Thanks for coming Along at ISTE!

Wow, what an amazing time at ISTELive22! Thanks to everyone who joined us virtually, in-person, or followed Along on our social channels. In case you missed it, here’s a round-up of our favorite highlights:

On Monday, June 27, Susan Menkel, Along Content Lead, and Wallace Grace, Director of Innovation at Black Teacher Collaborative, hosted a fireside chat about how teacher-student relationships created more motivation and engagement from the student as well as helped teacher’s well-being as well as Black Teacher Collaborative’s collaboration with Along.

On Tuesday, June 28, Jared B. Fries, Along Partnerships and Insights Lead, and Nicole Horne-Sherman, Leadership Teacher at Thompson Intermediate School in Pasadena, Texas, spoke about the small things teachers can do to get to know their students. Horne-Sherman shared, ““I meet them [students] where they are. I meet them at the door. I greet them with a smile.”

On Wednesday, June 29, Jared Chandler, Along School and District Partnerships Lead, and Tanis Griffin, Principal at Thompson Intermediate School, hosted a fireside chat. They spoke about how connections fostered well-being with students, increased their engagement in the classroom, and how those in district roles can support teachers in developing connections with students. “It’s not always natural or easy to build relationships,” said Griffin. “When you go to school to become a teacher, that’s not always part of it.”

Along also hosted a panel on June 29 entitled “Where Connection Starts with a Simple Question.” (The video is viewable by those who attended ISTELive22 with full conference credentials.)  Along’s Susan Menkel shared the stage with our fireside chat participants Wallace Grace, Nicole Horne-Sherman, and Tanis Griffin and discussed how educators can close the connection gap between educators and students by starting with simple, yet powerful, reflection questions. 

Audience members were invited to participate in the panel by answering a reflection question from Along— What traditions matter to you? Why are they important to you? — and discussing their answers with others seated around them. Panelists also discussed the small actions they take to get to know their students, why belongingness is a critical aspect of relationship building for students of color, and how they prioritize building relationships when there are very real time constraints to deal with each day.

We enjoyed meeting so many educators and school leaders at ISTE, and sharing the power of Along, which was purpose built to spark authentic connections between teachers and students. To find out more, please visit Along.org to explore the Teacher-Student Connection Builder today!