ILA Austin & Back to School

It's been too long, blog family, but I hope you'll stick with me and continue to follow my journey. The experience of ILA Austin combined with family vacation back to back was amazing, but the scheduling took its toll. This post, however, will tell you more about me as a human and about my readiness to get back to the good work.

Let's start with my experience in Austin, TX. When I submitted the proposal to ILA, my principal and assistant principal of instruction were designated to present with me. After a few conflicts and changes in schedules, I ended up on the plane to present solo at an international conference. In my preparation to leave, I imagined the drive to Atlanta and parking at the airport would be my biggest nightmares. Once I got on the plane, I realized my greatest fear was really being in a place alone where I knew NO ONE. Talk about stepping out of your comfort zone.

Doing the presentation alone crossed my mind a few times and caused me a little sweat, but thinking about how to spend 3 nights in city that far from home without someone to talk to caused me a lot of anxiety. Let me be honest about myself here. I love presenting and talking about topics I'm passionate about (school, books, literacy instruction) to any audience. Where I feel uncomfortable is making small talk. I seriously thought about going to the conference sessions and going back to my room everyday because I was self-conscious about meeting new people and being my typical awkward self in a social setting. Example of awkward self: I tried to give a fist bump to someone at the gym yesterday when they were CLEARLY high fiving me. My response was, "I'm sorry. I make things awkward." Insert emoji of girl shrugging her shoulders here.

That sounds crazy, right? Let me stand up and speak to a room full of people I don't know at an international conference, but then I need to run straight to my room and hide because I'm scared to talk to people.

I made it a personal goal on this trip to ILA Austin to reach out and try to have casual conversations with people I had never met. The first night I was there, I had dinner alone at a tourist "must see" restaurant. I made small talk with a few people, but I still sat alone with at least one seat in between me and all the world. After dinner, I walked back to hotel, thought about going to bed at 7 PM, and then decided to sit down in the crowded hotel lounge beside a woman who was talking with a group of people across the table. I sat there for almost 30 minutes listening to their conversation (I know, that sounds crazy). Listening to her conversation with the server. Finally, I said, "Hey, I think we might have some things in common. I'm Erin." OH THE ANXIETY. But it turned out to be an awesome step, and we spent the rest of the conference visiting sessions, talking about our careers, and visiting local tourist spots.

On the flight home, I was prepared to listen to Harry Potter on Audible and close my eyes (introverts that want to be extroverts understand this). As it turns out, I was moved to an exit row. Tall people, that's the best thing ever, unless you can pay for first class. I ended up next to one of the most genuinely nice people I've ever met. He was headed to a family vacation on a lake in Georgia, and he taught in a high-poverty area in California. We talked the entire flight about education, the desire to make lives better for our students, and horoscope compatibility. I know very little about horoscopes other than I am a Leo. I would hop on another flight by myself to anywhere if I was promised to be seated next to someone with such a good soul.

Once I got home, it was time to disconnect and focus on my family. We took our first family of four vacation to Gatlinburg, TN, and we spent most of our time swimming in the resort's pool and relaxing in the condo. We did journey out to the wilderness of Cade's Cove and to the showmanship of Dixie Stampede, and I'm amazed at how much my little family connected and laughed during those few days. I unintentionally left my computer at home. I had planned to spend a few days catching up grading assignments for the course I'm facilitating this summer, and I was devastated when we crossed the state line to realize I left my entire bookbag at home. Leaving my laptop was one of the greatest blessings of my life. It was so nice to reconnect with my family. More than anything, I loved sitting by the pool and watching my husband play with our two little ones. He is so much a child at heart, and that is one of his greatest attributes.

We are home, and we are in week one of me going back to school. Our little girl started her new daycare this week, and it's been a HUGE adjustment. I have been working frantically to make sure I have all my ducks in a row for school to start back. My leadership team at James M. Brown has been amazing at accepting my crazy ideas and willing to help the ideas come to fruition. If you need proof, see our Carpool Karaoke video on YouTube. We found this idea in Lead Like a Pirate by Beth Houf and Shelley Burgess. After attending GYTO in San Diego, I knew I could make the lyrics happen, but I needed the crew to buy in and SING! We had so much fun bringing the idea to life, and I can't wait for one of the teachers at my school to ask me to come sing a song with content lyrics. I will bring the mic.

