Waking up at 5:30 was tough. My earliest class is at 10am, therefore getting up to go to this conference was a chore! But I’m very glad I went!
Jacqueline Woodson was very inspiring. I loved the sound of her voice, the way in which she read her pieces, and her style. I have never really heard much about her other than a few award here and there. Since listening to her keynote address–I want to purchase a couple of her books for my future classroom library!
Ms. Woodsen explained how important it was to have your own voice in your work, and your own voice in the world. Her voice was clearly heard in the pieces she shared with the group that morning. She also claimed that everybody has a story and that each person has a right to tell their story. How you tell it is your choice. She chose to write about it.
I love how she hates the word “but” when sharing your thoughts on others’ work. Ex. I like your story BUT…. Instead she wants people to use “and” in place of ‘but’. THis will put a more positive spin on critiques and will not take away from all of the writer’s positive qualities.
Overall I really enjoyed Ms. Woodsen and would love to hear her speak again.
My first breakout session was tittled: Using Art in an English Language Arts Course
I got a lot of idea on how to integrate art and creativity into my English lessons. We are to use art as an ‘album of evidence of what is learned’ by your lesson and to ‘use art to see what they know and understand’. Something as simple as looking at book covers can be added to your lesson to has an art aspect. Some kids learn better through art according to Gardner so why not include it in your everyday lessons? There were two awesome lesson plan ideas from this breakout session that I plan on including in my pedagogy project. 
My second breakout session was titled: Acing the Interview: What Principals Say They Value.
The best part of this breakout session was the role playing situation where we broke into smaller groups (of 8-10) and did an interview simulation with REAL questions that principals from 6 different [local] schools say they have and will ask during an interview. A lot of this information I have already received from the career center on campus…but it was nice to know what principals are looking for in regards to dress, portfolios, thank you’s, and advise in general.
Overall I think this conference was very beneficial to my professional development as a future teacher.
