A Message from Dave Chapman
Dear Alliance Colleagues and Friends,
As I sit here putting together this letter together, my thoughts keep
turning to how quickly the 2012 IAIE Annual Conference in Hong Kong
is approaching. For as long as I’ve been associated with IAIE, I can
remember how exciting it was to go to the Annual Conference and Meeting
to learn from the ‘experts’, network with my new friends, and to come
away, renewed, re-freshed, and inspired to do more when I returned
home. Being a part of the Alliance has pro-vided me with opportunities
that I never would have dreamed when I first began my career in education
30 years ago! As I look back on the wonderful memories I’ve had in
my chosen pro-fession, the best and the brightest focus on my accomplishments
in the classroom with my stu-dents, leading my school and school district.
Behind it all was my belief in what I do and how I do it…all thanks
to my association with the most influential group anyone in education
could be a part of…IAIE.
If you have not yet done so, I strongly encourage you to consider my personal
invitation to attend this year’s conference in Hong Kong. I realize
all too well the financial impact that it may create, but the benefits
from this experience will be more than worth the time and effort for
you. There is still time to register. One of the highlights I have treasured
over the years of attending the conferences has been the relationships
with our colleagues from Hong Kong. They have been very faithful in
their efforts to embrace IAIE and have regularly attended the conferences
in the US. I would love to see a strong contingent of delegates make
the journey to Hong Kong this year. Please consider this invitation
to attend.
While our membership drive coincides with our conference, this year is a bit
different, as there is no membership renewal with the registration for
the 2012 Conference. Our membership Committee has already begun to make
plans for the 2013 membership drive. We want to make sure that we get
all current members to renew their membership this fall. This is the
“life blood” of the Alliance, and we need your continued support and
membership. You can always utilize the IAIE website to renew your membership.
While you’re at it, invite a friend/colleague to join with you!
I would be remiss not to mention our website and the efforts we are making to
improve our communication with the membership. We have placed a couple
of new links for “visitors”. We now have a “FAQ” link to help with questions
you may have as well as who to contact for more information. Our Communication
Committee is working on adding video links to the website, as well.
Our first link is a YouTube video featuring the Hong Kong 2005 Leadership
Institute. More will be coming in the near future. Finally, you may
have already noticed “Email Blasts” via our IAIE Membership Distribution
List. This is our newest attempt to provide you with relevant information
from the Alliance.
We hope that you continue to support the Alliance and help us grow! Your membership
and active participation in the Alliance are greatly appreciated. I
hope you will accept my personal invitation to join us in Hong Kong
this fall for the 2012 World Conference and Meeting.
As always, the Alliance continues to make a positive difference because of you!
Dave Chapman
IAIE Executive Director
* * * * * * *
One Hundred Days to Hong Kong
Dear IAIE Members,
The World Conference in Hong Kong in three months away, still
time to register. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity promises to be
the most informative, exciting, and enjoyable Conference the Alliance
has ever presented.
Professionally, you will learn the latest approaches to Invitational
Theory and Practice. These include social & emotional learning, dispute resolution, culturally responsive education, and
how to create optimal learning environments. While learning, you will
interact with scholars from countries throughout the world.
Personally, You will experience the real Asia, not look at
it through the window of a tour bus. Over 150 Hong Kong schools have
adopted Invitational Education as their model. These educators will be
at the conference and are looking forward to the pleasure of being your
hosts. Bring your spouse. Hong Kong is also a shoppers' paradise where
you can find everything you fancy at outrageously competitive prices.
Travel expenses are tax-exempt.
Deals on registration, air tickets and hotel reservations
can be found online at www.iaiewc2012.org.hk For inquiries, Email Stephanie
Chan Man-lan, Executive Secretary, at iaie.hk@creativeprisch.edu.hk.
,
"Come, my friends, it's not too late to seek
a newer world."
The Odyssey
The IAIE Membership Committee
Sue Bowen, Ohio
Charles Miller, Tennessee
John Novak, Canada
Kay Phelps, Colorado
Sylvia Floris, New Mexico
Jane Allison, Tennessee
CK Fung, Hong Kong
William Purkey, North Carolina, Chair
Optimism:
Hong Kong or Bust in 2012
A regular column by Allyson Schoenlein
Hong Kong, China. November 14,
2012. The IAIE World Conference opens for another year. Imagine, YOU are
actually there. In fact, you already have
taken a pre-conference trip to mainland China. You’ve seen the latest schools
to join the IAIE network, schools where students speak Mandarin Chinese,
the language spoken by 13% of the world’s 7 billion people. (Only 5% of
the world’s people speak English). These schools, their teachers and their
students
make an indelible impression you will remember the rest of your life.
As the conference opens in Hong Kong, you are swept into a world
of difference where East meets West. Many business signs appear
in both Cantonese and English.
