I parked easily in the parking garage and took a picture of where I was so that I would be able to find the little black beauty at the end of the day. Would you believe that as I was snapping the pic of 1B, so was another person who I quickly learned was also a 5th grade teacher heading to the reading summit (Katie). We immediately started talking and walking as we made our way to the convention center. By the time we'd made it inside, registration was open. Check in went smoothly and it was super exciting to get a heavy bag filled with all different books including Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (released 20 years ago!!! YEP. J.K. Rowling's world of wizardry entered the world of print the same year that I started teaching.)
The convention center was buzzing but I knew that I wanted to be front and center to see it all so Katie and I found a table near the stage. Moments later I was able to greet Donalyn Miller and snap a quick selfie with her before the breakfast session kicked off the day.
The Breakfast Session featured Donalyn Miller and Mr. Schu along with Colby Sharp (whose birthday was today!). They were sharing snippets and details from The Creativity Project. Katie was able to get her copy of the book autographed.
The energy and excitement for reading was A M A Z I N G! Part of the excitement was because they were giving away some amazing new books but also because they were sharing pieces of The Creativity Project in a way that we could return to our classrooms and add pieces of it to our practices.
During that short amount of time I had added 5 books to my wishlist:
The Way to Bea
Orphan Island (which I already have)
Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring
Drawn Together (which I got to read today---I'll be using it early in September)
The Itchy Book
There was a little time before the main morning session so I headed out to check out the book fair. I was able to say hello to a teacher idol of mine: Pernille Ripp.
The morning session keynote was Malcolm Mitchell. While many know him for his career with the New England Patriots, his message was about the magical experience of reading.
The realization that Malcolm Mitchell had that his success on the football field wasn't matching up with his success in the classroom pushed him to WORK on his reading.
My favorite thing he said today was, "In order for us to be the best person we can possibly be, to grow and succeed, we have to read."
Donalyn Miller returned to the stage and shared her family's first experiences with Harry Potter in 1998.
--Good Can Conquer Evil
--Loyalty Matters
It's not just the magic in Harry Potter. It's the messages --- how to be a better human.
Entertaining us next was the fashionable and motivational Byron Garrett.
His words were about being wired for success.
Preparing Young People for a world that does not yet exist.
My takeaway quote from this compelling speaker was, "You nurture the creative spirit even when young people don't know they have it."
I would encourage you to check out his ABC book:
I had gleaned so much from the start of the day. It was only 10:30 at this point! I have so much more that I want to share and reflect on but for now I am headed to bed.
