As I write this, I’m looking out of my window and the snow is falling. In the words of the song “It’s beginning
to look a lot like Christmas”, and as the old year draws to a close, it’s time to look back on everything that’s
been achieved and to start thinking about what more, as an organisation, we need to be doing in the future.

Over the last couple of years all of us have had to face and overcome many challenges. Covid altered
many things, and the way we now go about doing our work has evolved and moved on. Incipient trends like
working from home, remote learning and e-meetings have all become commonplace; part of the everyday
reality of being an English language teacher. Within ELTA-Rhine we were forced to move away from
traditional face to face professional development events in favour of more accessible webinars, and now
we are out of lock down, there’s no returning to how things used to be. The aim is to make what we offer
more relevant to the complex demands of modern day language teaching. That’s not to say that physical
meet-ups will no longer be taking place, that’s far from the truth – but going forward there’ll be more hybrid
offerings, and with travel no longer being a limitation, we will continue to offer more events where online
training is held jointly with other ELTA’s in Germany. All this is only possible with active assistance from a
core team of volunteers, all of whom work willingly and tirelessly for the benefit of the entire ELTA-Rhine
membership. That said, whether we succeed or fail in our aims is ultimately dependent on ordinary
members responding to what’s being offered, and taking the time to immerse themselves in it.

One of the perks of being the Chair of an organisation such as ELTA-Rhine is that you often get to take
credit for the efforts of others. Therefore it’s only fair that when one of our hard working helpers move on
(for entirely understandable reasons), I send out a big thank you to them. Khanh-duc has been our Events
Coordinator since 2020, during which time she has been at the forefront of reshaping the way we deliver
continuing professional development. It’s been a pleasure working with such a talented and imaginative
individual and I wish her all the very best for the fresh challenges that lie ahead.

Finally, before concluding this message, I would like to invite anyone interested in assisting the Committee,
in any way, to come forward. You can do as much or as little as your individual circumstances dictate, but
there’s always a need within ELTA-Rhine for more helpers, and opportunities exist at all levels to become
involved in some worthwhile and satisfying work.

So to conclude, it’s my pleasure to send Season’s Greetings to you all. I hope you have a lovely time with
friends and family, and let’s make 2023 something to cheer about.

Rosemary Bloy
Chair ELTA-Rhine