When you need help, it’s easy to find an English speaker. And
you are staying at the YMCA. The name sounded suspect, but it’s
a terrific hotel next to
Victoria Harbor (Google it!) Yours is one of over 350 rooms housing
World Conference guests and many other internationals in Hong
Kong for work and
pleasure. The YMCA’s dining room, cafe, gift shop, lobby and currency
exchange agents identify this as a fine hotel. In the evening,
you step outside to
see the world’s most spectacular sound and light show playing
amidst the tall buildings surrounding Victoria Harbor. (Google
it!)
Feeling hungry mid-afternoon? Hong Kong has the widest range of
cuisines in the world, including Thai, European, Indian, Mexican
and of course, the
immensely popular golden arches of McDonalds. On your first day,
you stopped for a Big Mac, Coke and apple pie at ‘Mak dong lou,’
as it is pronounced
in Cantonese. Now you feel more adventurous. You’re ready to
try the local fare at a tea house or a noodle shop. But you don’t
eat too much when you
are snacking, because dinner will be memorable: Peking duck,
roast
pork, stuffed chicken baked in clay, fresh seafood, steamed dumplings
(dim sum),
century egg, Buddha’s vegetarian delight, wife’s cake or moon
cake. It’s a good thing you brought your appetite with you to
Hong Kong.
The school visits in Hong Kong are different from those on the
mainland, but equally amazing. You see how Invitational Theory
and Practices keep improving
these Hong Kong schools. Teachers, principals, students, buildings
and grounds are full of surprises. The emphasis on ‘green’
projects in the middle of
the city is unexpected. The students demonstrate care and respect
for their school and peers by cleaning their own classrooms
and serving lunch to each
other.
There’s still so much to see before returning home. A tram
ride to The Peak gives a spectacular view as it rises 1200
feet above
the city (Google it!)
For another breathtaking view, The Giant Buddha statue seated
on Lantau Island looks out over a panorama of mountain scenery
(Google
it, too!) And there
must be time to bargain for souveniers at the Ladies Market
or Temple Street. So much to do. So much to learn. So much
to experience.
Traveling to China for professional development seemed to
some back home like you had champagne taste and a beer
budget. But
even when money was tight,
you found creative ways to finance your trip. Selling doughnuts
every morning paid off well and so did that school wide
yard sale. Were the wait and the
work worthwhile? Absolutely. Coming to the IAIE World Conference
in Hong Kong was the opportunity of a lifetime and you
made it happen.
Can you dream it? Don’t just Google it. Get your passport
ready and GO.
__________________________________________________________________________
Hotel YMCA is ideally located, reasonably priced and comfortably designed
Opulent views of Victoria Harbor for the city’s light show exist near
the hotel
Nanjing preconference opportunity provides visits to schools on mainland
China
Gastronomic paradise offers everything from noodle shops to world class
restaurants
Knowledge of Invitational Theory and Practice shared by international
experts
Once in a life-time cultural experiences exist where East meetsWest
Night tours explore Hong Kong by boat, by tram, by bus or on foot
Global friendships to last a lifetime link inviting people who meet through
IAIE
Optimism is practiced by those determined to overcome travel barriers
Registration for the World Conference is easy online and remarkably priced
Bargaining for souvenirs challenges tourists at the Ladies Market and
Temple Street
Unusual sights beckon like the Giant Buddha statue or the city view at
The Peak
School visits share strategies used by recipients of Inviting School
Awards
Tickets to fly from US to Hong Kong are available at low prices on Cathay
Pacific
__________________________________________________________________________
Buyer’s Remorse. You’ve felt it. Somewhere, sometime, you’ve seen that perfect
SOMETHING. You wanted to make it yours in the worst way. It called
your name, but you resisted, believing you could go back and get it
later. But when the oppor-tunity passed, that special something was
lost forever.
I learned about Buyer’s
Remorse at an early age. I can still conjure up the vision of a perfect
jacket that I didn’t buy over 40 years
ago. It was crafted from a floral tapes-try fabric, and it fit
like it had
been tailored for me. A rainbow of soft colors made it versatile
and appealing. But the price tag also made it a major purchase.
Buying
that jacket would have meant scrimping in other areas of my budget.
I went home to think about it. By the time I convinced myself that
the jacket was worth the invest-ment, it had been sold to some other
lucky girl. Forty years later, I still recall my deep disappointment.
Beware. Buyer’s Remorse may be creeping up on some of us right now.
We can’t let it grab our dreams. Resist it, friends!
As members of IAIE, we want to attend the 2012 World Conference
in Hong Kong, China. We’ve talked about it all year. We know
this conference
offers a golden op-portunity for professional development on
a world stage. The panorama of Hong Kong’s vibrant culture looms
as the backdrop
for our adventure. Preconference and post conference travel options
beckon us to mainland China and to Thailand.
This time next year, we don’t want to regret what could have
been. Act now. Register for the IAIE World Conference today.
Reserve
a plane ticket. Book a hotel room at the YMCA.
Finally, repeat after me: “Hong Kong or Bust! Hong Kong or
Bust! HONG KONG OR BUST!” We’ll meet amazing people and make
lasting
memories. No Buyer’s
Remorse allowed. I’m looking forward
to seeing you there!