William M. Alexander Memorial Lecture

Friday, October 31, 2008, 12:15 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

In honor of William M. Alexander's pioneering support of the middle school concept, each year's conference features a special lecture concerning a pertinent middle school issue. NMSA is pleased to feature Sue Swaim as the 2008 William M. Alexander Memorial presenter.

Sue Swaim is a passionate advocate for middle level students, educators, and the implementation of educational practices that best serve young adolescents. She served as NMSA's executive director from 1993 to 2007, and upon her retirement the NMSA Board of Trustees bestowed her the honor of executive director emeritus. Prior to joining NMSA, she was a middle level educator in Colorado for more than 20 years. During this time, she taught middle level language arts, social studies, and reading, was an elementary and middle school principal for eight years, and taught off-campus graduate middle level courses in content reading and writing, classroom management, and instructional strategies for the University of Northern Colorado.

Sue's speech, entitled Because We Believe, will focus on the challenges, opportunities, and responsibilities of today's middle level educators.