The past few weeks have been insane. My job is usually pretty low-key, but I have been nonstop running since coming back from Thanksgiving Break, and I don't love it. The first week back, I had two field trips to plan and go on, a two-day conference to attend, and two parent meetings to plan and execute. The next week I had a training meeting, another parent event, and a Santa Shop to plan and run. Things are finally starting to slow down again, and I'm so glad.
The conference I went to was called Because Kids Count and it was put on by the Indiana Youth Institute. I'd never been to a professional conference before, so I felt pretty big-time. I had a plastic name tag and everything. There were several good sessions on getting parents involved, but I'll admit there were two highlights for me, neither of which directly impact my job.
1. I won a raffle. There was a resource center where dozens of exhibitors had booths set up that you could visit. There was a page of questions - a scavenger hunt of sorts - you could answer about various exhibitors and then you could enter one of the five raffles. My raffle was the first that they called, and they called my name! I rarely win anything, so it was such a pleasant surprise! I won 30 Pacers tickets for our school. My immediate thought was to break them up into small groups and use them as door prizes for parent events. My principal's first thought was to use them for a staff outing, specifically for certified staff (not me). Umm...no. We haven't made a decision yet. :)
2. Leigh Anne Tuohy, the mom in "The Blind Side" spoke. It was cool to see the woman that the movie was based on, and surprisingly, she was even feistier in person than she was portrayed in the movie. She repeatedly emphasized the point that their story started with them just turning their car around that one night to check on Michael. How powerful we can all be in the lives of others if we just turn around and take a minute to check on people.
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