Eight teams of teachers competed in Budapest for the annual slowpitch tournament!

As educators we highlight the importance of connections with our students and with ourselves. In person conferences allow teachers to learn in workshops and presentations but also during breaks, lunch and social events. Since 2011 a number of CEESA teachers have had those same types of connections and learning opportunities while playing slowpitch. 

For the eight teams of teachers that played slowpitch at AIS Budapest on August 27th it felt like a conference with the workshops and presentations exchanged for 5 inning games of slowpitch. Before, during and after the games the talk was all about how our years were going, what new idea we were implementing and what we are most looking forward to now that Covid… dare I say… on its way out. 

For those in attendance there was no better way to start the school year and that has been the case since 2011 when AIS Budapest first traveled to play against AIS Vienna. In 2012 AS Warsaw joined those two and more schools have joined ever since. This year those three schools were joined by AAS Sofia and ICS Istanbul but also included individuals from AIS Bucharest,  ICS Zurich and IS Brussels who flew in to join in the fun. 

Thankfully social media is connecting the world like never before, but it’s these in person social events that really go a long way in helping educators make connections with people in other schools. These connections help immediately in the sharing of ideas but also further down the road as we look for our next stop in the international teaching world.  

Next year’s CEESA Slowpitch Tournament will be back in Vienna on August 19th and full teams or individuals from any school are welcome.

Nick DeForest CMAA, is the Assistant Director of the Events Office at AIS Vienna, Austria and host of the Globetrottin’ ADs Podcast. Originally from Ontario, Canada, Nick has been in Austria since 2000 and is part of the NIAAA International Committee.
To connect with Nick and learn more about what he does outside of AIS Vienna please visit www.globetrottinads.com and/or follow him on Twitter @Nick_GTADs

Photo: Teachers from AIS Vienna, AS Warsaw and IS Belgrade celebrate with host Matt Fleming