What will your story be? Beginning Teacher's Conference

As I left my classroom (a mess to finish cleaning up Monday morning :/ ), I started to doubt my decision to come, but as I sat snacking on cheeses and slurping a pepsi to stay awake, the ATA president reminded me of why I came into education in the first place: to make a difference in the lives of today's youth.

Here are some of my thoughts:

What am I doing everyday to give 100% to my students? How can I improve? Sleep! Minimize social media...  How can I make it more fun/engaging? Am I able to change?

Don't dwell on the shortcomings. Fight to be better. Write down the good! Go back and remember the good. There are bad days, yes, but they'll realize you're their positive role model, maybe their only one, and when you establish a great relationship with each student, you've got it :)

Everything is super important, but it's about achieving a balance. Our health and wellness is everything. You take care of you, and they'll be okay. Take time to tell your support group that they are more important than your job.

We had a session where we learned about the ATA and what it is and means for me. As much as I might sometimes whine about how expensive it is to be a part of the ATA, I'm realizing the benefits and how to reap them. My number one highlight was learning about the ATA library! You pick what books you want, they send them to you, and they pre-pay the return postage fees! What?!?! Yes!

Saturday we learned about more curriculum specific material. Because I have never been a fan of social studies, I went to a session on social studies! Probably the greatest thing I learned while there was how it's not about content. It's about developing skills :)

Next, I went to a session on assessment and it was a great reminder to teach the outcomes. I'm guilty of looking at the topics and teaching those, but not looking at the actual outcomes in the program of studies. It's all fine and dandy to do fun activities or have them make something perfectly as they follow the detailed steps I give them, but are they learning the required outcomes? I learned it's less about the perfect final product. Rather, it's the learning that takes them there, whether the final product is perfect or not, and whether they've learned what they're supposed to and can perform the outcomes listed, not just make a pretty project, and then providing them with opportunities to give and receive feedback(!) both from peers and teacher and to be able to take that information and grow from it.

Other things I was reminded of or learned (one liners) :

You have to find out all the students' interests and the little things about them.

Have a lot of fun.

Have a plan to grow over the summer :)

Make mistakes.

Results are not immediate... if you ever even get to see them.

Counter the cortisol with more oxytocin (cuddles! :) ).

Funniest quote of the weekend:
Children are like farts. You can handle your own, but others are unbearable ;p

Video of the weekend :
https://youtu.be/vzrjEP5MOT4
Cuddle hormones ;p