A Note from your 2014 Conference Planner

I know it is hard to say goodbye to summer, but not quite as much when you have the fantastic VATE Fall Conference to look forward to! If you haven’t already heard, we will be back in Williamsburg, Virginia, at the DoubleTree by Hilton from Friday, October 10 – Sunday, October 12. To say that we are looking forward to it would be quite the understatement!

 We are very excited to offer you an excellent line up of speakers, including young adult author Neal Shusterman, Sherry Levitt and Dr. Cynthia Szwajkowski from the Library of Congress’ Teaching with Primary Sources program, and Dr. Joseph Emerson, a local educator and author.

 The registration form has been available on our website all summer, so we hope you’ve had a chance to check it out! You may have noticed that lunch is now included in your registration price, and Neal Shusterman’s presentation is free – that’s right, FREE! We hope these changes make the conference an even more positive experience. We have a really fantastic excursion planned for Friday night – we hope you’ll consider coming out and having a little fun with us in historic Williamsburg! You can register online or by printing your form and sending it in to us. Remember to book your hotel room, too - the DoubleTree has given us an unbeatable rate!

 We have a special evening planned for Saturday when we will wish VATE a very happy 100th birthday! There will be appetizers, drinks, and most importantly, cake! We will also get to hear from VATE and NCTE superstars Pat Kelly and Leila Christenbury. You won’t want to miss it!

 We are looking forward to providing you a fun and content-rich experience. The original proposal deadline has come and gone, but we are happy to continue accepting your proposals through August 31. You can submit online or print a form to mail in. Please consider presenting – your expertise is invaluable!

 We are working very hard to make this our best conference ever. We hope to see you there!

Stay in touch with VATE!

VATE has many ways to stay in touch!

website: www.VATE.org
blog: www.VATEnglish.blogspot.com
email: VAEnglishTeachers@gmail.com
Facebook page: Virginia Association of Teachers of English

Twitter: @VATEnglish Follow @VATEnglish
Pinterest: VATE (Virginia Association of Teachers of English) Follow VATE
Instagram: VATEnglish

Welcome to VATE's blog!

Welcome to VATE's Blog!

Thank you for dropping by VATE's blog! We hope to use this platform to recognize members and English teachers across the state, promote VATE and its events, and pass along news about writers, books, and teaching practices.  Below you find more information about VATE as posted on our website, www.VATE.org.  Other than the website and this blog, you can stay in touch with VATE through email, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook.

About the Virginia Association of Teachers of English

The Virginia Association of Teachers of English Language Arts (VATE), a state affiliate of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), is dedicated to excellence in the teaching of English and language arts. Membership is open to all Virginia English teachers and anyone in the state dedicated to the advancement of the English and language arts curricula. VATE keeps its members on the cutting edge of the teaching profession, offering a clear vision of English education, innovation in instructional methods, and opportunities to connect with others who share the vision that English teachers lay the foundation for our culture.

The Purposes of VATE

• To promote a professional spirit among Virginia teachers of English Language Arts
• To provide a forum for dissemination of information among these teachers
• To provide a medium for the exchange of opinions and information
• To provide an agency to foster cooperation between Virginia teachers of English Language Arts and the National Council of Teachers of English–NCTE.
• To provide varied programs and services to meet the needs of all levels English Language Arts instruction represented in the organization

Anyone interested in the advancement of the English Language Arts curricula is invited to join VATE. The organization is not limited to English teachers or even teachers. The group wants input and involvement from anyone concerned with language arts instruction from preschool to graduate school and public and private instruction.

Benefits of Membership

• VATE keeps an individual on the cutting edge of the teaching profession, offering a clear vision of English education.
• VATE is the state affiliate of the National Council of Teachers of English.
• VATE provides English teachers from around the state and the country with opportunities to meet and share ideas.
• Membership includes the following publications:
  • Virginia English Bulletin – our biannual journal of writings by English/Language Arts professionals from around the state.
  • VATE Voices – our quarterly newsletter featuring information about the group’s current work for the improvement of English/Language Arts curricula in the state and nation.
  • Special Publications — including brochures, maps, booklets, conference information, etc

Download a membership form to join VATE.

Join using our online membership form.