Today I was immersed in words. Powerful words. Poignant words. Inspiring words. This is what happens when you attend a Teachers College Reading and Writing Project Saturday Reunion.
This day-long celebration of literacy is a veritable feast of learning and professional development. Educators travel from around the world to be part of this amazing experience. As I have for more than ten years, I left my house before dawn this morning to join them. By the end of the day, my head was spinning with all I had learned. I need time to process by notes and clarify my thoughts. In the meantime, here is a peek into my day.
By the end of this session, my cold was getting the best of me and I reluctantly decided to miss Lucy’s closing keynote. Thanks to the wonder of Twitter, I was able to tune in to Lucy’s moving words as she remembered Kathleen Tolan: “It is an enormous act of love to see potential.”
My thanks to everyone at TCRWP who makes these Saturday Reunions possible. Your words of guidance, support, and encouragement help me see my students with new eyes. Your words help me see their potential.
Thank you to Stacey, Betsy, Beth, Kathleen, Deb, Melanie, Lisa and Lanny for creating this community and providing this space for teachers and others to share their stories every day in March and on Tuesdays throughout the year. Be sure to visit Two Writing Teachers to read more Slice of Life posts.
Reading to the Core 
I followed along all morning on Twitter savoring all the tweets coming from this conference. I am so grateful to all of you who share with us! Thank you!
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What a day you had, Catherine. Thanks for sharing a few slivers in your slice! Looking forward to reading through the feed on Tweetdeck. Feel better!
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Catherine, I was waiting for your post of the Saturday Reunion. I had gone for years and absolutely loved every minute but this year there were just too many other things going on. I am glad that you heard Alfred Tatum. He is impressive. I have heard him speak several times and we had him for our literacy conference on Long Island several year ago. His work in Chicago with struggling students is impressive.
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You are very lucky to be able to go all these years! Thanks for sharing some inspiring things from today, and hurrah for Michelle!
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I’m always grateful to hear snippets from these days! Thank you for sharing—what a day!
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Great collection of pictures to document the day, Catherine. Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks for sharing all these photos from your day, Catherine. Between twitter and some slices today, I felt like I was a part of it. Hope you are feeling better tomorrow.
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It was a great day, wasn’t it? All I sliced were some 6 word memoirs… but I’m looking forward to unpacking all of the Amazing inspiration!
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It sounds like this is such a powerful event. I’m jealous! 🙂 Glad you learned so much and that you shared it with me.
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This was the first reunion I’ve missed in a lot of years. No one to make the 5 hour predawn drive to New York from Boston with me. I didn’t think about the train. Twitter help me catch up but it’s not the same as the incredible immersion. What a gift. Love your pictures.
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Was hoping to get there to hear Alfred Tatum! Love listening to him. He is so inspiring! Glad to hear you had a good day!
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You’re so fortunate — hope to make it there someday!!
Thank you for posting your pics with such a delightful post!
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Thanks for sharing your day!! I’ve always wanted to go, but living abroad makes it tricky. Looks like so much fun and so much learning!
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Thanks for sharing your insightful comments and inspiring photos for this TCRWP reunion even when you weren’t feeling well. You helped all of us who couldn’t be there feel a little more connected.
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Thanks for the quick synopsis of your day. The Emily Butler Smith session looked good, and so did Shana Frazen’s session on series books. My colleagues were there early enough to grab a shot with Lucy. The keynote message you noted in your caption, “that move our humanity,” is one to ponder deeply. If we made every decision with that in mind, we would in fact be contributing to a healthier generation. I look forward to the days ahead as I know you will share more details.
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I LOVE the way you shared your day and the literacy that carried you throughout the day. I am super jealous and thank all of you who were there for sharing!
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I absolutely love this slice! 🙂 I love the images attached to your words and memories. This post gave me great energy!
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Look how wrapped up you and Lanny are! I hope the temperatures rise this week. Such wonderful posts about the TC reunion. I’m glad you were able to go. Now go have a cup of tea.
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