VFLA Convention 2008: Adventures in Advocacy
Friday, October 24, 2008
Middlebury Union High School
Middlebury, Vermont
Learning and teaching language has never been more important than it is now in the 21st century. With the globalization of the economy, and the rich diversity of the United States itself, speaking a second language may soon be a prerequisite for many jobs.
However you look at it, the study of any world language provides countless academic challenges and opportunities for personal growth. By developing an interest in other cultures, students become less egocentric, and finally capable of truly “thinking outside their cultural box” enabling them to understand other cultures on their own terms.
Yet school boards in VT continue cutting language programs despite the obvious need for citizens who speak other languages and understand other cultures. Having limited funds, and not seeing its relevance, canceling languages seems like an easy solution. The effects will be devastating if we allow this to continue!
This is why it's imperative that we advocate for foreign language instruction in a way that's clear, informative, and fun! Only in this way can we preserve and continue to instill the personal power that comes from speaking, listening, and reading in another language and understanding another culture!
It is with pleasure that I can confirm Dr. Robert Peckham as one of our Convention speakers this fall. Professor of French in the Department of Modern Foreign Languages at the University of Tennessee at Martin, “Tennessee Bob” is a household name to anyone who teaches French in the United States.
I was first introduced to Bob via his web site, Tennessee Bob’s Famous French Links, http://www.utm.edu/departments/french/french.html. Ten thousand links, beautifully organized. It made my life as a new French teacher so much easier. (If you ever Google TBob, you’ll find millions of hits because French departments the world over link his Famous French Links to their own site!)
Bob also directs other web-based resources, the Andy Holt Virtual Library, http://www.utm.edu/vlibrary/vlhome.shtml, focused on the humanities and the fine arts; and Globe-Gate, A Culture and Language SuperSite, http://www.utm.edu/staff/globeg/globe.shtml, for UTM.
But Bob is more than a technophile and information packrat. He is also the Vice-President of the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF) and chairs the AATF Commission on Advocacy. In those capacities, he has worked tirelessly to provide French teachers and advocates of French with the tools to keep our programs alive. You will see an example of his research on our web page, http://www.vfla.org/links.htm, entitled AATF French Advocacy Fact Pack For Vermont. He has written similar documents for just about every other state in the Union. He writes regular updates on advocacy strategies in the AATF National Bulletin and presents annually at the AATF and other national conventions.
Bob is sought after as a speaker on the topic of advocacy. We are lucky to have him coming to our Convention this year. Regardless of the language(s) you teach and promote, I promise that his topic will be relevant and inspiring for you. He says, “I think that now, with the experience I have in so many different environments, and with the many alliances of people and resources I have had to make, it is time for me to see what I can bring to [VFLA].”
By the way, Bob has Vermont connections. He received his Master of Arts in French at Middlebury College. His son attended Middlebury as well. He is looking forward to visiting his old stomping grounds.
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