Dear Educator:

It’s hard to believe that March 5-6, 2010, will mark our fifth annual Celebration of Teaching & Learning! We’ve learned a lot over these years, and thanks to our Advisory Board and our partners, the Celebration has become one of the country’s premier professional development conferences.

Of course, we’ve also listened to those of you who have attended. We read every post-conference survey, eager to learn what works and most especially where we need to improve. In that way, I suspect we are a lot like each of you: proud of our successes but even more driven by the need to get better and better every year.

One thing that came out clearly in last year’s surveys is how much you care about the creative dimension of your work and how the Celebration contributes to that. Time and again, people commented on Sir Kenneth Robinson’s message about the central role creativity plays in our lives. One superintendent who attended that talk was so moved that she gave a copy of Sir Ken’s new book to every graduating senior in her district! Stories like that, combined with the survey comments, have convinced us to make sure that this year’s speakers and workshops help all of us think even more creatively about teaching and learning.

There was one other thing we heard in the surveys: how much you appreciate the learning from the other educators who attend the conference. Whether it’s getting the chance to meet new colleagues in the workshops, over lunch, at the exhibit booths or in the hallways, the Celebration’s greatest asset is the energy that comes from the 8,500 participants. Last year, all 50 states, D.C., and Canada were represented, and we expect the same in 2010.

On behalf of my colleagues at Thirteen, WLIW21, PBS, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and member stations throughout the country, I thank you for all you do for our nation’s schools and for your interest in the Celebration of Teaching & Learning. I hope you’ll visit this site often and share it with your colleagues as our speaker and session lists grow. Most of all, I hope you’ll be able to join us at the Hilton New York on March 5-6 for Celebration 2010, where knowledge meets inspiration.

Sincerely,

Ronald Thorpe
Vice President and Director of Education
WNET.ORG