ready, set, go!

It was like an Oprah show….only better! Can you picture it? 1500 educators… teachers, librarians, principals and authors packed into a high school gymnasium in Parma, Michigan on a beautiful, sunny weekday in the middle of their summer vacation. What brought these excited professionals together… Nerd  Camp 2018, of course!

For two days in July, teachers and educators from across the nation attended and led sessions on reading and writing for students of all ages. As an attendee, I could feel the passion and excitement all around me.  The rooms were humming with a fever- pitched buzz from educators who were scrambling for seats, sharing ideas, snapping pictures and planning ways to bring these ideas back to their classrooms this fall. Favorite authors, like Dav Pilkey shared stories and experiences that led him to write his beloved Captain Underpants and Dogman series- and the audience reacted to him with rock star adoration!!  It was truly an event to remember.
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For me, this camp was the best example of a profession that is dedicated, intellectually curious, and always striving to do better for their students.  The field of education is often the target of much criticism and negativity, but from my viewpoint during those two special days in July, the future of education looks pretty bright. 

My favorite session was on conducting small group conferences with maximum results. Stop back to School of Thought next week to find out how it went in my classroom, as I am about to put the theory of conferencing into practice!

In the meantime, need some ideas to get you excited for this school year? Check out these popular bloggers.

https://www.mrcolbysharp.com

https://www.air.org/page/policy-center-blog

https://theinnovativeeducator.weebly.com/

https://www.teachthought.com