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From the beginning, SCCTE hoped for a conference with a community spirit. We wanted to give thanks and honor to those who have given their energy and insights to the state of South Carolina. So many state conferences are dominated by big name speakers who come in for the day and share the currents of the cutting edge. We need conferences like those and have developed many of them here in South Carolina. For this one conference, however, we wanted to give leaders in South Carolina a chance to reflect on our state's commitment to language arts education.
Dixie Goswami, a national and international leader in English education, graced our luncheon with a passionate reflection that made our community of five hundred unable to rush forward to the next concurrent session. We wanted to stay put and linger over the message she so freely shared. Our President, Ed Epps, gave Dixie our South Carolina Richard Riley Award for Outstanding Service to English Education. The moment seemed so right, so Justice may have her way on rare occasions. Dixie's keynote speech is our lead article, a gift to our members and readers.
SCCTE tinkered with a few new conference strategies just to see if they might augment a community spirit. For the first time ever, we hosted a book club. Membership was apprised that on Friday evening, we would discuss Beach Music by South Carolina's author, Pat Conroy. Ed Epps, an authority on Conroy's teaching days, led an hour long discussion. With wine and cheese, we envisioned together a text set in Carolina.
Hope Spillane dared to launch an Idea Swap. A big draw at NCTE conventions, she thought it might work here as well—and it did. Several of the swapped ideas are in the back of this issue.
Two budding Carolina authors shared their literacy histories and current challenges. Liz Newall, a former South Carolina high school English teacher, helped us see how she developed a personal and professional niche for writing, while Ron Rash revealed how he, quite early, discovered the magic of words and stories. Both authors' memoirs are in our special edition.
Many teachers from all over the state shared insights in concurrent sessions, sessions which received rave reviews. Perhaps the invitation to publish in this issue fueled us to do our best for our profession and various audiences. Some of these presenters' ideas are included here. Cathy Sepko wonders whose voices and whose treasures are really valued. Do Appalachian students in South Carolina get to share their voices? Trish Davis and her student teacher, Alisha Sullivan, share how they provided successful scaffolding for at-risk writers. Carol Collins and Debra Cox give us an array of possiblities for using improvisational drama. Holly Westcott reminds us to help our writers understand the standards by which they will be evaluated, and Kathy Neal Headley provides a clearer picture of how the South Carolina Framework standards will affect instruction and evaluation. Lillian Hart takes us to the heart of the early childhood program as she shares how Dubose Heyward, the Porgy author, also blessed Carolinians with a children's book, The Country Bunny. Andrew HaLevi, a first year teacher, shares the benefits of collaborative initiatives in an urban high school setting. Doris Ezell, to whom Dixie Goswami alluded in her keynote speech, takes us online to her Breadnet poetry exchange. Our featured speaker, Heidi Mills celebrates the initiatives of South Carolina's new Center for Inquiry.
To all those who made it to heaven last spring, congratulations. Nothing could have been finer than to have been in Carolina that second weekend in March. For those of you who need a walk down memory lane or for those of you who hope to make it to heaven's gates, our issue is for you. Seriously, we English teachers in South Carolina are committed. Our language arts community is our evidence.
Bea Naff is Director of the Clemson Writing Project. She is an associate professor of English Education at Clemson University where she prepares Ph.D. students and pre-service teachers. Bea received NCTE's Promising Research Award in 1988. In 1990 she received NCTE's CEE Richard Meade Award for Distinguished Research in English Education. Her work has appeared in English Education, English Journal, ALAN Review, SIGNAL, ALCA-Lines and other state and local forums. Bea is the current SCCTE President. Her research interest is related to encouraging critical literacy within Appalachian youth. Bea is married to Rick Bailey, who is an English teacher at Easley High School. They reside in Pickens where they enjoy tennis and golf.