Off to NCTE 15

Anticipation is mounting. It has been one year since I drove with my family to NCTE 14 in Washington, D.C. The autumn winds have died down and Indian Summer-like days have settled once again on Long Island. But wait! The weatherman is predicting 30 degree temperatures in Minneapolis during NCTE 15 signaling a packing nightmare for me. Because I am not a great traveler who packs lightly, I must rethink the organizational plan for my suitcase. Out of my comfort zone issue #1 is coming up. 

Eeks! Calm down. What to do?

Reflect

I remember the good times of meet-ups, learning, laughter, aha moments, and fun at NCTE 14 to calm my nerves. 

Create

The creative process often helps me when I feel overwhelmed. Creating a video with iMovie while Willie Nelson is singing On the Road Again is my go to release for stress this afternoon. I open iMovie and of all things, I totally forget how to create a trailer. 

Okay, remember. I did watch an Apple tech creating one with a group of 3rd graders. It looked so easy. 

Clearly this was another out of my comfort zone moment for me. 

Pause. Take a breath. Move forward.

I pause to remember my words, "Educators need to push past their comfort zone" as I start to design the video. 

Ready, set, release.

The video flies into the public arena and pops up on You Tube. 

Celebrate!  

I did it. I captured NCTE 2014 in a 2 minute short film that honors some literary luminaries and colleagues. I also see a blooper in the movie-a statement from Aunt Ellen. 

Reflect Again.

I laugh because I do not have an Aunt Ellen. 

Ah, yes, the template had Aunt Ellen as a set piece. I guess my attempts to delete that never made it to the final cut.  This is a LOL moment for me.

A movie mogul I am not but a learner I am. I step back to think ahead so I can prepare to travel to NCTE 15 where I will present at Roundtable, E20, and learn alongside colleagues and literary luminaries. 

Indulge me as I tweet live from NCTE 15 starting on Thursday. Perhaps, you will also wish me well as I plan how to pack like a pro and travel fearlessly alone to Minnesota.

NCTE 15 here I come! 

Please visit Slice of Life at Two Writing Teachers. While moderating NYEDChat last night I mentioned that #SOL15 is one of the blogging sites that I frequent. I thank all of the educators who slice each Tuesday. Your writing from the heart pushes me to find the sweet spot in my writing life.

Slice of Life: Giving Tuesday Offers Hope to Others

I was planning on slicing today about learning but an email came across AOL and it touched my heart. It spoke about the stories we create and reminded me of the topic of NCTE 14. Just two weeks ago I was at the convention with educators from the Two Writing Teachers, Poetry Friday, Nerdy Book Club, and other groups. We shared stories of our learning, of students grappling with their learning, and ones of connected communities. We laughed, ate and learned together, and also perused and purchased books. Our stacks became larger each day. As we left the convention center, we took back priceless gifts: friendship, literacy learning, and our treasured friends-books.

This is not the way it is all around the world. There is a refugee village in Uganda by the Nile River that is populated by the Masese mothers and children who are struggling for food, education, and learning. It is through the gracious gift of time, support, and learning that the village has celebrated their good fortune of meeting the helping hands of H.E.L.P. Uganda. 

I have blogged about this organization and the gift of giving before (here and here). A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of working at a fundraiser for this group at our church. There were so many wonderful parishioners who listened intently to the story of creating hope from paper and wished to support the cause. 

On that day, children and adults listened to the story of the Masese mothers and children and supported the hope of sharing joy with others who are struggling. All twenty paper bricks on display were sold in the hopes of raising funds to construct three new classrooms. Beautifully handcrafted bags and jewelry were displayed, exhibiting the art of rolling paper into designed creations. A story unfolded about the generosity of St. Agnes Cathedral parishioners who crowded around the tables to share a gift of giving at the holiday. 

In the passage below you will read a joyful story of a Ugandan child reading aloud. It is a story to be told again and again. It touched my heart as an educator and it will touch yours because this is the gift of reading and learning that we bring to life each day in the classroom. 

Today is Giving Tuesday, 
the single most charitable day of the year. 

