02 Jan Message from the President – January 2023

 

January FLAVA President’s Message January 2, 2023

Greetings, FLAVA Members!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! I hope you and your family enjoyed a wonderful holiday season filled with peace, love, and hope. It is my sincere hope that each of you took some time over the break to take care of yourself and rest. Our profession is very demanding and exhausting, and we can only be our best selves if we make taking care of ourselves a priority. This year I challenge each of you to focus your energies on the gifts (whether that is teaching, baking, playing a musical instrument, etc) that you bring to those in your lives and the joy that comes with sharing your gifts with others. Each of you brings so many gifts and talents to your students, your friends, and your family. Find joy in sharing your gifts and always remember that you are enough! May 2023 be filled with much joy and happiness for you, your students, your colleagues, your friends, and your families.

2023 promises to be an exciting year for FLAVA and I hope that you will be actively involved in our numerous activities throughout the year. Your FLAVA Executive Board will soon be meeting for our annual January planning meeting and we will share more details of the coming events in the near future. Be sure to always check the FLAVA website, your email, and our FLAVA social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) for the latest FLAVA news and events.

As you start this new year, why not consider taking part in some of our amazing upcoming FLAVA opportunities:

1. Register for our FLAVA Workshop series. The next workshop is Thursday, January 12th from 4:30-5:30pm with Dr. Dali Tan, 2021 FLAVA Teacher of the Year. Learn about the workshops and register here.

2. Consider attending NECTFL 2023 in New York City from March 2-4, 2023. There are several scholarships available. More details are available here.

3. Consider attending SCOLT 2023 in Mobile, Alabama from March 23-25, 2023. There are several scholarships available. More details are available here.

4. Nominate a colleague or a college/university student for one of the many FLAVA Awards. The deadline is May 1, 2023! Nomination information can be found here: https://flavaweb.org/awards/

5. Start thinking about conference proposals! The call for proposals will open soon and we would love to have you present at a FLAVA Conference. Never presented at a conference, no problem! Check out this presentation from FLAVA President, Heidi Trude, and FLAVA Conference Coordinator, Dowler Wheat, to get you started in writing a successful conference proposal.

If there is anything FLAVA can do to support you or your students, please do not hesitate to reach out at any time. As you return back to your classrooms after the holiday break, please remember how important you are to FLAVA and to the young people you encounter on a daily basis. Thank you again for being such amazing and dedicated professionals! I truly appreciate each of you and all that you do for World Languages in VA and beyond!

With much appreciation,

Heidi Trude

President, Foreign Language Association of Virginia