My mind and heart are overflowing with all the passion, knowledge, and energy that was shared by the colleagues I was fortunate enough to learn with and from at the International Literacy Association Conference in Boston. I’ll be reading, digesting and thinking about the sessions for weeks to come. But while the experience is still fresh in my mind, I want to share some key take aways.
“We all have a life worth writing about.” Adora Svitak
“Give your students a little piece of sky; help them soar.” Kwame Alexander
“We get better by doing the best we can” Mark Overmeyer
“Invite students to live writerly lives.” Paula Bourque
“Play opened avenues in my brain that I didn’t know existed.” Jennifer Jacobsen
“Look for the surprises in your writing…that’s where the gold of the story is hiding.” Cynthia Lord
“Let kids know our passion for reading” Penny Kittle & Kelly Gallagher
“Books provide imaginative rehearsals for the real world.” Kelly Gallagher
“Let kids know that “what they have to say matters.” Linda Rief
“We want kids to be responsive to the characters & themselves” Bob Probst
My weekend in Boston was also filled with seeing old friends and meeting online friends in real life.
If you’ve never attended a national conference, it’s an experience you’ll never forget. Thank you, ILA, for a wonderful weekend!
Thank you to Stacey, Dana, Betsy, Beth, Kathleen, Deb, Melanie, and Lisa for this space for teachers and others to share their stories each Tuesday. Be sure to visit Two Writing Teachers to read more Slice of Life posts.
Reading to the Core 
Oh, those quotes! Thank you for sharing. I so wish I could of attended #ILA16, but I’m thankful for all the sharing via blogs and Twitter. That’s the beauty of our community.
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I loved the quotes, Catherine. There were so many amazing speakers and powerful words shared this weekend. Like you, I will be processing the ILA experience for weeks! It was such a treat to meet you and your presentation on Visual Literacy was fabulous. I know I will incorporate what I learned there with my students this year and we’ll all be the better for it. Thank you so much!
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I love the quotes you chose. ILA was such a great experience. I wish I could have seen your presentation on Visual Literacy – it sounds intriguing. There is just so much to do at ILA – I’m trying to figure out how I can clone myself for next time so that I can attend multiple sessions at once.
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Thanks for sharing! I loved the quotes. I attended a conference this week to, and it was amazing. The whole focus was on teaching the love of reading and making it a life long love. 🙂
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Conferences like ILA invigorate me. It feels like my brain is on overdrive, but so is my heart since I get to see so many people (like you!) that I treasure.
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Sounds wonderful, and especially in Boston. Glad you were able to go, and to present!
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Sounds like a wonderful time with great learning and good friends, Catherine!
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What wonderful nuggets you shared! So glad you presented with Colleen. So sad I didn’t see you! What a great topic!
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I’ve been hearing so many great things about the ILA conference. I’m glad you were able to attend and take in motivating ideas as well as connecting with online friends. Did Stacey let you rub her belly?
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I love the way you organized your piece by sharing a nugget of learning from each presenter. And great to meet you at the slicer breakfast!
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i definitely want to go to one someday!! maybe next year! do you know where next year is?!
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I think it’s in Orlando. I’m sure they’ll have information on their website. It’s absolutely worth the trip!
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