UCIRA Conference

Boy am I glad I don't have to be to work at a specific time everyday!!! Yesterday and today I attended the Utah Council of the International Reading Association Conference in Salt Lake (I went because I am the Treasurer of the Davis County Chapter plus I am getting Points to keep my Teaching License current). Friday morning had to meet some other ladies so we could carpool down at 7:30 a.m. Well, I had to get my three little girls out of bed at 6:30 a.m. so I could get them dressed, fed and their hair done before dropping them off at my friend Sara's at 7:15 so she could watch them for me while I was at the conference (Scott was gone Elk Hunting with his nephews). If I was really teaching school, this would be my life EVERYDAY! When I got home on Friday, my girls were all over me! They told me over and over again how much they missed me (this is a first) and asked why I needed to be gone again tomorrow.

When we arrived at the Sheraton Hotel where the conference was being held, I walked up to the registration table to get my nametag and bag. I sent in my registration the last week of October so I could get a $20 discount (since I was paying for myself and the registration for the two days was $130) but I hadn't received any correspondence to say my registration was received. The other ladies from the DCIRA council had sent their registrations together because the school district was paying for them. I get in line to get my stuff and low and behold they do not have a nametag for me. They sent me to the New Registration Desk and they check their computers and my name is not in their official database. I explained that I sent my registration the last week of October and I was just praying they weren't going to turn me away or make me pay$150. The lady at the table just grabbed a nametag, asked me to spell my name, she handed me my nametag and a bag and I was set to go! I was so relieved!!! (When I got home, I pulled up my bank statement and yes, my check had cleared and I had paid for the conference.)

When I walked into the Conference Room for the first Keynote Speaker, I was setting my stuff in a chair where my friends were and I saw Reed Spencer sitting a few tables over. Reed was my principal at the Early Childhood Center where I had taught my last four years. I walked over to say hi and he was shocked to see me. He asked me, "Are you back?" I just laughed and said that I wasn't but I was attending to keep my license current. We talked about our families and he told me about his new job at the State Office of Education. It was sooo good to see a familiar face!! He talked on Saturday as a Keynote Speaker and he had me wave my hand as he told a story that happened at the ECC (I remembered the incident even though it hadn't happened with kids in my class). Over the two days I saw several teachers I had worked with over the years and they all had the same question "Are you back?" I was very happy to tell them NO! Maybe someday I'll go back--who knows??

The conference was actually really good. I have been out of the classroom for 5 1/2 years now and it was refreshing to know that things haven't changed too much. There were a few acronyms one of the presenters talked about that I really had no clue what they meant but I had a good idea.

Friday as we were driving home, I was sitting in the backseat of Calleen's car (one of the ladies from DCIRA) and it was stop and go rush hour traffic on I-15. Now I am not one to usually get sick in the car but boy did I feel yucky on the way home!! I had to roll down my window and get a little fresh air and I mostly just closed my eyes and tried not to watch where we were going. I realized after I got home that I was starving. At the conference, they had a little brunch with fruit and muffins at 10:00, they then fed us lunch at 11:45 and then the conference ended at 4:30. If I have a say, they really need to spread the food out a little better. At lunchtime I was hardly hungry because we had just had a snack an hour earlier. (On Saturday, I took a baggie of Pretzels, a baggie of Goldfish crackers, a water bottle and a box of Wheat Thins--I was more than happy to share them with my friends from DCIRA and I didn't get sick at all on the way home Saturday!!)
Today, I didn't have to get my girls up and out the door because my Mom came and spent the night (Thanks Mom!!) so she watched my girls today. The first keynote speaker today was Dr. Ray Reutzel from Utah State University. I was very interested to hear what he had to say. My last year teaching (2003-2004), our school received the Reading First Grant. He was one of the main people in charge of the grant for the schools in Ogden School District so he came to my classroom and he held several workshops and trainings (things with the grant really picked up a lot after I quit so I missed a lot of the important reading things they started). Anyway, I was interested in what he had to say about reading. His keynote was about Motivating Readers and it was very interesting. After the keynote, I decided to listen to his session on Literacy Centers. If any of you know me well as a kindergarten teacher I am a huge advocate for Centers (I did three different center times in my classroom each day: Literacy Centers, Math Centers and Thematic Centers). As I was listening to him talk, I had a mental checklist going on in my head. Almost all the best practices for Literacy Centers he mentioned, I had done!! I am not too far out of the loop!! Dr. Reutzel held another class after lunch about teaching the alphabet (totally a kindergarten concept) so I attended that too! Again, most of the things he talked about I had done in my classroom!

I am so glad I was able to attend this conference! It was definitely well worth the money I spent! There were vendors there handing out sample packets of different reading programs. I ended up bringing home a stack of books that they handed out plus I WON a door prize drawing and I picked out a box set of books to teach comprehension! It was a wonderful two days!!

When I got home today, my girls thought it was Christmas as they pulled book after book after book from my bag. I think they enjoy having me home most of the time with them--I know I do!!