Like I said in the previous post,I went to Nashville last week for the Model Schools Conference. It was mainly about the new Common Core Standards that are being implemented this year. Many of the sessions were incredible and very informative. Look who I got to meet.......
Yep, that's right, Harry Wong who wrote The First Days of School. When I was in college, he was like a role model for all teachers and after hearing his presentation, I now know why. Absolutely incredible! I was very impressed with him and his sweet wife, Rosemary. He is so passionate about his job.
He helped this sweet teacher get started and now she goes around doing professional developments as well. Another impressive speaker, Chelonnda Seroyer. My face was so red here, I had been bawling my eyes out after her closing story.
This is the main ballroom. There were over 7,000 teachers at this conference. Teachers were lined up in rows sitting on the floor it was so packed. They had 6 big screens and one huge screen so everyone could see Dr. Daggett. They also had cameras on long arms that were constantly swooping over the crowds filming. I have never been to a professional development so big. One day a man was being pulled on a luggage cart as he was filming the crowds coming out of conference sessions.
This is a picture of everyone flocking in to get a seat.
See all the people lined up on the floor? My camera couldn't even zoom on the room, it was so big.
This is where we ate lunch everyday. It was so organized though with a variety of very costly foods set up with different vendors.
Lunch area
My session ended early one day, so we went early to beat the crowds.
This is one of the mini sessions that was full. There were usually about 250 people in each mini session. If it filled up, then you had to grab a spot on the floor. This one was really good. It made you want to jump on board with this team of teachers. They were so enthusiastic about their job and their student's learning.
There was even a lady in one of my sessions that was so packed that she got chlostophobic and about passed out.
These teachers were from South Heights Elementary in Kentucky. All I can say is, this is a dynamic school. They had a Flash Mob at the local fair and broke out dancing. They showed us the video and danced for us too. It was like a fairytale school. I probably took 10 pages of notes. There were 18 teachers on the team that helped present. Most presentations only had one or 2 presenters. This school brought 18 staff members to present. Gah, I am still speechless over the things they do for the students. Oh yea, the entire staff and a couple kids from each grade level are going to Disney World this year. Can you believe this? This is a low income school where 90% get free/reduced lunch. The entire time they were telling about the after school activities and positive behavior reinforcements, I was thinking, "I wish I went to that school". It was just that good!
I walked away from this conference with an abundant amount of knowledge that I plan to implement in my classroom. Many of the mini sessions I selected were very informative and it was interesting to see how different schools implement different ideas and curriculums.
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