Willowbrook English teacher presents during regional conference

On Oct. 17, Willowbrook English teacher Leslie Allenspach (pictured above) participated in the TYCAMW Conference at College of DuPage (COD).

According to https://sites.google.com/view/tycamidwest/home?authuser=0, TYCAMW (which stands for Two-Year College English Association: Midwest) “was formed in 1996 to establish a national voice within the National Council of Teachers of English and the Conference on College Composition and Communication. TYCA coordinates the work of seven long-standing regional conferences … to seek resources, develop strategies and advocate on behalf of its members’ professional needs and concerns.”

This year’s Midwest conference took place from Oct. 16 to 18, and the theme was “Who Are We (Now)? Reimagining English Department Identities.”

Allenspach was part of the following two presentations:

1. “Expanding the Department: Building Bridges through Transitional English and Dual-Credit Partnerships”
   Allenspach was a panel member, along with representatives from COD and three other local high schools. The session focused on bridging high school and college student writing though exploring how dual-credit English empowers student voice, identity and confidence. The panelists discussed how to connect classwork to real-world issues and shared engaging strategies to build student buy-in and equip students to write and thrive in academic and real-life settings.
   
   
2. “Your Voice Matters: Cultivating Rhetorical Agency Through Impact Projects”
   Allenspach presented about how high school students can meet college-level expectations and tackle real-world issues through a dual-credit writing course. The session showcased powerful, student-led “Impact Projects” that blend rhetorical skill, civic engagement and multimodal composition.