GU students gain knowledge, contacts at national conference

Published: March 28, 2024

Author: Dave Bell

Six Greenville University special education majors had a “drinking out of a fire hose” experience at a recent conference in San Antonio, Texas.

“It was a huge conference, and it certainly could be overwhelming,” said Crystal Foles, GU’s director of special education. “But our students did a great job of finding specific workshops that would help prepare them for their careers in the field.”

The conference, organized by the Council for Exceptional Children, included many workshops, dozens of booths that offered teaching resources, and reams of handouts describing innovative practices for educators – and future educators.

“One thing they saw was how many young teachers are going into the special education field,” Foles said. “They made many connections with other students, as well as teachers from across the country. Those relationships will be very helpful as they launch their careers.”

She noted that the conference both energized the students and calmed their fears as newcomers to the field.

“It’s my hope that an experience like this solidifies their decision to pursue a career in education,” Foles added. “It certainly showed them all the innovative things going on in the field. And the more they know when they graduate, the more marketable they will be.”

In addition to overseeing the students’ trip to the conference, Foles was also a presenter. She gave a program on “Constructive Play and Its Connection to Social and Emotional Development.” Her topic came from work done by GU students in an Adaptive Strategies for Special Education class last fall. In that class, they worked with Kindergarten Readiness Program students and found that student’s engagement with each other during play had a positive impact on their ability to learn and develop.

Students were able to attend the San Antonio conference due to generous donations to GU’s RISE UP campaign, which supports experiential learning activities.