The Trouble with Trolls
I love those little trolls in the DreamWorks movie “Trolls.” I especially love Poppy, who has a great personality and an even greater voice (played by Anna Kendrick, who you might remember from “Pitch Perfect.”)
Happy Valentine’s Day
Relationships are important in our professional and personal lives. Attending a conference together gives colleagues the opportunity to share professional development, but also to relax together. Last night, 10 colleagues from Maryland enjoyed dinner together. We laughed with and learned more about each other.
NCE Social Media Lounge
As I pack for the upcoming AASA #NCE19 conference in L.A., I take a few minutes to look over the program online. I come across an important reminder to check in at the AASA Social Media lounge. I love it there! I meet folks whose posts I follow, learn tips on how to market my district better, and just enjoy talking with others who strive to use social media for the benefit of their district. I hope to see you there!
A Day with the Governing Board
When I was asked to serve on the Governing Board, I gladly accepted; but, quite honestly, I really had no idea what it would entail. I quickly learned it is a unique opportunity to interact with colleagues from across the nation to provide leadership to AASA through policy, legislative platforms and programming.
#NCE2019 Here I Come!
As I prepared for the National Conference on Education this year, I decided to take advantage of the fact that I have to fly all the way across the country from Vermont to California and to make the trek on Tuesday. As the full conference starts on Thursday, that decision allowed me to look at the pre-conference sessions and dig in deeper to an area of interest!
Connecting at AASA Makes Us #FASTER
Recently I had to practice a speech that set a five-minute parameter. I had to time the words to mesh with 15 slides, each advancing every 20 seconds. This #Ignite format was both exhilarating and daunting. I became a student in the midst of a performance-based assessment activity all over again. I struggled and failed at first. And then something special happened … I got FASTER. Thanks to my friend and colleague Marlon Styles of Middletown City Schools, I used my PLN on Twitter to ask questions and seek reinforcement.
The “Anticipatory Set”
In my early years as a teacher, I was encouraged to use “anticipatory set” to motivate and prepare my students for the lesson I was about to teach. Right now, I feel like I am in the “anticipatory set” for next week’s AASA National Conference on Education. The opportunity to interact with colleagues from across the globe, to hear inspirational speakers, and to indulge in professional learning cannot be beat!
California Dreamin’
California Dreamin’ has been running through my head as I’ve started thinking about the NCE Conference. It was 15 degrees in Kansas at noon and 45 degrees in Los Angeles, but weather aside, if you’ve not checked out the program for the AASA National Conference in Education, take a look on the website at https://nce.aasa.org. You’ll soon find more to anticipate than a warm-up under the California sun.