I have been asked this question a few times and decided to write about something that I love to do – Workshop Presentations.
A little over 30 years ago, I went to my first educator’s conference and was excited to learn from seasoned teachers. I listened intently as these presenters gave me ideas on how to be a better teacher. As a rookie teacher, I was amazed at how much these educators knew! I found a connection to their experiences and thought, “One day I want to do what they are doing.”
Now here I am – 30+ years later – doing just that. I enjoy meeting teachers from all over the US and beyond. I listen to their stories. I try making a connection to what they are doing. I want to help them – give them a nugget of knowledge and have them run with it and see their students’ knowledge flourish. I have had the pleasure of presenting workshops on vocabulary instruction (The coat hook is key), content area reading instruction (Who is supposed to teach this?), writing instruction (Who can write without a traffic light?), tricking students to read (Acid Rain!), and math literacy (Camels, camels everywhere!). These are just a few of the nuggets I get to share.
In the next 3 months I am excited to meet teachers in the following places: Spartanburg Reading Council, Greenville Reading Council, LitCon 2022: National Reading Recovery Conference, and the South Carolina Council of Teachers of English. It is a pleasure to work with those who attend these workshops. I have a hard time accepting that I am the “seasoned teacher,” but there is no greater joy than to pass on what knowledge I have to current and upcoming teachers.
So I may not meet my goal of writing on my blog every month but know that I am out and about with phenomenal educators doing my best to support and further literacy.