President's Message

Welcome!

On behalf of the ITBE executive board, I extend a warm greeting to all of our members!  My
name is Gevik Anbarchian, and I am the incoming ITBE president for the 2012-2013 academic
year, following in the footsteps of my outstanding mentor, Heather Torrie. I have just completed
my thirteenth year of teaching at Niles Township High Schools, District 219 in Skokie. I have split
my time over the years between our two schools, Niles West and Niles North, teaching ELL,
reading and most recently English.

Aside from my teaching duties, I have enjoyed serving on the ITBE board for the past three
years. My first year, I was a member of our Professional Development Committee (PDC), of which
I became the chair my second year. This past year, I served as both Convention Chair and Vice
President as I prepared for my role as president this year. In addition to my duties within Illinois, I
was honored to travel to Washington, DC last summer for TESOL Advocacy Day, and this year I
had the honor to travel to Philadelphia as our affiliate’s official representative to the TESOL
convention. I have learned so much from all of my colleagues in my various experiences these
past three years. It has been both personally and professionally rewarding to meet so many people
from around the country who support our profession in so many ways.

I am so happy that after a decade of teaching I finally ventured outside of my classroom and
became involved in our wider profession. I encourage all of you who are thinking of getting
involved to not wait as long as I did to do so—our profession needs you and you will not regret it!
There is so much work to be done for the students, teachers and administrators we serve:
academic, political and professional. 

On this point, I hope you will make it a personal goal to be involved as much as possible this
coming year in contributing to the growth of our profession through ITBE. First, I hope you will
consider submitting and article to our recently renamed newsletter, ITBE Link, which, thanks to
our steadfast editor, Kelly Cunningham, is now so much more than a newsletter. This is a great
way to earn publishing credit for yourself as well as sharing your perspectives on teaching and
the challenging issues we all face. 

We are also in the process of planning professional development events for the coming year
and would love to have your input and assistance. All ITBE members are welcome to serve on
committees even if they are not board members. If you would like to be involved in the planning of
one of our two annual workshops, we would gladly welcome you on the Professional Development
Committee. And of course we need all the help we can get in organizing our 2013 convention, set
for February 22-23 again at the Wyndham Lisle. Please contact our new Vice-President and 2013
Convention Chair, Dr. Miguel Fernandez, to get involved.

Furthermore, serving as a liaison between you and the board, your Special Interest Group
(SIG) leaders need your help in identifying key topics and issues to be addressed at workshops
and the convention as well as arranging speakers and presenters you would like to hear from.

I would also like to draw special attention to two new committees that surely can use your
help. Our Advocacy Committee, only in its second year, needs vital input to keep up with the many
political decisions affecting our various interests both locally and nationally. Our newly minted
Long-term Planning Committee also needs your help as we look beyond the present and
immediate future for ways that ITBE can serve our state more effectively down the road. 

Contact me at  president@itbe.org for more information about how to get involved. I feel
strongly that there is so much potential for professional development and advocacy as we work
together within ITBE. Please feel free to attend our monthly board meetings. It is not only a great
way for you to keep up with the board’s ongoing programs, but it is also a great place to get your
feet wet if you are considering becoming a board member. Check our website for details on all of
these exciting board activities.    

I hope you are as enthusiastic as I am as we get set for another exciting year ahead with
ITBE! Have a restful summer for our work is never done! 

Gevik Anbarchian
President, Illinois TESOL-BE