Conferences and Blogging

A popular quote from Shakespeare’s Hamlet states: “This above all: to thine own self be true.” And for me that meant I was not an active part of the social media network. First of all, two years ago, I did not feel the need to share my experiences in education so impersonally. In fact, discussing the latest educational news and trends with friends while looking into their faces and seeing the passionate conviction of their educational beliefs supported by wild hand gestures and hilarious facial expressions is one of the reasons I continued to teach. Secondly, setting up an attractive blog page is not so simple for me. I am told that your page should be “visually” appealing. Hopefully, I will get there. Lastly, the question of “Would I have anything relevant to share?” kept recurring in my mind. Educators and researchers, most of whom were book authors, had been blogging for years so what on earth could I contribute that hadn’t already been said?

To be honest, I would still be like Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew and “not budge an inch” if I hadn’t become a literacy coach in a 1:1 district, discovered Twitter, had tech savvy students, an enthusiastic Literacy Director and a wonderful colleague that has a cool blog. For that matter, the whole district is chocked full of bloggers and in order to build a relevant Professional Learning Network, I realized that I needed to try something new. So, this year I’m blogging. It is not as in Julius Caesar “ a dish fit for the gods” but a work in progress. For the purpose of sharing and connecting my experiences with others, I am participating in #educoach blog on Tuesdays for the month of October. Thank you Kerry Perret for giving us the opportunity to reflect and network!

Of course, another way to professionally network is through attending literacy and leadership conferences. The word “confer” means to have discussions or exchange opinions; same as blogging but in person. Yea!  In my previous post, I shared that one of my favorite conferences is the Illinois Reading Council conference which I attended on September 30-October 3, 2015. Attendees had the opportunity to meet and talk with featured speakers such as educators and authors Donalyn Miller (The Book Whisperer; Reading in the Wild) and Cris Tovani (I Read It, But I Don’t Get It; Thoughtful Reading)

Both speakers validated the importance of advocating for students’ choice in what they read and supporting them in becoming life-long learners.  Here’s a bit of what resonated with me:

•      “We just don’t put books in children’s hands, we put hope in their lives.” ~Donalyn Miller
•    “When I can articulate my beliefs, I don’t have to defend my practices.”~Cris Tovani
•    “I don’t want you to spend money on worksheets, I want you to spend your money on buying books for students.” ~Donalyn Miller
•    “ Learning is compelling when there is: curiosity, relevance, community, new work to do, choice and opportunity for mastery.”~Cris Tovani

I was fortunate to be a part of these conversations and more! “Can one desire too much of a good thing?” a question posed from Shakespeare’s As You Like It.  In the case of the #IRC2015 conference, I don’t think so; but as for blogging, I will keep a positive outlook.

Shedding Light: Do you have a favorite author, researcher or educational speaker that you follow on social media? What affect has it had on your practice?

There are two ways of spreading light; to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.  ~Edith Wharton