Dr. Ernest Morrell Speaks at the Convention for the National Council of the Teachers of English
At the National Council for the Teachers of English (NCTE) Convention in Houston, TX, NCTE members Ernest Morrell and Donalyn Miller spoke to more than 600 new attendees at the First Timers' Welcome on Friday, November 16. Dr. Morrell encouraged the participants to "Be relentless. Be courageous. Be involved." Dr. Morrell also spoke with Kylene Beers, Kwame Alexander, and Pam Allyn at the panel "The Transformational Power of the Joy of Reading and Writing" on Saturday, November 17. Here, Dr. Morrell reminded the audience that they have the privilege of "loving people's babies through literacy."
Transcript from 2018 Annual NCTE First Timer’s Breakfast: Being a Member of a Professional Community
Dr. Ernest Morrell
November 16, 2018
Houston, TX
What should it mean to be a member of a professional community? The National Council of Teachers of English offers the invitation to be a member of the 108 year-old community of reflective-practitioners, which entails asking bold questions and giving back. More specifically, becoming an engaged member means joining powerful practitioners who ask themselves the toughest questions. By doing so, we learn all we can from everyone we can about great practices. This includes reading actively, participating in local and national conferences, and participating in social media. We understand that being an active and engaged member of NCTE is not just an investment in professional learning, it is a lifeline in an often perilous world.
Becoming an active member of NCTE means joining a community that gives back. Members of NCTE produce knowledge, we tweet, we present, we write for public consumption, we offer to speak in person or virtually at our alma maters to prospective teachers, we invite the new teacher in our building out for coffee. We also support our professional organization and advocate for kids, for their dignity, and for their families. We don’t allow anyone to put them down or sell them short. That’s what we do.
Why We Need YOU
When I served as president of NCTE we were focused on identifying and cultivating the next generation of leadership in the organization because NCTE and the English teaching profession will only be as strong as its emerging leadership.
Every NCTE President was once a first-time conference attendee. I am also certain that I am looking at future presidents, Executive Committee members, affiliate leaders, and chairs of sections. You have already taken the first step in becoming a member of NCTE and we thank you.
En-JOY-ing the Convention
I have three pieces of advice for how to enjoy the convention:
- Be relentless. Do not watch the convention from a phone or a hotel room. Rest when you need to but maximize your time here at the convention.
- BE courageous. Talk to the “rock star”, reach out to a stranger, make friends, be a friend.
- BE a participant. Get involved where you can.
Thank you for your commitment to loving people’s babies through literacy. Thank you for your commitment to this professional organization.
Read on at the website for the National Council for the Teachers of English.
