BY BERNIE MIXON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
SHARONVILLE -- It was an educator's dream: dozens of booths filled with free information on activities for students as teachers prepare to head back to the classroom.
The exhibit -- part of a daylong fair for educators -- featured information from places such as the Cincinnati Opera, Hamilton County Educational Service Center and Cincinnati Art Museum. About 200 people attended the second biennial Educators Resource Fair sponsored by the Cinergy Corp. and held Thursday at the Sharonville Convention Center, 11355 Chester Road.
Sharon Williams, a speech pathologist with Cincinnati Public Schools, and Doris Riddle, an English and writing teacher at Norwood High School, came away with bags of information.
"This will get me up and ready to go back to work," Ms. Williams said during a search for potential classroom materials. "I've been ready to go back. . . ."
The fair also offered teachers the opportunity to attend sessions on topics ranging from parental involvement to consensus building and new standards in education.
For Cinergy Corp., sponsoring the fair is an investment in its future.
"We looked at work-force development and how significant a role teachers play in it," said Rhonda R. Whitaker, manager of community affairs at Cinergy Corp. "We need employees who can think quickly on their feet and adapt to a new environment.
"For us, it's significant that educators play a role. Students graduating today need to have these skills in a changing business environment."
This is Ms. Williams' 30th year as a teacher.
She works with children with speech and hearing difficulties at the Hughes Center, Porter Middle School and Project Succeed. "I'm just as excited as the day I started," she said.
