Educators spend their year changing the lives of the various students who walk in and out of their classrooms and schools. At the end of the year, educators are still working hard to make sure that their students have every opportunity to succeed, and the Association of Texas Professional Educators is doing the same.

One of my favorite times of the year is the ATPE Summit, which takes place July 7-10 in Austin this year. It is important that we as professionals grow with other educators, and the ATPE Summit provides this opportunity. Summit provides great keynotes, vital information, and even more importantly, connections with other like-minded people.

Although the information that I have learned at summit over the last two years is impressive, the most notable part of summit is the House of Delegates. The House of Delegates allows members of ATPE from across the state to have a voice. This is a time where we can vote on, discuss, and collaborate about what we would like our lobbyists to work on during the year. It is a chance for Texas educators to have a larger voice outside of the classroom.

My favorite thing about ATPE is that it is always professional. It’s easy for educators to get frustrated when we see what’s going on in our profession, but ATPE continues to be professional in all matters and helps educators see all sides of the story.

As educators we are constantly changing lives. Legislators work to change our lives, but ATPE continues to advocate for our well-being. I look forward to the ATPE Summit because it gives us a chance to collaborate with like-minded educators, provides educators a voice when often our voices seem to be lost, and ultimately, makes a difference for all educators.

Andrea Keller is an instructional technology specialist for Irving ISD and has been an ATPE member for more than 10 years. You can read her blog at busybeeideas.blogspot.com.