Summary of NCTE trip!

I know this is lame, but here is my blog post for November, which doubled as my trip report to the tribe. I will report on December next. Maybe this weekend... And pictures will be up here soon!

From November 18th to November 20th, I had the privilege of attending the Annual Convention of the National Council of Teachers of English in Orlando, Florida at Walt Disney World’s Coronado Springs Resort. The theme of the convention was “Teachers and Students Together: Living Literate Lives.”

My travel day began at noon on November 17th, when I left the E.A.G.L.E. Center to drive to the Rapid City Regional Airport. Since my plane had been delayed I was put onto an earlier flight, and from then on my trip to Orlando, with stops in Denver and Dallas, was uneventful. I arrived in Orlando close to my 9:45 AM ETA, and had just enough time to check-in at the All-Star Sports Resort and receive my luggage before the shuttle departed for the first featured session at Coronado Springs. Disney provides shuttle service from the airport to all of their resorts, which was very convenient!

The program schedule was extremely full, with one general session per day and a long list of elective options throughout each day. Some sessions that I especially appreciated included “Using Books to Ban Racial Stereotypes,” “Taking Risks With ‘At Risk’ Learners,” and “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Censorship But Were Too Chilled To Ask.” There were approximately fifty options for most elective slots, which made my decisions quite a challenge, but every session I attended applied directly to my personal and professional interests. I took note of several new strategies and activities that I hope to use in the future, and may have uncovered some new ways to challenge and motivate my students.

The remainder of the time I had at the convention was mainly spent in the Exhibit Hall, where I gathered information about programs, curriculum, and assessments. I kept my eyes open for enrichment activities and for some practical help with our EC yearbook, finding a great “reader’s theatre” collection and two affordable student publishing programs. Some other things of interest were a Bible literacy curriculum and a few fun children's book merchants. I also spent some time at the book merchants, finding an anthology to use in seventh and eighth grade and other great literature on sale.

As for the final purpose of professional conferences, while I did not take advantage of any extra recreational opportunities provided at Walt Disney World, I got what I wanted most: a nap in a hammock under swaying palm trees and a few opportunities to swim. I also had tasty, though very expensive, food, and had one particularly nice dinner out of my per diem allowance at Kouzzina by Cat Cora, a Mediterranean restaurant. The Convention was refreshing and reinvigorating in many ways, and I look forward to incorporating some of my new ideas and new materials into my instruction.

The biggest thing I learned is that next time I'm taking a buddy, so if you're an English teacher who wants to go to NCTE in a few years, let me know!

Love you all! Sorry I have gotten so far behind! Christina