On this day, we ask that you help us continue to create more stories. Every time we have a team go to Uganda, we return with stories. Stories of lives that have been changed. Stories of success. Sometimes it's a story about a mother who carried her unconscious child from her home to our school, just in time for him to be rushed to the hospital, moments before he would have likely died. Sometimes it's not a story of an exact life changing moment, but a more gradual one, one that might be easy to go unnoticed. These are the ones that show the change that is happening in our village, the long term change, the change that gives us the encouragement to keep doing what we're doing. 

In October, at the end of a visit from a medical team, the children at HELP School put on a program for their visitors. At the end of this program a young girl, around 13 years old, stood up to read from a book. Before she read, she told her story about how before our school, she had never attended school, she just ran around the streets all day. And there she stood, reading perfectly.

What we are building there is more than just a classroom building or a fence. We are building a community up, and building a future full of promise.  When you purchase a brick to help build a new classroom at our HELP School in Masese, Uganda - you also get a Brick Gift Card to give to someone special in honor of them!

H.E.L.P. Uganda

Click here to learn more about the H.E.L.P. School in Masese.

Now stroll over to Slice of Life where you can write a slice of life story, read slices from other writers in the community, and provide comments to at least 3 of the SOL 14 bloggers.

Face-to-Face Meet-ups at NCTE 14 Lead to Forever Professional Friends

Slicers enjoying a morning Book Swap
with Margaret Simon, Julieanne Harmatz,
Fran McVeigh, and Tara Smith

There is nothing better than meeting up with a connected educator in person. First time moments are sheer joy. Eyes meet eyes and bear hugs spontaneously happen as a genuine greeting of friendship. When you connect via social media there is a bond that forms. Lives are shared. Learning is exchanged, and friendship is developed, but when there is a meet-up, the friendship is solidified.

It is quite an interesting feeling to have an online acquaintance meet-up. I have experienced many such "aha moments" this past week at NCTE 14. To the right are my Twitter buddies, now face-to-face friends, with whom I met up with and spent many stellar moments at NCTE 14. 

These lovely ladies are slicers, poets, and friends who make me smile as we learn together on line or write as a community for Slice of Life, Poetry Friday, DigitLit Sunday, Celebrate This Week, or Spiritual Journey Thursday. Margaret Simon, Julieanne Harmatz, and Fran McVeigh have even joined me as REFLECT WITH ME writers for my global galleries of artistic expressions. You can view their poems in the latest gallery that I unveiled: Summer Serenity Gallery.  Tara Smith will join us in future galleries. 

Two Writing Teachers'
Presentation at NCTE

As the weeks unfold, I will tell more stories of NCTE 14 and how it affected my learning and the growth of my PLN. For the time being, let it be known that slicing is now part of my language and life. I am grateful for The Two Writing Teachers' community of learners who have broadened my scope. Thank you, Stacey Shubitz, Dana Murphy, Betsy Hubbard, and Tara Smith for opening doors to an enriched writing collaborative and for a first time warm greeting at NCTE. (I am sorry that I did not take a photo of our first meet-up.)

Please visit Two Writing Teachers for the Slice of Life Story Challenge.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Celebrating Learning and Community This Week LVIII

This past week was one to celebrate learning and the joy of community. Each week Ruth Ayres invites individuals to reflect on their week and link up at the Celebrate This Week site. 

Below is a graphic I created after the exceptional four days of learning at the National Council of Teachers of English  2014 Convention in Washington, DC.

As I travel back to Long Island from Washington, DC, I am thankful for:

Gaylord National Resort
and Convention Center

1. A pleasant, safe ride with family to Washington, D.C. for NCTE 2014, despite crazy drivers on the parkways.
2. A momentous NCTE 2014 Convention where engagement was in the air and learning surrounded me
3. Face-to-face meet-ups with Twitter friends from Poetry Friday, Two Writing Teachers, Wonderopolis, NYEDChat, and Nerdy Book Club.
4. Three wonderful family get-togethers for dinner at a Thai, Mexican, and Korean restaurant. It was fabulous combining a professional trip with a family visit. 

Rosa Mexicano Guacamole Prepared at the Table

Since I am overdue with this post, I will leave the part about growing as a learner at NCTE 14 until another day. 

May everyone celebrate a week of Thanksgiving joy with their family and friends.

Don't forget to check out the other posts by the Celebrate this week writers!