Thursday, November 03, 2011

30th National Conference for Teachers of English Guatemala 2011

30th NATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR TEACHERS OF ENGLISH
Guatemala City
Instituto Guatemalteco Americano

The 30th National Conference for Teachers of English successfully kicked off in Guatemala City on November 2nd under this year's theme THE LANDSCAPE OF ELT which, as Instituto Guatemalteco Americano's CEO Ana Sylvia Ramírez pointed out, NTC has given English language educators over the past 30 years an wide array of learning opportunities for professional growth and the benefit of our students.

The Opening Plenary was given by Dr. Andy Curtis whose presentation title was ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION FOR PEACE AND PROSPERITY as the year 2011 marks not only the 30th National Conference for Teachers of English but also the 10th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York.  Added to that Dr. Curtis' recent visits to the Killing Fields of Cambodia and the Vietnam War Museum led him to develop the notion of ELEP2, which stands for English Language Education for Peach and Prosperity, based on the idea that ELT professionals really can change the world for the better.

As self-committed ELT professional, we should embrace ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION FOR PEACE AND PROSPERITY (ELEP2) and foster a culture of mutual respect and inclusive education from within our classrooms.  The more languages and cultures we know, the more human we are.  Quoting Dr. Curtis', "Namaste, meaning "The Spirit in Me Lies in You."

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