I
studied the breakout session list, flipping back and forth between
descriptions, trying to choose which sessions to go to. It was a difficult
choice. So many interesting topics combined with presenters that I knew and
presenters that I wanted to know and presenters that I could sit and listen to
for hours. It was a difficult choice.
One
choice I am thankful I did not have to make is which keynote speaker I would
attend. Thankfully, that choice was made for me and that allowed me to fully
enjoy the speakers. As Jacqueline Woodson took the stage, an excited
apprehension overtook me. She is a
writer. I thought. An actual author
who writes books. She started to speak, and as she shared her experiences
as a writer and as a person, I realized: I
can be a writer too. I have stories
to tell. I sat, listening intently as Jacqueline shared her stories,
scribbling furiously in my notebook, stories pouring from my mind through my
hand, transferring to ink on the page in front of me. To anyone else the page would seem senseless.
To anyone else the notes would seem unreadable. To anyone else the writing would
seem cramped. To me the notes and writing on the page transform into stories.
My stories. During that hour with Jacqueline Woodson I fully embraced the
possibility of seeing myself as a writer; of seeing my stories as needing to be
told, to be written down and shared.
I
carried this new knowledge with me throughout the rest of the conference. In
Lindsay Slater and Sarah McQuery’s session, I discovered that music can be part
of the stories I tell; part of the stories my students tell. I was bombarded
with ideas: spectacular lessons, amazing resources, innovative ways to include
music in my future classroom. I left the session brimming with excitement,
ready to take these ideas and implement them into my classroom for my students,
my mind occupied with how excited my students would also be.
As a
pre-service student teacher, walking into a conference full of seasoned
teachers who have been where I currently am is two things: unnerving and
opportunistic. This experience is unnerving because in the scheme of teaching,
I’m an infant. I have barely learned how to navigate students’ behavior and
planning let alone adhering to standards while keeping my students engaged. I
know I have many hurdles in my future. Luckily, these hurdles will serve as
learning experiences, as does the opportunity to meet and talk to those who
have gone before me, facing their own hurdles, sharing their failures and
victories as badges of honor truly unique to those who teach. I met teachers
who strive on a daily basis to engage, connect with, and honestly change the
lives of their students. I gained valuable knowledge, tips, and ideas from
those I met at the conference. This gain will allow me to effectively teach my
students in new ways.
I left
the conference inspired, excited to try new things in my classroom and in my
own writing; armed with new knowledge and an invigorated sense of passion.
