Teacher Spotlight

Southern Union Hosts Honoring Our Teachers Celebration

Welcome to the Southern Union!

On September 22 and 23 the Southern Union invited teachers who were in their first three years of teaching to their very first New Teacher Celebration Induction entitled Honoring our Teachers. They had a great program with worships by our Union evangelist, Richie Halversen, presentations by our Department of Education Leadership Team, and a high energy in-service presentation by Ebony Holland, author and presenter of “Superstar Teacher”. Most of all, teachers had time to socialize and bond with colleagues traveling the same journey.

Angela Delagado, grades 1-4 teacher at Ridgetop Adventist Elementary shares:

"I do think the event was meaningful, although it seemed to be geared more towards brand new 1^st year teachers or new to the union. Ebony Holland, the main speaker, was great. Her presentation was honestly the best and most meaningful part for me.

Takeaways -

1. Certification - I appreciated the in-depth explanation of most things about it straight from Luberta.

2. Ebony Holland and Super Teacher Presentation - Reminder to try to incorporate at least one over-the-top lesson into each day.

3. I also appreciated the connections that we could make with other teachers who are newer to the profession. "

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Bradley Russell, grades 5-6 teacher at Highland Elementary shares:

"The trip was excellent and I learned a lot. We went over:

1. The purpose of the Union and how the conferences connect to the GC. Covered the leadership chain and who does what to make our education programs successful.

2. We also went over our teachers credentials and where to go for any updates.

3. Lastly, we learned how to be more creative in our classrooms by bringing out the best version of ourselves. How important it is to stay connected to God and have Him guide us.

The trip was very helpful and inspiring!"

Fabian Reid, Memphis Adventist Academy principal reflects:

"It is widely known that the principalship is a lonely job; nonetheless, attending the Southern Union principals in-service connected me with university personnel from Oakwood and Southern Adventist Universities, exposed me to helpful resources my school may employ in the areas of library services, advertising and marketing, school security, 2Serve, and college credit programs, as well as connected me with principals at similar schools to MAA whom I can bounce ideas off of. I was also meeting many of the Southern Union Education staff in-person for the first time, and we have already set up professional development trainings for my school, to be done throughout the year. In the end, it was well-worth the 12-hour drive round trip to move MAA closer to realizing its vision of being a premier school for Christian Education that prepares students for a saving relationship with Christ and service to humanity."