Better Together: California Teachers Summit Energizes Educators
For the third year in a row, CSULB hosted Better Together: California Teachers Summit with the theme “Now More Than Ever” on Friday, July 28th. More than 400 local educators, administrators, and pre-service teachers attended the summit. Unique to Better Together is its combination of TED-style EdTalk speakers and teacher breakout sessions (known as “Edcamps”) that are led by teachers, for teachers. Other highlights of this year’s program included statewide keynote speaker Dr. Jill Biden and a College of Education Alumni & Friends Reception.
At CSULB, two dynamic EdTalk speakers were selected to present at Better Together based upon their teaching expertise and disciplines. Vanessa Cerrahoglu taught high school mathematics in Los Angeles and Orange counties before joining Orange County Department of Education as a math coordinator. She now supports teachers, school districts, administrators, and varied stakeholders, grades K-12, to foster a love for learning mathematics. Cheri Alexander is a special education teacher for students with autism in Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD), where she co-piloted the first evidence-based program for students with autism. After earning her teacher credential and master’s degree in Special Education at CSULB, Cheri served as a master teacher for student teachers in the Preliminary Education Specialist program at CSULB.
Better Together at CSULB concluded with the first College of Education Alumni & Friends Reception hosted by the College and CSULB Alumni Association. Guests were welcomed by Dean Shireen Pavri and Dr. Jana Echeverria, chair of the Dean’s Endowment Committee, alongside a live jazz band and refreshments. The reception provided a springboard for greater networking among CED alumni.
Nat Hansuvadha, Associate Professor of Special Education, has coordinated Better Together at CSULB for the past three years. Her goal is for teachers, regardless of the student population they serve or amount of teaching experience, build a sense of community and support during the Summit and leave feeling energized and motivated knowing that the learning and community support continues beyond the Summit.
To build on this momentum, Better Together will be hosting and highlighting online and in-person events, including a #BetterTogetherCA Twitter chat about timely topics on the first Monday of every month. Also, Better Together has launched a private community on Collaboration in Common (CiC), a professional learning and collaboration platform for California educators. The platform will enable educators to share, annotate, and engage in conversation around ideas and resources, and can be organized by subject or topic to narrow the focus of conversation.
