Packing My Bags for #NCTE16 and #NWPAM16 in Atlanta, Georgia - Just One More Night Course To Teach

It's hard to believe that last January, CWP-Fairfield teachers and I uploaded the possibility of presenting at the 2016 National Council of Teachers of English Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Over the summer, we heard that several of of our collaborative proposals were accepted in a wide variety of ways: research talks, round tables, seminars and even a special session on our 2015 LRNG Innovation Challenge Award from National Writing Project, MacArthur Foundation and the John Legend Show Me Campaign.

Couple with that, the National Writing Project scheduled us to share our work on Thursday, as well. The result? The last few weeks have been organizing handouts, presentations, sharing of responsibilities, hotels, airfare, registration, and arranging for substitutes.

And we're breathing.

This year, through success with CWP-Fairfield's Young Adult Literacy Labs, we're able to bring to these conferences 7 teachers from southern Connecticut to discuss their practices, research, collaborations, and partnerships. The best part of this, however, is having the opportunity to share their brilliance with stellar colleagues from across the nation.

Nothing rejuvenates us more than feeling the energy of the profession at large! The high fives, discussions, learning, advocacy, and innovation is all part of the energy and experience. In some ways, I feel like it is Christmas morning and I can say to my hard-working colleagues, "Go open your presents. You deserve it."

Additionally, I look forward to meeting up with many of my authoring friends to see what they've been up to and connecting with fellow researchers from colleges and universities across the United States.

I've been in full t-dotting and i-crossing mode (yes, I intended the switcharoo on that). I simply need to get through today, attend 6 or 7 hours of meetings, teach a graduate course, pack, sleep, and take off. I'm ready, and I know my teachers are, too!