I am currently at the NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools) People of Color Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. This is the 21st year of the conference, and here are some overwhelming statistics about the conference:

• this is the second biggest conference in the 21-year history
• there are 1,905 adults here from 560 different schools from around the world
• there are 1,211 students here for the Student Diversity Leadership Conference, from 260 different schools

I had the privilege of being a presenter with three other teachers at independent schools in New York City; one from the Brooklyn Friends School, one from The Town School, and one from the Trevor Day School. We presented a workshop for people of color who went to independent schools, and now teach in independent schools. We had a great turnout, and a great discussion on making that transition from student, to teacher. The People of Color Conference is a powerful experience, and my second conference has been a phenomenal one, thus far. I have found that many educators don't know about the conference, so if you are interested in learning more, please read NAIS's writeup about the conference. The conference has an amazing online program, so do take a look at that to get more info on all that's offered. My school is making efforts to be more fiscally conservative during these uncertain times, so I had to pay for my conference registration ($600!), travel, food, etc personally, but it might be one of the best investments in myself that I've ever made. If you're a person of color working in independent schools, do yourself a favor and get yourself to the 2009 conference. You won't regret it! Happy to answer questions via email, or comments, so get in touch!

Tags: POCC, NAIS, People of Color, conference, 2008, professional development, New Orleans