The first few days back to school were awesome and energizing. I can't wait to see what this year brings. I spent all day today spray painting and making vinyl labels for my office. I hope the labels will really help me stay organized, but we'll see. :)

blood, sweat, tears, books, & NEW LOOKS!

A quick post for today because I'm too excited not to share what's been happening the last few days.

1. Blood - I cut myself opening this EXCITING SHIPMENT!!!!!!!!! Too excited to care.

I've been hoping and wishing to establish a Little Free Library for our students and families for so long, and it's finally here!!!!!!! We had a gracious donor purchase the kit for our school, and so it's coming, to JMB, y'all! My son, Sully, helped me unpack it all. Since this photo, every single packing peanut has been thrown across my house. Just saying. It's not always this cute and sweet at my house.

2. Sweat - It's not terribly hot in SC today, but it's so humid. I was trying to get this wood stained before I left for the International Literacy Association Conference tomorrow in Austin, TX. **Secretly hoping husband will assemble it while I'm gone, okay? ** This walnut stain is looking AMAZING! 

3. Tears - This morning watching The Good Dinosaur with my almost 2 year old, facing the fact that she will start preschool in three weeks. She has been staying at home with a former teacher since she was 6 months old, and I just can't process letting her grow up into preschool age.... but moving on... 

4. Books - I have read more this summer than I have ever read in my whole life! A shipment of children's literature arrived at my house yesterday. A copy of Michael Bonner's book arrived today. I need a break from Harry Potter, mostly because I can't justify taking up half of my carry-on luggage with The Goblet of Fire when I board for Austin tomorrow. 

5. NEW LOOKS!!!! Y'all, first, can you please spend a second appreciating the new look of the blog??! Say farewell to the 80's teal and purple that I tried to make cool again. I found AlbemarlePR on Etsy for the template for the blog, which is perfect for me! AND THIS LOGO from Math & Glitter (mathandglitter.com) makes me feel official. 

The Pink House and Physical Environments

Decorating your classroom in a way that pleases you is not selfish. It helps you build relationships with your students by sharing a bit of yourself with them. And when your environment feeds your passion and sets your soul on fire, how could that flame not carry over to your students? Enthusiasm spreads like wildfire. – Hope & Wade King, The Wild Card

I must admit I am guilty of not being fully invested in the physical environments of past classrooms. To be honest, when I was in the classroom, the décor wasn’t a major priority point for me. Within five years of teaching, I taught at two schools. I always felt like I was just getting my feet wet before I moved. I’ve been out of the classroom a few years now serving as a literacy coach, and decorating my office has never crossed my mind. Until now.

After reading several professional development books this summer, mostly from Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc., I feel convicted to change my physical space. I also honestly feel compelled to apologize to all my former students for the hodgepodge mess they endured, but hey, I’ll choose to focus on what I can control right now.

Decorating my coaching space may seem like a selfish endeavor, but after reading The Wild Card, Kids Deserve It!, The Limitless School, and Lead with Literacy, I know that my physical space sends a message. The physical environment sends a message about our passions and our values. Your physical surroundings have the power to refuel you and inspire you. As Hope and Wade King describe in The Wild Card, it’s not selfish to infuse your personal interests and passions into your space. You spend more waking time in your school space than at home most days, so make it a place you love!

As a coach, I try to spend more time in classrooms and with teachers than in my office, but there are times I have students visit or meetings with teachers in my little space. My environment this year, I hope, will be appealing to me and welcoming to the teachers and students I serve. I also hope my environment sends a message about the things I value.

The theme: shabby-chic beach.
The inspiration: The Pink House by Kate Salley Palmer.

I’ve always loved Kate Salley Palmer’s work, and The Pink House brings back so many happy beach vacation memories from the South Carolina Lowcountry. If you’ve never been, Edisto is one of the most peaceful, beautiful places in the world. GO!

Table goals:

Found this cute table on Pinterest! The vibrant colors take me to warm, southern coast breezes. I already have an oval table in my office, but it needs a makeover.

