Evening at NCTE in San Antonio

What a day!!! Although I was a bit hurried at first, the late afternoon and evening shared with fellow English teachers and educators from around the world made up for lack of food and sleep.

I spent two hours with Teri Lesesne, who shared two hours of reading vignettes of YA literature sure to enthrall even the most reluctant of readers. Teri always does a super job and her presentation was a MUST for me. Unfortunately, I was few minutes late after having to return to the registration line to pay for a Monday workshop with another of my all-time literacy favorites, Janet Allen. And then, wouldn’t you know…I arrived too late for the handout and on top of it all, didn’t have a pen to record Teri’s wisdom in directing kids toward the book that would make them beg for more…so I just listened in. If you go to her blog or to her slide share, you too can get “up-to-the-minute” reviews from Teri’s session today.

Let’s see…and after that…the secondary session with guest speaker Francine Prose was awesome! She spoke about how NCTE had been an impetus in her career…in a serendipitous manner, but nevertheless…NCTE had noted her prowess with language long before she began her career as a woman of letters. She’s got a great voice and although she spoke primarily about her book, Reading Like a Writer, you can hear her speak about her newest novel, Goldengrove, which we each received as a gift. I venture here and now that Reading Like a Writer will become a resource for every writing teacher’s repertoire. I intend to share the wisdom and examples of this text with my own teaching groups as we work to build reading and writing curricula that use authentic texts to make the experience and action of reading, writing, and thinking relevant and powerful!

And finally, back at my hotel looking for a quick snack before bed, I met up with two interesting educators who live worlds apart yet both teach through an innovative non-profit program, International Baccalaureate or IB. We ran into each other in the hotel lounge…each traveling alone but interesting, all of us from the midwest. However, one of the group was now teaching in Spain, in an IB American school. The other of the group is the Director of an IB program in an Indianapolis magnet school and will be presenting on Saturday. Serendipity…I love it!! IB, as an educational approach began, I believe, with the development of American Schools overseas and has recently shown itself as an effective program of study in domestic communities. Based, to some degree in inquiry learning, the premise is centered on Wiggins’ systematic approach to Undertanding by Design, a framework in curriculum development. Check them outon Saturday morning in a session entitled “Seeing the World Through Author’s Eyes.” More on that later.

San Antonio–I Have Arrived!

I have arrived at my hotel and ambled down the River Walk to register for a Monday workshop at the NCTE convention. At this moment, all Monday sessions still have availability, so if you were like me and chose not to preregister for Monday and now are having second thoughts, get your credit card out and get yourself down to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center Exhibit Hall C. But bring a MasterCard or Visa because as I just found out, they don’t take American Express. That is what brought me back to my room sharing this tidbit with you!

Oh, and by the way, there are sessions going on today…they start at 2:30, so shut your computer down and enjoy a walk to the Convention Center!!