research and consulting firm, the divisiveness between political parties and thus the citizens themselves is one of the biggest problems in the world. The group published a top 10 list of concerns for 2024 and number 1 is “The United States vs. itself”. That is not good. We are higher than the conflicts around the world, the threat of unmonitored AI, and environmental concerns. I do not mean to sound like a doomsdayer, but if that is what is being predicted about 2024 I challenge you to think of how you, TED, and the Education Community can help turn the tide. I mention this because we have seen this within our field, who wants to be a teacher when so many have different and VOCAL opinions of what education should be.

So with that “happy, lighthearted” intro, let me say I have an optimistic view of the year ahead, and I want to share some of that with you!

First, I want to thank all of the outgoing members of the Executive Board—Frank Dykes, Shantel Farnan, and Addie McConomy. We appreciate your time and dedication to TED!

As folks transition off the Board, some transition onto the Board and others change roles. I am excited to welcome Toni Franklin as Member at Large for SIG/Caucus Liaison, Willa van Dijk, and Valentina Contesse are now the Members at Large for Membership and Diversity, Flo Bason is our new Jr. Kaleidoscope Chair and LaRon Scott will remain on the board - but moves into the role of President-Elect. And, of course, Peggy Weis now officially is our Past President! I want to thank those of you who participated in the election, we had one of the largest turnouts for nominations and voting than we have seen in awhile. I look forward to working with all of our Board members.

Second, I want to remind everyone that TED will have a robust presence at CEC in March and our next TED conference will be in Pittsburg, PA November 5-8. Look for the call for proposals in the spring.

Finally, I want to briefly lay out some of my goals for the upcoming year. There are several ideas that guide my thinking for the year. These include our mission and vision which can be found on our website—tedcec.org, (for brevity of this newsletter I would ask you to go here for reference)

First, I will be working with our Board, especially representatives of the committees, SIGs, and caucuses, to come up with CREATIVE and INNOVATIVE ways to talk about the teaching profession. “Think outside of the box” will take on a whole new meaning, in other words, you will get tired of hearing that expression this year! This extends past the board - if you have an idea or some thought about elevating our profession or the teaching profession in general, please reach out to me! ke.cornelius@coe.ufl.edu

Second, I will continue Peggy’s goal of working with the Board and interested members in making connections with other CEC divisions, state subdivisions, policymakers, and other teacher preparation-related organizations who have goals similar to TED’s in order to elevate our members’ work and create beneficial collaborations.

Finally, as with every president before me, we want to grow our membership. I know Willa and Valentina will be on this mission and have some wonderful ideas. We aim to achieve this by providing a professional home for Teacher Educators that is nourishing to them and their professional goals. If you have ideas and want to be part of their committee, reach out to either or both of them.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with suggestions, ideas, concerns, or other topics at any point throughout the year. I value your input and encourage your active participation as we work together to continue to move TED forward in a positive direction. We want to grow our committees this year. Do you have an interest in policy, professional development, or publications/communications please reach out to the Member at Large for those areas and volunteer. You can also complete this form to show your interest. Please know you can reach out to me, or our executive director, Brannan Meyers at TED@executivechildren.org at any time!

I am looking forward to an exciting year for TED!

Sincerely,

Kyena Cornelius

Message to Doctoral Students from your Kaleidoscope Chairs:

TED students, Kaleidoscope is still accepting student proposals for the Kaleidoscope Poster Session at CEC 2024 in San Antonio, Texas. The deadline to submit a proposal has been extended until February 1. This session will take place on Thursday, March 14 from 11:45 – 12:30pm at the annual CEC Conference in San Antonio, Texas. Submit a proposal at: tinyurl.com/ceckaleidoscope

We are also looking for faculty reviewers for the CEC Kaleidoscope Research Symposium. Please complete this google form if you can serve as a reviewer or if you would be able to speak at the Kaleidoscope Roundtables happening right after the symposium on Thursday March 14, 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. Thank you for supporting TED students!

Last, we're asking student members to complete a brief survey so that we can gauge student needs and interests for this upcoming year. You can access the survey here until Monday, January 22nd. We appreciate your feedback!