My First KATE Experience! The 2016 KATE Conference
I'd first like to start this blog apologizing to my readers, peers, and university professor for blogging late. Anytime I open my laptop or other technology with a screen with my son nearby he tries to eat it, and the last two weeks my husband's been working extra late, on top of us packing to move houses, so homework deadlines have been a little bit hard to keep up with- again, my deepest apologies!
Now, on to the blog!
Last Thursday and Friday, I attended my very first Kansas Association for Teachers of English (KATE) Conference, and it was AWESOME! Not only did I get to meet Author Bill Konigsberg, but I also got some helpful tips and tricks from Editor Stacy Whitman! (And yes, I did do my little fan-girl squeal...don't judge me!)
I must say though, Of all the sessions I got to choose from the three that were the most inspiring or informative to me were "Publishing a YA Novel" with Mr. Konigsberg, "Student Teach to Teacher" with Holli Boyd and Keely Tolbert, and "Conquering Ambiguity" with Stacy Chestnut.
Konigsberg's breakout was helpful to me on two different fronts: as a teacher, and as a YA fiction/fantasy writer. I have been working on a novel on and off for the past two years and am determined to finish it by December 2017. That said, I wanted to know how to get the darn thing published once it is completed. Mr. Konigsberg was kind enough to detail his process of becoming a published author and (with the help of the amazing Stacy Whitman) guide some of my decisions regarding self-publishing. The benefit of sitting in on this session as a teacher, was that it opened up an opportunity to observe and relate to my students through my writing. By that I mean I can get a better idea of what their struggles are, what brings my students joy, how they handle loss, how they celebrate success, etc. This opportunity, as Mr. Konigsberg put it "allows me to hear the teen voice more clearly in my head" and gives me a better idea of how to write with it. I definitely plan to take his advice and start pre-writing more both for myself and with my students to encourage creative habits.
Keely and Holli's session covered some of the struggles they are facing as first year teachers, and wow! They have had some real challenges to overcome. They highlighted how we need to know ourselves in different areas using a "Brain Map" and how right now we might find it harder or easier as we are using someone else's "Brain Map" in their classrooms.
One thing they really made me aware of in this session is that I need to advocate for myself as a first year teacher because administration is really good at forgetting to tell you all the details when you are new. They also gave me some really good starter questions to ask once I'm hired, such as "Who do I address my questions to?", "When do I get my ID and keys?", "Will I have my own classroom?", "When can I access my classroom?" and so much more that they don't cover in Student Teaching or typically tell when you are starting out.
The last session that really spoke to me was Stacy Chestnut's. She covered how we can find and nurture creativity within ambiguous situations. As someone who is a little intimidated by the unknown, I thought it would definitely be worth a shot to hit this breakout session and ultimately, I am glad that I attended. Stacy used "The Train Track" Scene from the film Stand by Me to show us how scary and exhillirating the unknown can be, and then showed us how it can be beneficial when we find the lessons within the ambiguity by showing us the "Show Me Sand the Floor" scene from The Karate Kid, and how Mr. Miyagi shows the kid Kung Fu through what the kid first identifies as meaningless actions.
I would like to discuss these scenes with my students when we delve into processes that they might find to be worthless and show them how even though they might not make the connection up front, that there is actually a reason behind my methods, and that if they train hard enough it will all make sense in the end. (At least, it will if I do my job right!)
I felt like the networking part was a little difficult in the fact that I am not the most extroverted individual, and I was surrounded by other social introverted individuals who seemed reluctant to chat for very long. Meeting Bill and talking with Stacy Whitman, though was one connection I was very glad to have made at this conference. At the next conference, I want to try and get more comfortable talking to people I don't know very well and network more than I did this time around.
Until next time friends,
Mrs. Johnson
Now, on to the blog!
Last Thursday and Friday, I attended my very first Kansas Association for Teachers of English (KATE) Conference, and it was AWESOME! Not only did I get to meet Author Bill Konigsberg, but I also got some helpful tips and tricks from Editor Stacy Whitman! (And yes, I did do my little fan-girl squeal...don't judge me!)
I must say though, Of all the sessions I got to choose from the three that were the most inspiring or informative to me were "Publishing a YA Novel" with Mr. Konigsberg, "Student Teach to Teacher" with Holli Boyd and Keely Tolbert, and "Conquering Ambiguity" with Stacy Chestnut.
Konigsberg's breakout was helpful to me on two different fronts: as a teacher, and as a YA fiction/fantasy writer. I have been working on a novel on and off for the past two years and am determined to finish it by December 2017. That said, I wanted to know how to get the darn thing published once it is completed. Mr. Konigsberg was kind enough to detail his process of becoming a published author and (with the help of the amazing Stacy Whitman) guide some of my decisions regarding self-publishing. The benefit of sitting in on this session as a teacher, was that it opened up an opportunity to observe and relate to my students through my writing. By that I mean I can get a better idea of what their struggles are, what brings my students joy, how they handle loss, how they celebrate success, etc. This opportunity, as Mr. Konigsberg put it "allows me to hear the teen voice more clearly in my head" and gives me a better idea of how to write with it. I definitely plan to take his advice and start pre-writing more both for myself and with my students to encourage creative habits.
Keely and Holli's session covered some of the struggles they are facing as first year teachers, and wow! They have had some real challenges to overcome. They highlighted how we need to know ourselves in different areas using a "Brain Map" and how right now we might find it harder or easier as we are using someone else's "Brain Map" in their classrooms.
One thing they really made me aware of in this session is that I need to advocate for myself as a first year teacher because administration is really good at forgetting to tell you all the details when you are new. They also gave me some really good starter questions to ask once I'm hired, such as "Who do I address my questions to?", "When do I get my ID and keys?", "Will I have my own classroom?", "When can I access my classroom?" and so much more that they don't cover in Student Teaching or typically tell when you are starting out.
The last session that really spoke to me was Stacy Chestnut's. She covered how we can find and nurture creativity within ambiguous situations. As someone who is a little intimidated by the unknown, I thought it would definitely be worth a shot to hit this breakout session and ultimately, I am glad that I attended. Stacy used "The Train Track" Scene from the film Stand by Me to show us how scary and exhillirating the unknown can be, and then showed us how it can be beneficial when we find the lessons within the ambiguity by showing us the "Show Me Sand the Floor" scene from The Karate Kid, and how Mr. Miyagi shows the kid Kung Fu through what the kid first identifies as meaningless actions.
I would like to discuss these scenes with my students when we delve into processes that they might find to be worthless and show them how even though they might not make the connection up front, that there is actually a reason behind my methods, and that if they train hard enough it will all make sense in the end. (At least, it will if I do my job right!)
I felt like the networking part was a little difficult in the fact that I am not the most extroverted individual, and I was surrounded by other social introverted individuals who seemed reluctant to chat for very long. Meeting Bill and talking with Stacy Whitman, though was one connection I was very glad to have made at this conference. At the next conference, I want to try and get more comfortable talking to people I don't know very well and network more than I did this time around.
Until next time friends,
Mrs. Johnson
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