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.