DCHS staff exclusive: Mroczkiewicz speaks at national convention

The annual national convention of the National Council of Teachers of English was held in Houston, Texas, Nov. 15-18, and one of Delphi’s own was not only in attendance, but was also one of the featured presenters. Mr. Mroczkiewicz, English 11 and Speech teacher, attended with thousands of other English teachers from around the country to share ideas about teaching relating to this year’s theme: Raising Student Voice.

Mr. M. was approached by a former Purdue professor to help lead the discussion. He, along with a handful of other Purdue English grads, presented a session titled “Seeing Through Each Other: A Case for Connection in the ELA Classroom.” Educators in attendance heard their presentation then participated in a roundtable discussion with Mr. M. and the other Purdue alumni.

“I presented on how using student narratives promote student voice and allow students to be heard and valued,” said Mr. M. “My argument was that not only should students use narratives, but teacher’s should also be transparent in their narratives, that way they can breed a culture of vulnerability and empathy.” Mr. M. spoke highly of the conference and what he experienced there, not only as a presenter, but also as an attendee. “It’s nice to step out of my little corner of my world, see something I’m not used to and then take it back to Delphi to see how I can use it in my school.”