Quicknotes

Let me preface this with an authentic thank you and appreciation for this opportunity I have been given to attend this conference. This is an amazing experience, and I am learning tremendously, and we only ate dinner. I can't imagine how great tomorrow will be.

Now let me get the sillies out.

For those of you that are anxiously awaiting some blogging about the conference:

1. It's wet outside.
2. Dinner was a little spicy, but we were all so hungry you could just hear the "spice cough" around the room as we shoveled our faces.
3. There were colored spotlights with motion. Like at a concert.
4. I dropped my spoon onto the plate at the most inappropriate moment. CLINK - INK - ink - k.
5. A girl at my table (who I will explain in detail later) fell asleep. Twice. While the former superintendent was speaking.
6. This is for Tree: Former Super. was wearing a red silk scarf tied around her neck in a perfect side-bow. Total Sassy.
7. I got goosebumps when we all stood to say the Pledge of Allegiance .... facing a flag and a video of little ones saying it too. Something about adults and children saying it together... (nevermind the strobe lights in the background).
8. Two words: Door Prizes.
9. Free stuff from school districts around the state with messages like "come work for us, we think you're great." Noticeably absent from the swag merchandise: any sign of my county. I like to think that we're above monogrammed squishy balls... or are we??
10. I was in a suit.
11. Being in a group with four other females, all from different Universities and school districts - and realizing how lucky I am to be in this county, this school, with these colleagues and mentors.

There it is folks, a little bit of a glimpse into what will be an ultra blog about this great event. I will give you all the juice - this is such a great opportunity and I'm sure tomorrow will be even better!

Words of a second grader

Student: "I hope that they call my bus soon, I really have to go to the bathroom."

Me: "______, you can go ahead and go now, you have time."

Student: "No, these (insert shooing hand motion here) bathrooms are full of... (whisper) ...bacteria."

Me: "Oh."

Student: (doing the pee dance in place)

Me: "It looks like an emergency."

Student: "I just can't... the bacteria. I have to wait until I get home."

Me (click click goes the brain): "Do you ever use the bathrooms at school?"

Student: "Oh, no. The bacteria."

Opportunity Assistance

I have been given the opportunity to attend seminars this weekend at a university not-too-far-away. I am assigned to a mentor group with preservice teachers from four other Virginia institutions. Together we will meet, greet, eat, and learn.

I just received an email from my assigned mentor, with an attached list of available seminars. I am torn as to which workshops I should sign up for. I think this is where my more experienced readers may lend a hand, and help me by suggesting what might be the most beneficial topic (keep in mind I will be a first year teacher!!)

List of available workshops.

Quote me

Like heath that in the wilderness
the wild wind whirls away.

Without comment

http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/02/20/louisiana-gets-students-turned-on-to-learning-with-macbooks

Digital Dropbox

I slaved over the unit plan. Minutes, Hours, Days lost to the craft of developing a unit that integrates all core curriculum, technology, and fine arts. Pages and pages of objectives, standards, differentiation, assessment, and procedures.

I am a learner. I carry my project close to me, both physically and emotionally. The opportunity cost of creating this detailed plan involves loved ones, meals, and sleep.

I release the unit. I physically and emotionally have to detach from this, and all projects as I have to turn them in for a grade. Stripped from my clutches. I enter the world of internet space, open the metaphoric storage box, the teachers desk, and plop down my product. I close the drawer, hit send, and take a deep breath.

Without the physical handing in of hard paper, I am having a hard time letting it go. Can't I retract my submission, make some alterations, and resubmit?

I am a student that needs to literally hand in the stapled compilation of words. That is my closure. I'm having trouble adapting to the virtual world of submission.

I need that closure.
I will reboot.

Growing up

Last night I participated in a book club. The same one I have been going to for about a year now. Nevermind that we spend most of the time chatting about non-book-related things. Last night we spent a whole 35 minutes on the book. At the end of book club there were only three of us left. We are always the last three. We hang on to the bitter end, dreading the cold truth that comes with opening the door into the not so warm and cozy outside of bookclub world. One book clubee told another about something super important, sort of crossing the line, but sort of being a good friend. It may or may not have involved a search of public records of a mutual "friend." Low and behold, at a totally inappropriate time of the night, we were calling a strangers house to ask for a non-stranger. We mapquested directions. We googled. We searched, we google-mapped, we searched again. It was a mystery to be solved. And we did.

If all of these fabulous yet often misinterpreted women decided to write a book, I'm sure we'd talk about it for much longer than a measly 35 minutes.

On another note, we have decided to read a classic. A classic that I have little recollection of reading. Tree will be thrilled that I will be refamiliarizing myself with this piece. And I demand a longer conversation about it... in book club or with my school-mates.