#AllWrite Reflections: Affirmations are Powerful Stuff

One week ago I attended the All Write Summer Institute and I am still thinking about it way too much.  I have wanted to post about this event, but I needed some time to digest all of the learning and connecting I did in the roughly 48 hours I spent at the conference.  I finally decided that I needed more than one post to reflect on the experience.  Today's post will focus on the idea of the power of being affirmed that teaching is a wonderful profession.

My weekend started with connecting to some of my tweeps at a rather large dinner that included some of the presenters of the conference as well.  The fact that there were 20 plus professional educators nestled into a corner of a restaurant the night before a conference started was pretty amazing in itself.  Some of these educators were from the conference planning committee, but most of them were from miles away from the event.  Not to sure who got the prize for longest commute, but of the non-presenters who ate with this group we had a teacher from Texas and one from North Carolina (and I thought 4 hours was too much driving).  The amazing thing to me was that I quickly realized I was going to genuinely like this group.  I wasn't sure what I was getting into.  Yes, some of these people came across as excellent people, but what can we really learn about a person when the only contact we have with them is a series of 140 character tidbits from a a twitter stream?  So my first understandings that this was going to be a great two day experience was the fact that I felt incredibly comfortable with a group of relative strangers.

The next morning I looked over my plans of who I was going to go see on the first day of the conference.  The first stop was the opening keynote by Jeff Anderson (@writeguyjeff) of Mechanically Inclined and Everyday Editing fame.  When I discovered quickly that Jeff's keynote was an introduction into his forthcoming book 10 Things Every Writer Needs to Know, I knew that I would be taking notes like a crazy man.  His new lines of thinking were very interesting and I will probably buy the book when it comes out this fall (you can thank me later for adding to your sales Jeff).  However, the most powerful moments of his presentation were not what do we need to do as teachers to help students become better writers, the really powerful stuff for  me was the reminder of the mark we leave on students.  He used the metaphor of tree rings.  As in what would the ring on the student look like during the year the student spent time with us?  Jeff skillfully reminded us that we, as teachers, can be a huge force for good or bad.  It is up to us to be that force of good in a child's learning life.  His lessons affirmed for me that the most powerful thing I can do is really get to know my students well.  I think I do a good job of this, but the last few years I may have inadvertently built up a few too many walls.  A dose of Jeff Anderson's presenting savvy is good for the soul of a teacher.  If you ever get the chance to see him in person, do yourself a favor and go.

The rest of my day included the chance to learn from Katie Wood Ray, Terry Thompson and Anne Marie Corgill.  I learned a great deal from these presentations as well, but all three of them did similar things that Jeff did in affirming some of my grounding beliefs.  In various places all three of these presenters reminded us that as teachers we need to act as advocates for our students.  We need to in essence "grow a spine" a fight for what we know is right in helping children become better readers and writers.  It has been a while since I fought the good fight.  There are probably a million excuses for why I have shied away, but all would fall under the topic of rationalization.  

By the end of just the first day, I was feeling quite refreshed, inspired and much more willing to fight the good fights.

Day two also challenged my thinking as an educator, but listening to Lester Laminack, Cris Tovani and Georgia Heard also added deeply to the recurring theme that I, as a classroom teacher, need to be the big learner in the room and do right by my students.  Some of the lasting nuggets of information that are still rattling around my head are:

Georgia, "Kids are hungry to ask questions."  I know this, but I seriously need to do a better job of honoring the honest inquiry of children and be more planful in how to tap into their profound level of curiosity.

Cris, "When we have kids who give up, we are sunk."  Again, I knew this but the right reminder at the right time was very powerful to me.  I need to get back to the place of not letting students give up too easily.  Nearly everything I have done that has been worthwhile was not easy to do.

Lester, "We have to be a loving resident in the world of reading, not a tour guide.  Let them (students) know the world is bigger than what they live in"  In Lester's closing keynote he masterfully used the metaphor that some types of reading instruction are more comparable to reading a tour guide book, than actually delving into an actual adventure.  While this metaphor was brand new to me the sentiment behind it was not.  It was a great reminder to me the best lesson a reader can learn is the one where he or she is compelled to read intrinsically and not mandated to read extrinsically.

As a final side note into my thinking about affirmations playing such a huge role in my All Write experience, I need to say a big thank you to all the people who I was able to hang out with when sessions were not going on.  It was wonderful to meet in person, reconnect or forge new connections and share some thinking with Franki, Mary Lee, Katie, Meredith, Cami, Lindsay, Katherine, Mindi, Teresa, Donalyn, Paul, Stephanie, Barbara, Ann Marie, Jeff, Terry, Cris and Ruth (many of whom can be found here).  During the time I spent with these people I was consistently reminded of all that is good in the world of teaching.  

Later,

Tony

Comments

[Mindi Rench]

I keep reading the AllWrite reflection posts, and I have yet to write mine. As you did, I need time to process what I learned and all that we discussed over those two days along with my summer job of being a full time mom and mini-van driver. This is the third conference where I've used Twitter to make plans and share my learning, and I'm convinced that using Twitter enriches my experiences.

I was so glad to meet you in person. See you again at NCTE!

[Ruthayreswrites.blogspot.com]

Tony --
Thanks for taking the time to write this powerful reflection. I could relate from the beginning to the end. I love this line: "The amazing thing to me was that I quickly realized I was going to genuinely like this group." I think it is remarkable the way connections made in online spaces add a layer of understanding when meeting in person. I'm glad you attended All-Write and I look forward to getting to know you better through Twitter. Hoping to see you at NCTE.
Happy teaching,
Ruth

[Tony Keefer]

Ruth and Mindi,
Thanks for the kind words and it was great to meet both of you in person. I can't believe how my learning has changed since I have reached out to beyond my own bookshelf, school and district to tap into new thinking. Looking forward to learning more from both of you and seeing you at NCTE.
Tony