Educators connect and learn at Dear Teacher Conference [Video]

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) – A handful of Maine educators have made their way to Bangor for a two-day conference.

“We’re at the Dear Teacher Conference. It is a professional development conference. It’s a two-day experience for educators. That’s teachers, librarians, principals who are working with children pre-K through grade eight, particularly in Maine’s rural, and really small schools,” said Kelsey Buckley, the director of Communications and Engagement for Island Readers & Writers.

“It’s very hands on, experiential learning focused on writing and art, narrative, humanities, and rural place-based education,” Buckley added. “And all the workshops here today are designed to give tools to teachers that they can implement in any classroom for any age level with an absolute zero budget. So things that feel accessible and relevant to those rural educators.”

Workshops were taught primarily by authors and illustrators of children’s books as well as a few experts.

The conference, put on by Island Readers & Writers, also …