There are ambitious plans in 2014 for the start of MEXTESOL’s fifth decade. As usual, we will be holding our annual convention in October, this time in the colonial city and state of Puebla, Puebla, the fifth largest city in Mexico, about a 2-hours’ drive east of Mexico City. The 3-day, academically-packed event (from noon Thursday, 16 October to noon Sunday, 19 October) will take place at the new Centro Expositor Puebla convention center on the slopes of the famous Cerro de Guadalupe, site of the famous Cinco de Mayo battle where Mexicans defeated the invading French in 1862. Besides the two Fort Museums, there are wonderful views of the city of Puebla from this hill.

MEXTESOL received more than 250 proposals for 100 academic session slots, a record which will make proposal selection particularly difficult this year but will also give convention-goers the “best of the best” as well as a balanced program. The academically intense event promises to attract and satisfy all of the diverse English language teacher needs in Mexico and beyond. For more information on the convention check the MEXTESOL webpage.

MEXTESOL sent a representative to the Bilateral Forum on Higher Education, Innovation and Research (FOBESII) in Mexico City in May 2014. This was one of a series of working sessions of American and Mexican educational organizations designed to make recommendations toward the implementation of U.S. President Barack Obama’s “100,000 Strong in the Americas” educational exchange program, as well as Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto’s “Proyecta 100,000” program.

During 2014, MEXTESOL will also participate in the Central American and Caribbean Basin (CA&CB) Regional Group’s 12th Conference in Panama City in September.

MEXTESOL is planning on holding its own MEXTESOL National Spelling Bee in partnership with Merriam-Webster in 2015. This is a result of the 4-year long Franklin SpellEvent initiative which unfortunately ended in 2012, but which MEXTESOL would like to restart as an affiliate-organized event.

The MEXTESOL Journal will be celebrating its 40th anniversary soon. The Journal accepts submissions in Spanish or English, and although it principally caters to Latin America, articles relevant to English language teaching in general are also welcome.

The coming decade will surely be an exciting time for MEXTESOL and its members as MEXTESOL is planning to revamp, update, and expand its services to members and to the ELT community in Mexico.

Ulrich (Uli) Schrader is the MEXTESOL-TESOL liaison.