Bethalto Educators Present at Madison County Institute

Educators from across Madison County gathered at the biannual Madison County Institute on Friday, October 11th. Educators brought their innovative ideas and best practices to share with colleagues and participated in engaging peer-led workshops focused on enhancing classroom instruction, programs, and support provided to staff and students in districts.

Madison County educators were divided amongst four different locations, Alton High School, Collinsville High School, Granite City High School, and Triad High School, based on their grade level or the support services they provided. Unlike traditional conferences, the Institute allowed educators to propose and lead sessions based on their expertise and interests, fostering a collaborative environment.

Each location kicked off and ended with an outside speaker covering topics related to transforming school culture, action leadership, being effective and loving your job, and achieving your goals. In between the speakers, educators were able to select 2 other peer led sessions to attend that were interesting or impactful to their current assignment. These sessions allowed participants to engage in lively discussions, share resources and collaborate on solutions to common issues. The informal, but relatable, nature of the sessions allowed for spontaneous conversations and networking, fostering a sense of community among Madison County educators.

The Bethalto School District was excited to have 11 of their educators stepping up to share their innovative ideas and best practices. Mrs. Stacey Hoffmann presented to 3rd-5th grade educators on “Building a Special Education Buddy Program.” This is a program she has passionately developed over the last seven years at Parkside Primary and currently includes 176 buddies in her program.

6th - 8th grade educators and support service personnel gathered at Collinsville HS where Mrs. Sarah Anderson, Mrs. Laura Gipson, and Mr. Josh Humes presented on “Eagle Academy,” a program they have been implementing at Trimpe Middle School for two years which offers an alternative structure for students in one or multiple areas to help support not only their academic, but also their social emotional needs.

Dr. Katie Sears, Mrs. Lizzie Welz, and Mrs. Julie Baker also led a roundtable discussion on “Restorative Approaches to Discipline.” The conversation revolved around the need to hold students accountable for their actions, but then how to utilize those moments as teachable moments and help students to better handle themselves in future situations. Many of the conversations were rooted in the ideas from Kelvin Oliver in which he states, “You can’t punish a behavior out of a student.”

Alton High School hosted high school teachers for the day and saw four more of Bethalto’s educators share their expertise and ideas. Mrs. Angie Neilson led others on “How to Build an Education Pathway” which is a series of courses to help students prepare for their future careers. Civic Memorial High School currently offers two pathways in education and medical occupations, respectively.

Ms. Baylee Ridings shared her personal journey of how her disability was not recognized and accommodated until her sophomore year of high school. This personal school experience impacted her to ensure “Access for the Classroom” to all of her students, not only those with identified disabilities.

Rounding out the Bethalto presentations was Mrs. Rachel Book and Mrs. Camille Soss regarding “All Things MTSS (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support)” where they shared what they do to help support students with academic, behavioral, and social emotional needs at Civic Memorial High School. Their presentation also included the need to collect data to help make decisions with the intervention team on what is working and what areas need additional support.

These professional development opportunities are empowering for educators and enhance student learning. District administrators heard from multiple educators about how presentations they attended left them excited and energized, while other teachers were having impromptu team meetings in the hallways to share an exciting new idea or topic they are wanting to bring back to the Bethalto School District and try. At the August board meeting in Bethalto, Dr. Alyssa Smith, the Director of Teaching and Learning, mentioned that the district is working toward not having “pockets of excellence, but rather an entire district of excellence.” Thanks to the countless educators from across Madison County that stepped up to present at this year’s Institute, those “pockets” are being shared across all Madison County schools.

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