Greetings fellow IBEA members! It is amazing how quickly time passes. The start of another school year is upon us and IBEA is celebrating its 75th Anniversary this year.
The great thing about the start of a new academic year is it is a time of new beginnings and opportunities. We have the chance to improve on what we have done in the past year based on the mistakes we made and the successes we had. As business teachers, change is a part of what we do, and it is always a challenge to take those changes and add them to what we al-ready do.
One change that you will see at this year‘s IBEA Conference is our scholarships have been named for Dora J. Beattie. As a member of IBEA, Ms. Beattie valued our profession and left a portion of her estate to IBEA for the sole purpose of providing scholarships to business education students. The scholarships awarded beginning this fall will be named the Dora J. Beattie IBEA Scholarships in her honor. We are truly blessed to have teachers in our organization who value what we do and recognize this through various ways.
As you begin this academic year, please consider taking an active role in a couple of things. First, be sure to get the word out about the importance of business education. With budget cuts all areas of career and technical education are at risk. Help insure that business education continues to be a viable component at your school. Speak to your board members, or better yet, have your students speak to your board members about what they are learning and how their business classes are benefiting them. Also, don‘t hesitate to submit an article to your local paper on what the students are doing. However you do it, letting people know the importance of the business education program at your school is worth the time and effort. Our students need to learn about computers, consumer education, and business concepts to help them be more successful throughout their lives.
The second thing is to continue your professional development. Each year there are changes in business and we need to insure that our students are receiving the most up-to-date information. Plan to attend the IBEA Conference in Effingham November 9-11. First Vice-President Tina Dierkes and her committee have been working hard to provide a meaningful conference to all who attend. No matter what courses you teach or your years of experience, the IBEA Conference will provide you with information you can use in your classroom. In addition, IBEA‘s 75th Anniversary will provide an opportunity for additional activities at the conference. Be sure to read this issue of the REPORTS for additional information.
In addition, please consider getting more involved in your professional organization. The IBEA Board is made up of volunteers like you who value business education. It has taken many volunteers to get IBEA to its 75th year. You can run for a position on the board, volunteer as a session chair at the conference, and/or present at the conference. We need your experience and expertise to continue to develop IBEA.
Thank you for your support as I have served as the IBEA President. I have truly enjoyed the experience and value the relationships I have developed as a member of the IBEA Board.
Have a wonderful school year, and I look forward to seeing you in November at the IBEA Conference!
