Executive Insights

Conference is coming, are you ready?

Kentucky School Advocate
February 2020

By Kerri Schelling
KSBA Executive Director

February is here and for KSBA that means final preparations for KSBA’s 2020 Annual Conference are in full swing. Staff are careful to make sure that no detail is overlooked and that by the time our members arrive in Louisville, the weekend will run like a well-oiled machine. We spend months making sure you have a great conference experience but there are also things you can do to get the most out of this – and every – professional learning opportunity.

• Approach each event with a well-thought out game plan. Often this begins with thoughtfully reviewing the conference program and identifying which sessions and activities you want to attend. Consider both those that will fulfill your own learning and skill building goals as well as those that will help you meet the needs of your district.  

• If more than one member from your board will be attending, consider discussing and coordinating your session choices in advance. Sometimes it will be beneficial for several of your members, or even the whole board team, to participate in the same workshop. Other times a “divide and conquer” approach will ensure that a wide variety of information can be brought back to the district. 

• Select a backup for every workshop you plan to attend in case your first choice is cancelled or the room has reached capacity.

• Think about what you’d like to get out of each workshop. Walking in with learning objectives and specific questions you want answered will help make sure you leave with information you can use. 

• Take notes! The amount of information that is available during a conference can be overwhelming. Jotting down key points, areas for follow up and great ideas to take back to the district enhances your ability to remember in the days and weeks following the event.

• Take advantage of networking opportunities. Sit with colleagues from other districts and strike up conversations. Set a goal of introducing yourself to at least five new people. All board members face similar challenges and expanding your peer network will help you get ideas, feedback and answers that only those who walk in your shoes can provide. 

Getting the most out of your conference experience doesn’t stop when the last session ends. Make plans with your fellow board members to share what you’ve learned when you return to your district. Whether you use social media, district newsletters, press releases or oral reports in a board meeting, it is important to help your staff and community understand why time and funds are used for training opportunities and why that investment is well spent. 

Sharing highlights, observations and impressions about what you learned shows your commitment to growing as an effective leader. Pursuing ongoing education can also serve as a positive example to every student in your district. 

Well-informed boards make better decisions and can save money, time and effort in the long run. That alone can make professional development valuable. But training also gets you out of your routine and connects you with people who are doing what you do. These conversations can reinvigorate your enthusiasm for why you became a board member in the first place. In “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” author Stephen Covey says: “We must never become too busy sawing to take time to sharpen the saw.” The idea is that sometimes you must take a break from the “work” of your work to sharpen your skills. After all, a dull axe won’t cut a tree nearly as effectively as a sharp one.