NWP @ Rutgers
So I guess now I’m officially a Teacher Consultant for the National Writing Project. I presented my demo at the Midwinter Conference and am one of them now. All of my cohert from the summer was there and most of us presented. I heard good things about many of the sessions and also saw some good presentations myself. I think that we, as a group, did well.
One thing that struck me as interesting was how nervous many of the other presenters were. They were very stressed out about the whole thing, looked forward to it being all over, and were clearly relieved when it was over. Throughout the day many people asked me if I was nervous. I really wasn’t. Perhaps it’s because I’ve presented this demo twice already, or maybe because this is not the first conference at which I’ve presented, but I really was comfortable with my role as presenter. Actually, I’ll go even farther than that–I had fun presenting.
Perhaps it’s my ego–maybe I’m just arrogant–but I enjoy presenting at conferences. I like it when I am well-informed, even an expert in one area, and am allowed to share that expertise with others. I like being on stage and being smart. I like sharing what I know with a group, fielding questions, showing the hard work I’ve done. I really think it’s fun. It is nice to be done, and be able to focus on other stuff, but I really had a good time.
But I find, once again, that the best part of the conference wasn’t actually the conference itself. It wasn’t Will Richardson’s keynote. Nor was it the sessions I attended. It was the community. Meeting up with professionals that I enjoy talking to and who are doing great things with their students. Going out for a few drinks afterwards and catching up on both our personal and professional lives. These are the same things that I enjoy about NCTE. It’s not just the conference, it’s the network of great people.
Anyway, if you have the chance to go, the Midwinter Conference is really good. NCTE is still my home, and I’ll always look forward to the November conference, but this is a nice pick-me-up in the middle of winter. I look forward to continuing to be a part of NWP.
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