2026 Spring Conference

Three women laughing and smiling together at a table with a laptop and a water bottle.

Schedule

8:00 AM: Continental Breakfast and Sign-in

8:30 AM: Welcome: Sarah Taylor & Cindy Page

8:40 AM: Opening Session “Breathe, Balance, Refill: A Joyful Reset for Educators” | Nicole Robinson.

10:15 AM: Session 1 (choose session option)

11:45 AM: Lunch

12:45 PM: Session 2 (choose session option)

2:15 PM: Break

2:30 PM: Community Circles | Cindy Page & Carmen Jarvis

3:15 PM: Closing, Survey, and Sign-out

A group of four people sitting around a table in a classroom, engaging in an activity with papers, pens, and small objects, with others working in the background.
A classroom with students sitting at desks using laptops, a teacher assisting a student, and a large screen displaying a presentation on the wall.
People sitting at desks in a classroom or meeting, engaging in conversation, with bags and personal items on the tables.
A classroom scene with a woman teacher standing at the front, smiling and raising her hand, while students in the classroom also raise their hands in response. Some students are using their phones. The classroom has a digital screen, a whiteboard, and classroom posters on the door.
A woman in a white hoodie standing and speaking in front of an audience in a classroom, with four people seated and listening, two women standing behind her, and classroom equipment visible.

10:15 AM Session 1

select one

  • Martin Brandt | SGMH #2406

    Many English teachers never get over the trauma of that first-ever stack of student essays, with its bewildering array of errors. Some of them spend entire careers indignantly marking those same errors over and over, complaining about their students in the break room. But what happens when we understand error not as something to eliminate, but as a given— something that can help us understand where our students are in a long-term process of development? In this workshop, we will discuss different categories of error and ways to respond accordingly, in a way that honors our students’ thinking and promotes their growth as writers.goes here

  • Leanne Linares | SGMH #2405

    Recent UC San Diego research reveals that many students enter college unprepared for college-level mathematics, raising urgent questions about how institutions define readiness and equity. This seminar argues that rigor is not the enemy of equity, but a critical tool for it: high standards, when paired with meaningful support, help students build the skills and confidence needed for long-term success. By examining evidence and practice, participants will explore how maintaining academic rigor can help break generational cycles of underachievement rather than reinforce them.

  • Michele Lamons-Raiford | SGMH #1109

    How do we help students see history as something that lives beyond the textbook? This session invites educators to explore how lived experience, past and present, can deepen understanding and spark curiosity across subject areas. Participants will leave with practical strategies and ready-to-use lesson ideas they can implement right away.

Arrangement of pink and green flowers on a white table, with a vase of pink and green flowers in the background.
Woman sitting at a wooden dining table working on a laptop with a smartphone nearby, a flower arrangement with pink peonies and green hydrangeas in a beige vase on the table, modern minimalistic room with plain white wall.
Person arranging a flower bouquet in a two-toned ceramic vase on a white pedestal.
Person arranging a bouquet of pink peonies, green hydrangeas, and tall grass in a beige ceramic vase on a white pedestal.
A woman in a black dress arranges white and blush orchids in a clay vase on a white pedestal against a plain gray background.

12:45 PM Session 2

select one

  • Kelly McAlister | SGMH #2406

    Do your students struggle with the blank page? Inspired by Laura Van Prooyen’s Text Structures from Poetry, this workshop teaches how to emulate favorite poets and then take them one step further to turn those poems into narrative writing.  It’s a great way to incorporate poetry into the narrative writing curriculum and standards we all have to teach.  Students will create both forms of writing with ease and find joy and pride in the process.

  • Leanne Linares | SGMH #2405

    Recent UC San Diego research reveals that many students enter college unprepared for college-level mathematics, raising urgent questions about how institutions define readiness and equity. This seminar argues that rigor is not the enemy of equity, but a critical tool for it: high standards, when paired with meaningful support, help students build the skills and confidence needed for long-term success. By examining evidence and practice, participants will explore how maintaining academic rigor can help break generational cycles of underachievement rather than reinforce them.

  • Melissa Berry | SGMH #2405

    In this session we will explore how to teach difficult topics in history while maintaining historical accuracy and engaging all students in the current climate of division. We will also discuss how to appropriately address students who seem intent on disruption and spreading false “facts.”

  • Jose Rivas | SGMH #2501

    AI can now facilitate the development of complex coding applications where your imagination is the limit. Learn how to create custom chatbots and vibe code using LLMs to develop unique tools for yourself and students.