I think the biggest impact for me was simply learning more about how teacher training and education in general are done in Canada. The US and Canada can learn a lot from each other, and hopefully we won't have to keep reinventing the wheel. One of my favorite quick conversations came when I asked a few people if Canada has problems with lawnmower parents like we do -- parents who clear the way for their kids, and now these kids are our students and are unable to handle difficult situations. Someone said, "Oh... is that what you call them? We call them snowplow parents." That is classic. It is a simple example of us dealing with similar problems and using different terminology.

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The experience of coming to BIRS is such a life changing experience. Meeting with such fantastic people at such an awe inspiring venue is an opportunity that cannot really be done justice with a verbal description. The experience at BIRS is one of the most internationally rewarding and inspiring opportunities a mathematician can participate in. I managed to meet a myriad of new people from a variety of backgrounds and it really allowed me to think about next stages in our training program. I'm extremely happy and optimistic that I will be able to continue to foster these relationships. I think that the ideas discussed here will help us to continue the development of my program at my institution. I met a lot of great people that do fantastic work and I think it will help our institution continue our innovations in graduate training. Thanks to everyone at BIRS for such a fantastic opportunity!

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The workshop on "Innovations in New Instructor Training" was truly invigorating. I am confident that we have formed a community which will be productive in the years to come. We really are all working on the same problems and it's great to hear what others have achieved and experienced. I have new ideas to put into practice and great contacts to get tips, feedback, and to reflect with. At the end of the conference we all talked about our experience and the word 'inspired' came up over and over again.

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I enjoyed the workshop a great deal, as it brought a team of experts together from across Canada. Heard lots of great idea, and am invigorated about bringing them home to my own institution!

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It has been a long while since I have walked away from a workshop or conference being this inspired to continue with my efforts and to implement new strategies. The organizers of the "Innovations in New Instructor Training" did an exceptional job in bringing together researchers, lecturers and educators that were able to share a varied amount of information and methodologies on the workshop theme. The closing talking stick circle gave strong and repeated testimony how much this workshop accomplished and how it contributed in building a national network of collaborators.

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