TESOL 2022: Pittsburgh

Last week, I was able to go to my first in-person professional conference since before COVID: the TESOL International Convention 2022 in Pittsburgh. TESOL 2020 in Denver was the first big event that was cancelled for me at the start of the pandemic (replaced by a virtual convention that summer). Last year's TESOL was also virtual, and I gave a short "Electronic Village" presentation (that's a smaller venue within the larger convention with a later submission deadline and much higher acceptance rate). This year, I submitted two proposals to the main in-person convention, and both were accepted! 

It was both really good and a bit strange to be back at an event like this--but I'm very glad I had the opportunity to go. And it was lovely that one of my colleagues from BGSU was also able to go, so we drove together, shared a hotel room, and met up for most of our meals. Here's a bit more about how things went!

At the Conference 

me & Ana by the river near the
convention center on arrival day

at the convention center for the first full day,
in front of the "TESOL" sign

The convention center was right on the Allegheny river and clearly built to take advantage of the views.

a view of one of the big, yellow bridges

looking the other direction, another bridge

another view with multiple yellow bridges

a view across the river--the whole side of the 
convention center hallway is windows like this

me sitting on a cool bench with the
scenic view in the background

In typical in-person years, TESOL had 5000-6000 attendees; this year's hybrid set up had about 2000 in person with another 6000-7000 online (with access to only the virtual sessions and very few of the in person ones). So the overall number of attendees was higher, but it definitely felt different (less crowded) in person. In some ways that was good--I always had plenty of space around me in the halls and sessions to feel comfortable in terms of some social-distancing, but it was also kind of eerie. The expo hall seemed to have about a third of the normal amount of exhibitors, but the two that I specifically wanted to visit were there. 

some of the expo hall booths

an view of the expo hall from above--a hallway 
that passed over through the middle of the expo

My first presentation on Wednesday afternoon was called "Self-Editing Strategies for L2 Writers." I had a reasonable turnout here--about 25 people. One of the nice things about having a colleague with you at the convention is that she might offer to come to your sessions and take pictures! 

me posing for a pic before my presentation

Ana also caught this shot during the presentation

On Friday, I presented during the last timeslot for concurrent sessions, so I figured it could be really slim attendance...and it was. There were 6 participants total, including Ana. On the plus side, it was pretty easy not to be nervous! That presentation was called, "The Science of Teaching and Learning: Applying PD to Curriculum." 

a pic of me before presentation #2

a pic during presentation #2

I also attended a bunch of useful presentations and made some connections. I focused mostly on sessions about vocabulary, since that's the topic I'm exploring during my faculty improvement leave this semester. I've got quite a few notes to follow up on this week to make sure I actually find a way to apply some of the great ideas others shared!

And, of course, the other thing I tried to do was reconnect with people I already know. I have to admit that I wasn't as proactive here as I could have been, but I did run into one professor from grad school in the hallway (incredibly, we recognized each other from 20 feet away with masks on!). I also tried to pop into the presentations of two colleagues from grad school, but one of those times conflicted with something else I ended up doing instead. I made it to the other presentation, but it turned out that her co-presenters were there in person, but her portion was a pre-recorded video, and she herself wasn't there in person. Happily, I was successful in tracking down DR on the last day by attending her presentation. She was my teaching supervisor at the University of Arizona and still teaches first year writing there. I think of her often because her mentorship was such a critical part of my own development as a new teacher. (Plus she's really fun!) I was thrilled that she had some time after her session, and we were able to talk and catch up for quite a while. 

me and DR with the river view in the background

me and DR with better lighting and a TESOL
convention sign in the background

Ana also ran into a former colleague, Svetlana, from several years back when they were in West Virginia, I think. So we ended up spending quite a bit of time with her, too, which was great. She came to both of my sessions (so sweet!) and I was able to go to hers, too. 

Svetlana's presentation (that's me in the foreground;
Ana came in late and sat a few rows behind me :-)

Food

Our hotel had free breakfast, so that was very convenient. I especially liked making fresh waffles, which we had time for 2 out of 3 mornings. (I should also mention that the hotel was a very easy 5 minute walk to the convention center. Plus it had free parking, making it a pretty great deal all around). 

waffles with toppings at the hotel

I always look forward to trying new restaurants at conferences, and we did find a few really tasty meals. 

pad thai

a giant, delicious slice of pizza

Korean veggie bi bim bap

Another highlight I didn't get a picture of was the horchata I splurged on at a taco place we tried for a late lunch. I very rarely order anything other than water, but after explaining what it was to Ana and Svetlana, I couldn't resist...and it was perfect! 

Around Pittsburgh

I didn't plan on much time to go exploring, but we lucked out with a beautiful, sunny spring day on Thursday. So after lunch, Ana, Svetlana, and I took a walk along the river from the convention center toward Point Park (though we didn't quite have enough time to get all the way to the fountain because I had an afternoon conference session I wanted to get back for). Still, we enjoyed views across the river and several colorful murals along the way. 

some kind of barge/boat in the river

a stadium across the river

me in front of some butterflies 
in the mural along the river

another section of the mural--some portraits

Svetlana and me by the river

Svetlana and Ana by the river

the edge of Point Park

Later that afternoon, Ana and I decided to make our way to the Mount Washington overlook, where she had been with her husband on a previous trip. It turned out to be about a 30 minute walk, then a short incline ride up to the viewpoint. We were there at the perfect time of day to get some really lovely photos (Ana's great with her cell phone camera!). Since we stopped for dinner on our way back, we also got to see a bit of the city after dark on our walk back to the hotel. 

a bridge across the Monongahela river

the lower building for the incline

the incline car

Ana in the incline car

looking down the incline track

Ana & me...going up!

me in the incline car

the building at the top of the incline

at the viewpoint--Ana video chatting with her husband

a panoramic of the view

me with a beautiful view of the river and city

me with a different view of the river and city

a closer pic of me (isn't Ana taking great pics?!)

someone came along and offered to take
 this pic of me and Ana together :-)

one last pic of me and such a pretty sky!

looking up at the tracks on the way down

did I mention: we didn't even have
to pay for our ride on the incline!

a view of the incline from a couple blocks away

a really big statue (and apartment complex)

some buildings at night

nighttime river view

color- changing lights on the walkway
 below the convention center

the museum across from our hotel

It felt like the time went by really quickly, but it was a good trip. We drove home on Friday night after the closing reception (free appetizers, which became our dinner :-), and we were back in BG just before 11:30pm. I was exhausted, but it's been nice to have a full weekend--Saturday to catch up on chores and errands, and today to relax. Tomorrow, I'll take another look at all my notes and get back into my FIL work. I have just 4 weeks before Mark and I leave for our big trip to WDW, so I hope that bit of pressure helps me to get some of my top priorities taken care of before we go. 

close up of me by the "TESOL" sign