President's Message

Dear ITBE Members,

Happy New Year to everyone! I hope you had a safe and enjoyable break. January and February are busy months at ITBE, as we are getting closer to our annual convention. As you already know, this is a very special year for ITBE, as we are planning our 40^th Annual Convention for February 28^th and March 1^st, and we hope you are planning on attending. Our theme, "Milestones in Learning: ITBE Forty Years On," reminds us that we have a strong foundation that will help us continue growing in the future. This is a year to celebrate and to acknowledge all those professionals who have served our students in many capacities.

I would like to take this opportunity to publicly acknowledge the excellent work that Debbie Sternecky (our Convention Chair) and the entire Convention Committee have done to plan and organize this event. They have been working very hard since last August to ensure we have a great convention, and everyone is very excited about it.

ITBE can be proud of its work during 2013 in enhancing its members’ professional contributions to developing English language learners, advocating on behalf of teachers and students in Illinois and ensuring that members are informed of current issues. The Professional Development Committee is already planning the events for 2014, and soon we will have more information about our Spring Workshop, which promises to be a very special event. Please check our website for updates. We will also send out emails with more details, as we get closer to the date.

I would like to invite all of you to contact me at president@itbe.org if you have some suggestions regarding issues that we should focus our energies in 2014. Your input would be most welcome.
I look forward to seeing you at our 40^th Convention in Lisle.

All the best,
Miguel Fernandez, Ph.D.
President, Illinois TESOL-BE


President's Message Back to the Link front page Dear ITBE Members, Happy New Year to everyone! I hope you had a safe and enjoyable break. January and February are busy months at ITBE, as we are getting closer to our annual convention. As you already know, this is a very special year for ITBE, as we are planning our 40^th Annual Convention for February 28^th and March 1^st, and we hope you are planning on attending. Our theme, "Milestones in Learning: ITBE Forty Years On," reminds us that we have a strong foundation that will help us continue growing in the future. This is a year to celebrate and to acknowledge all those professionals who have served our students in many capacities. I would like to take this opportunity to publicly acknowledge the excellent work that Debbie Sternecky (our Convention Chair) and the entire Convention Committee have done to plan and organize this event. They have been working very hard since last August to ensure we have a great convention, and everyone is very excited about it. ITBE can be proud of its work during 2013 in enhancing its members’ professional contributions to developing English language learners, advocating on behalf of teachers and students in Illinois and ensuring that members are informed of current issues. The Professional Development Committee is already planning the events for 2014, and soon we will have more information about our Spring Workshop, which promises to be a very special event. Please check our website for updates. We will also send out emails with more details, as we get closer to the date. I would like to invite all of you to contact me at president@itbe.org if you have some suggestions regarding issues that we should focus our energies in 2014. Your input would be most welcome. I look forward to seeing you at our 40^th Convention in Lisle. All the best, Miguel Fernandez, Ph.D. President, Illinois TESOL-BE
ITBE Link - Winter 2014 - Volume 41 Number 4