At least, that's what it felt like as I was packing to go to the Rainbow Lodge in North Bend for four days. That's why, when I heard them passing the hashtag #campCSTP that I just had to smile under my breath. Trust me, I've been to 4-H camp, girl scout camp and camping with teens.....this was the best camping trip ever--besides the fact that it was indoors, the meals were cooked by a chef and I was surrounded by great people!
I hadn't even gotten in the building yet and was brimming with excitement.
I started each day with an early activity. My first day was a beautiful run.
My next day was a hike with a group of new friends. We went to the top of Little Si.
And the final morning, I carried my coffee around and walked the trails around us.
A cozy room made for a wonderful night's rest.
Each morning, I would take quiet time to reflect on the previous day. Honestly, at night, I was simply to tired to journal about the day. I utilized the mornings before breakfast to do some reflection. This was simply the perfect spot.
Let's be honest...the facilities, food, friends and comforts of home, DO make a difference when you are at a conference. Rainbow Lodge lived up to its name. Beautiful wildlife, plenty of places to think quietly and a comfortable conference room to work together in. And boy did we work.
The first session was Leadership. Lindsey Stevens and Katie Taylor rocked my world.
This was the third time that I had been through the Teacher Leadership Framework. I never get tired of unpacking the contents. Every time, I gain something more. I blogged about it here.
It also helps to be surrounded by like minded people. To hear their passions and what was the driving force behind their desire to be a leader in their district was powerful and inspiring. This session helped to put my mind and heart in the right place for what was to come.
Our conversations went late into the evening.
Session two was Advocacy with Sarah Applegate and Marianne Hunter. These ladies are amazing. During this session we looked at the appropriate way to state your message, how to put action to your proposal and gave us real life opportunities to speak to the possible stakeholders in our plan.
During this session I walked away with my plan...
It wasn't complete, but I had a big start, colleague input and a more clear vision. We heard from a lobbyist. And then, we were given the opportunity to speak with a legislator, school board member and newspaper reporter. We had 2-3 minutes to propose our idea and then 7 minutes to answer their questions and receive feedback.
The fear was real prior to speaking to them. I am rarely nervous when speaking to anyone, but when you only have two minutes to share what you are passionate about, you better make it count. In between appointments, we had time to visit with one another about how things went and what we needed to work on. Again, hearing what other people were passionate about and the incredible ways that they wanted to impact students just lights a fire in you! Teachers across our state are doing amazing things. We need to honor those things, yell them from the rooftops and showcase what we are doing on a day to day basis. Needless to say, this session also ended late into the evening. Discussions of health insurance, ELL students, Professional Development in districts were just a few of the topics that crossed our lips that night.
The last session was writing. The presenter was _____________. While she gave us wonderful tips, she also gave us the gift of time to write. We spent hours being able to write, reflect and discuss. We met one on one with Sonia (?), we met in small groups and we met in our large group setting. The writings that I heard still leave me breathless. Narratives about students, educators wanting to write a novel, articles for professional publications and blogging ideas just barely cover what was produced during this session. I took the time to write my Teach to Lead proposal and multiple blog entries.
There was a small group of us that attended all three sessions. (Lindsey Stevens and Mary Jo _______ not pictured). I would highly suggest attending all three sessions. The participants who attended one session were sad to leave. They had tools in their toolkit but were wishing they could stay for the "more". Each session was purposeful. They could stand alone or blended together perfectly depending upon which sessions you chose. That takes talent and planning on the part of CSTP. You can not dismiss the relationship building that was built in to every single moment of our day. They modeled Leadership, Advocacy and good Writing. Those 4 days were certainly a gift.
A gift that I plan on sharing throughout my leadership journey.
My take away?
I walked away from this conference understanding that I must be patient, diligent and RELENTLESS. I will respect the fact that getting my administrative credential is going to be time consuming. Add to that being a National Board facilitator for teachers and the calendar already looks full of meeting with amazing educators. I don't do anything half way, so I want to honor my time and ability to balance "life". I know that I can make my "IGNITING THE TEACHER LEADER IN YOU!" a reality because it is going to be my mission to relate it, live it and practice it during my study of administration. You can bet that I will be RELENTLESS in my pursuit of this dream. I will definitely go back to what I learned at Camp CSTP. It is the foundation of my coming year.
And when you walk away from a conference with a viable dream, excitement and support--is there a better gift? I don't think so.
The first session was Leadership. Lindsey Stevens and Katie Taylor rocked my world.
This was the third time that I had been through the Teacher Leadership Framework. I never get tired of unpacking the contents. Every time, I gain something more. I blogged about it here.
It also helps to be surrounded by like minded people. To hear their passions and what was the driving force behind their desire to be a leader in their district was powerful and inspiring. This session helped to put my mind and heart in the right place for what was to come.
Our conversations went late into the evening.
Session two was Advocacy with Sarah Applegate and Marianne Hunter. These ladies are amazing. During this session we looked at the appropriate way to state your message, how to put action to your proposal and gave us real life opportunities to speak to the possible stakeholders in our plan.
During this session I walked away with my plan...
The last session was writing. The presenter was _____________. While she gave us wonderful tips, she also gave us the gift of time to write. We spent hours being able to write, reflect and discuss. We met one on one with Sonia (?), we met in small groups and we met in our large group setting. The writings that I heard still leave me breathless. Narratives about students, educators wanting to write a novel, articles for professional publications and blogging ideas just barely cover what was produced during this session. I took the time to write my Teach to Lead proposal and multiple blog entries.
There was a small group of us that attended all three sessions. (Lindsey Stevens and Mary Jo _______ not pictured). I would highly suggest attending all three sessions. The participants who attended one session were sad to leave. They had tools in their toolkit but were wishing they could stay for the "more". Each session was purposeful. They could stand alone or blended together perfectly depending upon which sessions you chose. That takes talent and planning on the part of CSTP. You can not dismiss the relationship building that was built in to every single moment of our day. They modeled Leadership, Advocacy and good Writing. Those 4 days were certainly a gift.
My take away?
I walked away from this conference understanding that I must be patient, diligent and RELENTLESS. I will respect the fact that getting my administrative credential is going to be time consuming. Add to that being a National Board facilitator for teachers and the calendar already looks full of meeting with amazing educators. I don't do anything half way, so I want to honor my time and ability to balance "life". I know that I can make my "IGNITING THE TEACHER LEADER IN YOU!" a reality because it is going to be my mission to relate it, live it and practice it during my study of administration. You can bet that I will be RELENTLESS in my pursuit of this dream. I will definitely go back to what I learned at Camp CSTP. It is the foundation of my coming year.
And when you walk away from a conference with a viable dream, excitement and support--is there a better gift? I don't think so.
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