High School Leadership Conference 2009

Dear HSLC Mentor,

Thank you for participating in the High School Leadership Conference! This folder is for your reports. This is a public forum and we encourage your professors and teachers to review your journal entries for feedback. Make sure your report is appropriate for public viewing.

Your report need to be at least 500 words (single-spaced, 12 pt font, 1” margin). It is your responsibility to save a copy of your report. Additionally, it should focus on the content of the conference and include key concepts of International Relations, as well as specific student responses.

In order to submit your report correctly, you have to hit "Post Reply" and NOT "New Topic." Selecting the latter will post your report in a folder that is not yours.

When logged in, an edit button appears at the top of each of your own posts. You can always go back to your report and change anything you wish before the entry's deadline. Be sure that your report is saved to your own personal computer as back-up.

Your HSLC Report will be due by 9:00am on April 24, 2009. After the deadline, your folder will be locked and no late reports will be accepted.

Again thank you for your participation in the Conference!
- CALIS Staff

HSLC Report - LATE/ APPROVED - 5/1/09- Lauren
Great job! Thank you for your service!

FOLDER LOCKED - 5/1/09- Lauren

Jacqueline Lowy
TIRP HSLC
April 24, 2009

Capitalism Reconsidered Conference
This was the first time in which I participated in any TIRP activity and I was extremely impressed with the conference overall and I plan to participate in future conferences in the upcoming semesters. Fortunately, I received a group of students that were extremely well prepared and ready for the conference, as they came with completed worksheets and notes regarding the subject. Before attending the conference, I was not expecting the students to enthusiastically immerse themselves in the activity, however I was pleasantly surprised and the students exceeding any of my expectations. The students participated with thoughtful comments and ideas, which ultimately got me thinking about our current world and the US market system.
Due to the fact that this was a high school leadership conference, participation was present and I barely forced anyone to speak their mind, as they all offered their comments willingly. I think the third breakout session where all three viewpoints were present was the most effective and organized portion of the conference. My group specifically organized a roundtable/UN-like format where all the participants faced each other and argued the advantages of their viewpoint. Even though some schools were not as prepared and outspoken as others, everyone eventually came to understand the concepts and contributed to the thoughtful discussion.
My efforts of facilitation varied throughout the day, as more facilitation was needed in certain parts and less mentor involvement in others. For example, at the beginning of the conference, my involvement was pretty direct as I only had three students in my first breakout group and we were forced to interact with one another. During the second and third breakout sessions, the ones in which my group was paired with other ones, the level of facilitation was a lit lower. Each mentor patrolled the little groups to make sure that the students were doing effective work and if one group was stuck on a subject, a mentor would ask them questions in order for them to spark a new discussion.
I am proud to say that by the end of the day each member of my group participated at one point or another, despite the initial shyness experienced at the beginning of the conference. All of my students were intrigued by the concepts and there were only a few times in which there was confusion or they felt bored. I think some of the organization of the conference concerning mentoring could be easily cleared up, such as the voting process which should be discussed during the training session as not to confuse the mentors during the actual discussion. Additionally, I feel that at the end stage of the presentation, only one representative from each group should go up in order to save time and keep the dialogue flowing. I think the point at which my students were most intrigued was during Professor Lamy’s lecture, as my students felt like they were in a college-like setting and inspired them to work hard during the conference. Overall, this was a great experience and I personally learned so much from the conference and would no doubt participate next semester.