American Educational Studies Association (AESA) Conference

I presented at the AESA conference held from October 29- November 2, 2008 in Savannah, GA. The name of my presentations were: "Graduate student experiences in a Majority "Minority" Classroom at a Predominately White University" and "Telling it true: The Rhizomatic Experiences of African American Women". This conference was outstanding in several ways: I felt re-energized by the company of so many passionate educators sharing their work; I learned several new and innovative ways of thinking about teaching and learning; and I heard from several students and faculty their strategies for academic success.

AESA was established in 1968 as an international society for students, teachers, research scholars, and administrators who are interested in the foundations of education. As such, the workshops covered a large amount of area including ethics, the globalization of education, addressing hegemonic systems within institutions of education, activism, and queer theory. I attended several workshops, mostly set up as panels discussions, that really enlightened my worldview as a teacher and provided me with more passion and energy to share with my students.

One of the keynote addresses was done by Gloria Ladson Billings, and she discussed educating students in a post-Brown era. This was one of the most riveting addresses I have been to, as she shared insights on how to creat passion and enthusiasm about social justice and education in an era that sometimes believes that racism is over. I had the opportunity to take a photo and chat with Dr. Ladson Billings and my time spent with her reminds me why I choose higher education as my profession.

I learned a lot from my brief time with the AESA group, and I highly recommed this conference for those interested in social justice. I am looking foward to attending next year's conference in Pittsburgh, PA.