Overton Teachers Bring New Practices To Classroom After Literacy Conference

Twelve Overton County school faculty members returned to the community with the latest reading practices after a statewide conference.

K-6 Instruction Supervisor Melissa Savage said the 50th Annual Literacy Conference in Lebanon was an opportunity for educators to network and develop professionally.

“This year in our school system, we were focusing on the science of reading, and this conference this year had a lot of sessions that pertained to that,” Savage said. “Phonics first, sound first and early literacy.”

Savage said the three-day conference had several keynote speakers followed by breakout sessions on a focused topic. Savage said teachers will then share what they learned with other teachers and implement best practices in the classroom.

“One of the best sessions that I attended was it pertained strictly to what we have adopted with our ELA program through Amplify Education,” Savage said. “It is CORE knowledge. It is what we use in grades Pre-K through 8 in our county. So, our ELA program in our county is kind of like a new car with all the new bells and whistles, and you just kind of have to learn as you go. This session taught us more about those bell and whistles.”

Each year, Overton Schools sends a group to participate. Savage said she wants to bring even more teachers next year after another successful conference.

“We’re really excited, and we really appreciate the support that we get to make this happen for us to be able to attend,” Savage said. “I have no doubt that the teachers will bring back all of the knowledge that they learned and implement it immediately in their classrooms and share what they learned.”