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We are the possible…

March 18, 2013 by Amber 2 Comments

One of the key reasons I was so excited to come to ASCD was the opportunity to see and hear Maya Angelou speak. I genuinely considered this a bucket list moment.

imagesFrom the moment she stepped out and opened her talk with scripture and a sing, I was hooked. This feisty, almost 85 year old woman, held the crowd in the palm of her hand from the start. Her story, which she shared a brief amount of, is an inspiration to anyone who works with children. She was witty, she was honest, she is

Anyone who has ever discounted a student, for any number of reasons, should hear Ms. Angelou’s tale. Raped at nine by her mother’s boyfriend, she named her attacker only to have him turn up dead the next day. Believing that she caused the death by speaking his name, she fell mute. She was poor, black, living in poverty in Arkansas..and now mute. How easy would it have been for her to be written off? A cautionary tale to all teachers…

At sixteen, she was a single mother in San Francisco. At every point she was down, she mentioned having a rainbow in the cloud. There was always someone in her life that encouraged her, that helped her see who and what she could accomplish. Her “Uncle Willy” was that role model for her, always encouraging others.

Her message centered around support, encouragement, and recognizing what effect you can have on others. She wouldn’t be where she was without those who were there for her..

Angelou closed by calling for educators to recognize their power: ”We are the possible. We are the true. We are the miracle.”

This was such a powerful message for me to hear, being surrounded by the “rainbows” of my ASCD peers. I look to many of the people that I was sitting with for inspiration, to give advice, even to challenge me. (I’m working on that…)  It was a monumental moment to hear this amazing woman, one who inspires millions…one who was asked to write an inauguration poem for Clinton…is talking to educators and calling them to recognize their power.

“We are the possible. We are the true. We are the miracle.”

Connectivity, connections, relationships…be the rainbow in someone’s cloud.

rain cloud avoidN,

Amber

Filed Under: Leadership Tagged With: #ascd13, #cpchat

ASCD bound

March 14, 2013 by Amber Leave a Comment

logo_ascd_acI am puh-retty excited about going to ASCD tomorrow!! I’ve been to ASCD before, but I went with my techno team in sunny FL a few years ago. It was a memorable experience for many reasons (it may be smart to make sure your secretary has actually REGISTERED you for the conference…) but this time will be completely different.
For starters, I’m heading there…alone. As in ALL BY MYSELF! Those who know me are gasping in shock right now, I know. I can barely walk to get tea from the cafeteria alone much less go to an airport, fly somewhere, get to my hotel, and then attend a conference alone!

Why the grownupness, you ask?

It started with this email.

“A colleague has requested  a press pass for you to the ASCD Annual Conference and Exhibit Show in Chicago, Ill. on March 16-18. If this is an event you would like to attend, please RSVP to my colleague Marissa B, who is cc:ed here. She will collect all your details and get you set up.

For more information on attending as media, please see: http://ac13.ascd.org/media/main.aspx. You will be writing about leadership for the Connected Principals blog, we’re really looking forward to seeing your coverage. I also encourage you to tweet about the conference leading up, and during, your time in Chicago, using the hashtag #ASCD13. In addition, we’d love to have you at the Tweet Up.”

I paused for about two minutes. Then the reality of meeting my twitter tweeps like @PrincipalJ, @Joe_Mazza, @NMHS_Principal, & @stumpteacher kicked in…I even think @gcouros will be there! Then my mind jumped to great sessions like Leading with Instruction in Mind, The Power of Transformational Leadership: Transforming Schools Through Innovative Leadership Capacity, & In the Balance: Enhancing Teacher Effectiveness, Leadership, and Evaluation. 

You think I’d be sold then, right? Nope, but almost. It wasn’t until I realized that two of the select presenters were Maya Angelou and Sandra Day O’Conner would be there. Bucket list material!!

So that has evolved into me actually going…and being SUPER excited! I do have a friend from high school there to come get me if I end up lost somewhere, 🙂 and a fireman friend of MT’s will meet at the airport to give me a rail pass. Now, just to find out what that means, 🙂

 

ChiTown-cited,

Amber

 

 

Filed Under: Conferences Tagged With: #ascd13, #cpchat

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