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Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Celebrating Professional Growth

Here I am, back into the folds of daily living after an inspiring weekend of learning at the NCTE 15 Conference in Minneapolis. The excitement that I felt before the trip is still fresh in my mind, despite the drain of traveling eleven hours from the midwest to the Long Island shore. As I start my day, I turn my attention to #CelebrateMonday as a perfect venue to share a snippet of my NCTE celebrations.

Being at a national convention is like turning on a switch. My learning space gets immediately illuminated. Sparks flow. Fast-paced movements from academic sessions to hallway conversations round off the feeling of being continually energized. PLNs grow exponentially as friendships are made with each new encounter. 

Aha moments happen throughout the day but even with all of the excitement, brief moments of quiet are needed to replenish energy. Short respites restore balance and allow the pace to continue. Conference life is a surreal, out-of-the ordinary experience that I value as my time for professional growth. 

Looking through my notebook entries, photos, and tweets from NCTE 15 makes me feel grateful for the learning. I celebrate the opportunity to experience new thoughts, chat with colleagues, authors, vendors, and literary luminaries, and bring home new books for my collection. 


I dedicate this celebration of learning to:
  • Ruth Ayres' blogging community at Celebrate This Week. (By the way, I met Ruth for the first time this weekend at NCTE 15.) 

  • My NCTE Roundtable team who worked diligently these past few weeks preparing for our presentation, Igniting Wonder in Students and Teachers: Fueling the Fires of Creativity and Independence
  • All educators who seek to be lifelong learners.  

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