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2010 President’s Corner
Janice Carr
Welcome to the MAC2 Connection. The MAC2 Board has planned a very engaging conference for our 31st year. In response to your requests, the Opening Session, "Teachers Helping Teachers", will give you the opportunity for sharing with teachers in your content area.
Teachers, tutors and administrators, as well, are all facing challenges this year with the new directions the State has planned for adult education. Retirements of "seasoned" adult education staff is presenting its own unique challenges.
Professional development, this year more than ever, is very essential to school improvement and good teaching. There will be a variety of morning and afternoon sessions from which to choose. Bonnie Goonen and Susan Pittman-Shetler from the Michigan Adult Education Professional Development Project (MAEPD) will be presenting two sessions using their extensive knowledge of reading and writing. Sessions for Math, Distance Learning and ESL will be presented by Kier Ingraham, Gregg Dionne, Steve Pobutsky and Linda Grindhem.
We look forward to seeing you on Friday, December 3, 2010.
2009 President’s Corner
Janice Carr
For thirty years MAC2 has presented relevant and timely material at our conferences that specifically meets the needs of adult and alternative education teachers.
As we all are very aware, unemployment is at record levels in Michigan. Laid-off workers are returning to school to be retrained with skills to fit the needs of jobs of the 21st Century.
According to a recent article in the Detroit Free Press, shocking new statistics were given concerning the illiteracy rate in Michigan. Almost one-third of working-age adults in Michigan lack the reading skills needed for jobs that can support a family. They even lack the skills to fill out an application form to apply for a job.
This is a statewide problem – urban and rural. You as teachers are seeing these laid-off workers entering your programs. Added to this mix is Michigan’s immigrant population, many of whom are functionally illiterate.
Our Keynote speaker, Dr. Jacqueline Tilles, will be giving us strategies to use to teach the necessary reading skills to these students - whether they are in the ESL, GED, HSC, VOC, or Alternative Education programs.
2008 President’s Corner
Janice Carr
In light of the recent downturn in economic conditions, the need for adult education services throughout Michigan remains strong. Education continues to be a key component in providing the academic skills needed to meet the needs of our students. Whether you teach Alternative Education, ESL, ABE, GED or High School Completion, you know that your students seek academic skill enhancement to improve their ability to compete in a growingly competitive labor force. Adult Educators statewide face ever increasing challenges as we develop strategies to meet accountability standards for AYP, Michigan Merit Curriculum, and Education Yes! Students come to us with hope that the skills they learn in the classroom will make a difference in their lives.
We must all utilize a variety of teaching practices, adapt to rapidly changing technology, and serve a population with a myriad of educational barriers. One of the most effective tools in the arsenal of school improvement is professional development.
I encourage every adult educator to attend the 29th annual MAC2 Conference on December 5, 2008 in E. Lansing. This Conference is designed to provide you the opportunity to network, and share best practices in a collaborative effort to meet the needs of our students. I look forward to seeing you there!
2007 President’s Corner
Janice Carr
The MAC2 Officers and Board welcome you to the 28th Annual MAC2 Conference, “Creatively Motivating Change in the Classroom”. This conference, year after year, comprises several hundred years of collective Adult and Alternative Education experience.
In the spirit of change, this year the MAC2 Board has decided to capitalize on your experiences. The 2007 Conference Keynote Speaker is…YOU! The biggest appeal for MAC2 Conferences has been the time for collaboration. Therefore, we will be breaking into groups for Adult Education, Alternative Education, GED and ESL. Each group will have a facilitator to guide the discussions. Come prepared to share your experiences, needs and best practices.
As usual, there will be morning and afternoon sessions, each with a presenter, geared to the needs of each group.
Please join us!
2006 President’s Corner
Carol Udman
The MAC 2 Board welcomes you to another year of the MAC Connection. You know when you receive the MAC Connection in the mail that the annual MAC2 Conference is on the horizon. We have a very exciting conference planned for you this year, with new and inspiring presenters.
The title of the 27th annual Conference is “Connecting the Diverse World through Education”. By diverse we mean the diversity of people, the diversity of learning styles, of learning skills, and abilities that include the whole complexity of the learning disabled.
In addition, the challenges of academic diversity within the ever-changing cultural and psychosocial world must be met in the classroom.
We look forward to your participation in the MAC2 Conference where some of these issues will be addressed by our presenters.
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