Some of my favorite memories of NCTE Day Two involve authors who inspire young people and educators. In the keynote speech, Jimmy Santiago Baca reminded us that only knowledge will combat ignorance, and that we are dream makers for our students. At the CEE Luncheon, Angie Thomas, the author of The Hate U Give, reminded us that racism is real, that we as educators have the power to fight systemic racism, and that the words of teachers really can hurt, help, and heal our students. She talked about a first grade teacher who she overheard saying something that hurt so much that she still remembers it as an adult. Yet she also talked about a third grade teacher who told her to take her pain and write about it, which got me choked up because that's one of many reasons why I too write. I was so inspired, and her talk reminded me that deep down, our students want approval from their teachers so badly, and the words we say out loud or in side conversations really can hurt or help. I feel like I need to be even more mindful of how what I say might affect my students. Angie Thomas's third grade teacher was a large contributing factor to why she became a writer. I'd love to think that a seventh grade teacher can have the same positive effect on her students.
My colleague Mary Ann and I were both interested in going to sessions about digital technology and critical thinking. She went to a session that had great materials about asking students to question their news sources, regardless of their own political beliefs, or lack thereof. The presentation link is here and includes resources that educators can go to for more information, including a Facebook page. I went to a session about digital technology and inquiry, and the link is here. Some of the lesson plans applied to high school more so than to middle school, but I loved some of their techniques, such as the PollEv.com word exchange/collage they did as an introduction. This is something I could see doing with my students, along with infographics and the collaborative research project with digital sources that Barbara Robbins described toward the beginning of the presentation. They also recommended a book that I think would be helpful to me, Collaboration and Comprehension by Stephanie Harvey and Harvey "Smokey" Daniels. I believe this book could apply very specifically to the work I'm doing with Mvx at Mount Vernon Presbyterian School. Another book I'm interested in, based on what I learned today, is Master the Media: How Teaching Media Literacy Can Save Our Plugged-in World by Julie Smith.
Throughout the day, as my colleagues and I prepared our Saturday presentation and I reconnected with other colleagues/friends from graduate school, people asked me a lot of questions about my game design and writing project-based learning assignment. This was flattering and unexpected; it gave me ideas for what I might present and write about in the future and made me glad that I had encouragement to do this project with students. At Mount Vernon Presbyterian School, one of the guiding principles is "share the well," which I also believe is a major purpose of the NCTE Conference.
Today, I look forward to presenting my own session with two colleagues at noon and to attending more sessions related to inquiry and digital technology. Jacqueline Woodson will speak soon, which I am sure will be inspiring. I also hope to find resources related to comics that interest young adolescents, since I do the Comics Club at school.
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