This weekend I attended the San Diego Area Writing Project Spring Conference. This is how events with the writing project feel:

A  warm hug and a smile.

Catching up with colleagues and friends,

some you haven’t seen for months,

some weeks.

The session begins and you are asked to write,

give input,

throw your own ideas into the ring.

You matter.

Instead of information being relayed to you,

you, the audience member,

engage, reflect, discuss,

new concepts, ideas, ways of writing.

In the sessions you hear from real teachers

who are in their classrooms everyday,

trying out (and sometimes failing at) ideas.

The beauty is in the practice, the effort.

Rather than being sold a product you are asked to try on a concept,

take it, change it, amp it up,

as long as it helps kids to think, to grow, to change.

Every time you leave with some new idea but more than that,

a sense that you are not alone in the quest to make your practices better,

to refine your craft.

You are part of a larger group of amazing educators

who give up their Saturday to learn, and laugh and connect.

Thank you SDAWP for another wonderful conference and for

a chance to spend time with my writing family.