- Kathy Stevens
Executive Director, MCAEL
09/18/2023
When you plug in a lamp and turn it on, you have light, thanks to the connection to electricity. After our last Koffee with Kathy, I walked away with new ideas and energy, thanks to the direct connections six of us made over coffee at Java Nation.
We discussed the virtues and pitfalls of online vs in-person learning (and much more), including:
- The challenge many programs are facing these days – they want to provide more in-person classes but are finding it hard to find enough instructors willing to teach in-person.
- The benefits of online instruction for more advanced learners
- The challenges of teaching in person in our public schools
- The benefits of meeting in person for instructors and administrators
- The desire to establish connections across programs
One of our Koffee attendees was a new instructor interested in finding additional work – and with the connections she made that day, I believe she found some! She's planning to prepare for her new role by enrolling in the MCAEL Foundations Instructor Training Course.
These opportunities to meet in person -- whether with colleagues, instructors, learners, donors, or other community members -- are invaluable to understanding our challenges and successes, and forging the connections which sustain us. I look forward to many more of these in-person opportunities.
And while we did not solve the question of how to balance online instruction with in-person classes, we certainly did hear from each other about things that are working in both areas and left with new ideas and new connections to people in the coalition.
The next Koffee with Kathy
is October 13th, and we will meet at a Gaithersburg location (TBD). I hope to see you there!
