TESOL 2012 Convention Registration: $265
Airfare from San Francisco to Philadelphia: $510.60
Hotel (shared room) for 3 nights: $198.72
Total: $974.32
I just paid that amount of my own personal money to go to the annual TESOL Convention this year in March. It's the fourth year that I have had to use my own money because of budget cuts (and that number above does not include food while I'm there). Sure, it's not always that much - airfare the year it was held in Denver was much less. And sure, there are awards and scholarships like this one that I was honored to receive last year. But generally speaking, I pay my own way because there is no funding where I work for conferences and travel.
I have gone to this national convention every year for the past eleven years. I have gone to nearly every state convention, and most regional conventions. None of them are free, and I don't get reimbursed for any of them. I go because they make me a better teacher. I learn the latest trends in education, I come back refreshed from being among the vast group of international educators in TESOL, I browse new books and materials. Oh, and I share and present my own workshops as well. Through the years, I've learned the best way to organize book clubs, how to moderate a class blog, how group writing workshops can happen on a wiki, fun ways to incorporate readers theater, and on and on . . . but the question remains when and if schools will also realize the value of spending just under $1,000 per teacher per year for professional development.
Lesson Learned: Professional development conventions are important for teachers, but continuing to pay out of pocket makes it less and less of a possibility. How long till the costs outweigh the benefits?
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