Thank you to those of you who attended our panel presentation on Saturday morning at the Gaylord National Resort. For those of you who were unable to attend NCTE, we wanted to share our presentations with you. Click here to view an online flier, with links to each of our presentations (housed on emaze and Google Drive).
While you won’t be able to hear us give the actual presentation, we hope that sharing our slides will be helpful. Should you have any questions for us about any of the slides in our presentations, please leave a comment and we’ll answer them!
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I attended many incredible sessions. Here’s a sampling of some of the smart thinking authors and literacy leaders shared during the conference:
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“If you want to write for kids you have to be in touch w/the part of you that’s a kid.” -Ralph Fletcher
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“I don’t write what I know. I write what I want to know more about.” -Brian Floca
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“Develop students’ searchable footprints as readers and writers (e.g., by responding to books online).” -Sara Kajder
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“You need to take a risk on new voices. You’re going to need to take advocacy in your own hands.” -Meg Medina
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“Diversity isn’t just cultural. It’s also of ability and sexual orientation… about showcasing and sharing.” -Anita Merina
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“An author is someone who comes up with the idea for a story; not just someone who writes words.” -Susan Lattuca-Meshberger
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“Diversity isn’t just for diverse populations, it’s for everyone.” -Ellen Oh
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“Graphic organizers should be a temporary thing; students need to make decisions about how they’re taking notes on their own.” -Emily Butler Smith
For more, check out my conference tweets (11/20 – 11/23).
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Part of the fun of NCTE is the post-conference activities. We got together with Slicer friends at McLoone’s Pier House for dinner on Saturday. Slicers came from: California, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Viriginia, Washington, and JAPAN! (I think I got everyone. If I inadvertently missed your geographic location, please let me know!) What a pleasure it was to come together with other teacher-writers for dinner! As I looked around the table, it was like getting together with old friends, many of whom I had met in-person for the first time this weekend. We exchanged writing gifts, ate dinner, talked shop (of course), and made tentative plans to meet this summer for a writing retreat! Many thanks to everyone who took time out of their conference schedule to meet for dinner!
- Writing Gift Exchange
- #SOL14 Dinner at #NCTE14
- Several of us hung out by the Awakening on the beach at National Harbor after dinner.
TWO WRITING TEACHERS 
Amazing! I had no idea why we Slice on Tuesdays. I am laughing out loud. It was wonderful spending time with such a great group.
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At least Tuesdays have a feel now! :0
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Thanks for arranging the dinner, Stacey! It was great to meet everyone and exchange writing gifts.
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As Margaret said, it was an amazing weekend and my brain is so full, I’ll be processing for days to come. The TWT presentation was full of useful information. I’m especially inspired by Dana’s family writing night ideas and can’t wait to try this at my school. Thank you for everything you all do to help me be a better writer and a better writing teacher!
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Stacey, there were so many highlights at NCTE, but top of my list is meeting you and all of the TWT and Slicers who were immediate friends. Thanks for your support at the Elementary Gathering and for organizing the dinner. I am still processing and will spend the day trying to capture my experience in a slice. I was sad to leave. My heart is full of new friendships that I think will last a while.
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