A colleague had some wooden chairs on the cheap, so I bought these beauties and sprayed them with bright colors. The yellow spray paint was not my friend. Two cans later, there are still areas that need another coat. I hope to get this finished this week. 

A few of my finds...

 

Target and Hobby Lobby are danger zones for my wallet, but I found all of this on sale. Apparently, retailers need to make space for Christmas decorations in July. :) 

  

These LED string lights are adorable, and they have a built-in, 4 hour timer. I'm pineapple obsessed, and the cactus is just cute. I know I won't find a cactus growing in the wild on Edisto, but I needed a color pop, okay?  

Mandy Ellis, author of Lead with Literacy, describes so many ways to provide books- no strings attached- to students and teachers. One thing I know I want to include after reading her book is a small book nook with cozy seating for the times I have students visit and for my personal children. I’m envisioning a pair of tiny Adirondack chairs in coordinating beachy colors. I also want to find a way to frame the cover art from some of Kate Salley Palmer’s books to hang on the walls, bringing the attention back to literacy. For more awesome ideas, read her book and follow her on Twitter, @mandyellis.

To close, I have seen a lot of posts on social media from teachers about the guilt of not spending money and time decorating your classroom, especially in the summer. I’m not shaming anybody here, just sharing what I have felt inspired to do. Like I said in the first paragraph, I never felt the need to embrace a theme in my physical environment aside from my Clemson rocking chair and purple and orange book bins those first few years because.

Just make sure your space includes something you love.

A New Adventure

At an early age, I fell in love with writing. I still remember opening my first diary, a glittery rainbow fish diary with a tiny lock and key, for Christmas when I was 8 years old. My neighbors, I'm sure, never realized the impact this small gift would have. I've kept a diary since then. Since having two kids, my entries are much more sporadic, and sometimes entries merely consist of short happy lists or gratitude lists. Nonetheless, I write. 

For a good laugh, I've included a few images from my that first diary. Y'all, I loved to write. I never said I was great at it. It's a perfect example of progress! 

Today I lost 3 dollars. I found it "walago" - southern for "a while ago." 

Please note that my 8 year old self writes to my diary like it's a person with human senses and feelings. *Insert dramatic eyeroll emoji. 

 I'm dying laughing while reading some of these diary entries, but it reminds me of the importance of modeling writing for our students. I had some crazy childhood ideas, and my mechanics weren't the best. Let's focus on the journey. And, in case you're wondering, that sick dog didn't die after all. :)

After two amazing conference experiences in June, I have decided to start this blog as a place to share ideas, happenings, and experiences. At both conferences, I heard speakers reiterate the need for teachers and leaders to share what they're doing. By sharing our ideas and experiences, we build a wider community focused on our great mission: serving children. My hope is for this to serve as a place for collaboration and inspiration. 

One of my graduate courses in literacy highlighted the importance of setting personal professional development goals. I know educators have to set goals on paper all the time, but I'm talking about setting real, meaningful goals. What is it you want to achieve this year? What is something you want to learn more about?

This past year, my personal professional development goal was to present at a conference. I finished my administrative certification in August of last year, and one of my big passion projects during the program related to family involvement. With the support of the leadership at my school, I submitted proposals to two conferences, one at the state level and one national conference. I was full of self-doubt and really didn't think my proposal would be accepted to the International Literacy Association's conference, but here we are .... preparing for the conference in Austin, TX in a few short weeks. 

I write about this goal for three reasons. One, I'm pretty proud of this accomplishment. I think it's a big deal, and I'm really excited to share the work we've been doing at JMB with colleagues on a national platform. Two, personal professional development is important! Personal PD goals can help you refuel. Find something you're passionate about and set a goal to learn more. Be intentional in finding something that will inspire you; don't set a goal because it's something you MUST do. That turns into a burden instead of a goal. Three, my personal PD goal for this upcoming year is to maintain this blog. I love to write and to collaborate with others to share ideas. This blog will allow me to do both. 

With the first post done, hopefully I can get to work on the layout and the "cute" factor. :) Anybody have any suggestions for spicing up the blogger format?