BEA 2015

So, this blog was, I think, a great idea when I started it. Then it became hard to keep up with, and I let it slide. Now, I shall try to pick it up again. I will note that I don't do this necessarily to attract users, so comments are moderated--but if you find this and really want to engage in a conversation, feel free to make a comment and I'll try to check for and clear it to be posted. This is for BEA 2015. I've been attending BEA for many years and now serve as the District 5 rep on the Board of Directors. Kicking off the day yesterday was an all-afternoon Board business meeting. Now, Sunday morning I started with the Production Aesthetics and Criticism Division business meeting and am now at a session about Mentoring Students. My former colleague, and mentor, at Sam Houston State University, Maria Williams-Hawkins, Ball State, spoke first and talked about a variety of issues in rcognizing students' needs and offered suggestions regarding race, ethnicity, gender and even life events. She suggested starting to mentor early...include K-12 students in university activities. She ended with: "When the mentor is ready, the mentee will appear." Candace Walton, Bellevue, talked about retaining students through mentoring. She noted the challenge of students who just don't want to turn in their work on time.