Find Me On FACEBOOK....gulp!!

I know, I know! I have been avoiding Facebook for several years for lots of reasons......

1. I can't even keep two bathrooms clean at once, how would I ever find time to check Facebook?
2. It's for kids! I like the thought of letting my kids have their own clubhouse, a place to call their own, a place that I am not invited.
3. At the end of the day, I like to hang up my parent ed hat. In all sincerity, I take pride in being very available to my students.  I worry that if I come out on Facebook, that I will be doing parent education in my jammies at all hours of the day.
4. I do NOTHING in moderation. Not. one. thing. I am attracted to bright shiny things and have to force myself to be a grown up sometimes. Does Hazelden have a program for Facebook addicts yet?

With these concerns in mind, I did a thorough investigation about a possible future relationship between me and Facebook.  I asked friends who know me well.  I asked my kids.  I asked small business owners.  I hemmed, I hawed, and I stewed...... Eventually, I sat down between two twenty somethings that held my hand as they walked me through privacy settings and administrative details to my new place.

I am happy to announce that you can find a small part of me on Facebook beginning today!  I have a business page so that all of you who love to know what I am doing and where I am speaking next can keep track of me. I am working hard at making my classroom bigger than the one I occupy in Winona and I am very serious about engaging Minnesotans in a conversation to save childhood.  I am looking for champions of childhood.  I hope you are with me!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Katy-Smith/501711756519108

Flipping for Books

I am so excited about Jon Klassen's new book! I will read it to you all on Saturday at the high school at 10:00am!

Time to Say "Goodbye"

 

“Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” 

― A.A. Milne


I think I have it.  I have been obsessing for awhile about how to say goodbye to my blog.  It is time.  I don't want to say goodbye until I have a place to send you, my loyal readers, to though.  I will have that new place next weekend.  For now, for you and for me, it seems like a great time for some reflection and gratitude. I am truly grateful for the life and career changer being named the 2011 Minnesota Teacher of the Year has been.  I think I just might spend the rest of my life thanking people for the great opportunity to make my classroom so much bigger than I had ever imagined it could be. I have always been curious about limits, especially the ones we put on ourselves.  I had no choice in this but to embrace the advice from Dr. David Walsh.  He told me to "walk through every door that opens for you" and I did.  I am a better person for it and braver indeed.  I have been given a new sense of confidence in the work that I do.  Thank you for that!

Anoka, The Halloween Capital of the World!

I spoke last night in Anoka, MN the Halloween Capital of the World! I didn't mean to take a spooky picture but it fits.  I got all caught up after my talk to a house full of parents with a fellow Winona State University Alumni. By the time I remembered to take a picture for my blog, I was outside laughing with my new pal.  She agreed to let me post whatever showed up on my camera! I love spontaneous, fun folks and Minnesota is full of them. I am so honored to spend time with parents talking about what kids need from the grown ups who love and care about them.  My youngest audience member to date is little Elin, she is ten days old today and I was happy to be the first keynoter in her life! Thanks to Miscelle for organizing a great evening.  I hope to see you all again.

Thank You Aldrich!

What a pleasure to spend the evening with parents, teachers and staff at Aldrich Memorial Nursery School last night.  Some of the teachers had heard me speak last fall in Pine Island and worked hard to make last night happen.  Aldrich is a beautiful facility in Rochester, MN.  A warm, inviting place full of nice people....just the kind of place you would want your child to be. I was thinking on my drive home that I ought to be taking names. When I think about how many people I have asked to be champions for childhood in the last 18 months or so, the list would be impressive.

 

"I Want My Hat Back" was a big hit.  I am starting to feel like that old bear is my friend.  I took the time to find an email address for Jon Klassen and told him how much I love his book and how many Minnesotans do too.  I got the nicest email back from him. I love to read to kids. I believe that parents who love to read pass that love along to their children through hours of lap time and piles of books. It's cuddle up season in Minnesota, a perfect time to snuggle in with a child and a great book.

New York City!

Oh My Goodness!! Here it is, the Big Apple. She is full of sights, sounds, people, and so much fun. We hit the ground running, the class of 2012 and I. We were all torn between crossing things off of our own bucket lists (I need to see Lady Liberty!, I need to shop!, I need to eat a _______!, I need to find David Letterman!) and sticking close together, knowing that we had just two days left to be together.

I joined the group heading to the "Top of the Rock" and was blown away! New York City is massive.  We had so much fun finding places that are part of the American experience, The Empire State Building, The Chrysler Building, Central Park, The Statue of Liberty, and St. Patrick's Cathedral and the list goes on and on. It is fun to run around with teachers.  Every few minutes, no matter who is leading the line, a teacher turns around to count to see if everyone is keeping up and to make sure he or she hasn't lost one.

Our time in NYC included some work for the Pearson Foundation, one of our sponsors. We needed to contribute our thoughts and a recording about 5 Things I Know about education. This was harder than it sounds. We all wanted to honor the work we all do in classrooms.  I wrote about what children need from childhood and supporting parents. As soon as my turn was over, I thought about what I forgot and just needed to let it go. We also had the opportunity to "debrief" with CCSSO (the Council of Chief State School Officers) about our year as Teachers of the Year. More on that later...

I knew I had to visit the 911 Memorial Site. I went with three other teachers. We each told the story of what it was like to teach on that day. The memorial knocked the wind out of me.  It is beautiful and gut wrenching at the same time.  It is hard to explain  how it felt to be there at night running my hands along all those names....so many, many names. The water crashes down and down again and it felt like it was pulling my heart right along with it.  I had been standing there alone for quite some time when my friends reminded me that there was a whole other pool.  I had forgotten, or maybe I never knew, I don't know but there it was. I will carry that experience with me for the rest of my life.

 

 

I was so moved by the story of the survivor tree that the volunteer told us. It was good to leave with a story of hope and promise at the end of a very emotional experience.

 



ETS

We have wrapped up our work at ETS. We took some time to process our year together and identify what we have learned and where we go from here. Five National Teachers of the Year were with us at the conference to facilitate our conversations and inspire us with their stories.

All this learning in a historic, breathtakingly beautiful place called Princeton. I am inspired!

That my big brother was able to join us for lunch was icing on the cake.

Princeton, NJ

It was a beautiful day here in Princeton! The ETS Conference Center is a perfect location for a teacher gathering. Our morning was spent learning with a focus on neuroscience and technology. We had a feisty discussion among us about what is best for kids.

We spent the evening at "Grounds for Sculpture". It was a stunning place for a field trip! The collection of contemporary sculptures was amazing. I took lots of pictures and had so much fun. Dinner at Rat's Restaurant was so, so yummy with the cutest mini deserts I have ever seen.

Pledge Met!

When I signed on to "Read for the Record", I pledged to read to 100 kids this week.  Thanks to Pod 3 and Pod 4 here at Goodview, I made it! Happy Reading Everyone and thanks to all the great kids in Goodview Elementary School for helping me meet my goal.

Reading Mania

We are reading like crazy here at Goodview School in preparation for Jumpstart's "Read for the Record" on Thursday.  Thanks to all the great listeners in Ms. Bodas' and Mrs. Weaver's classes! We love "Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad".

Who Me?

I am blogging from my car sitting by the lake. I am posting a picture I took with my phone on this spectacular day in September. Who said you couldn't teach an old dog new tricks? I am ready for the big city now...4 days until NYC!

On The Banks of Plum Creek!

Months and months ago, when I was just saying yes to everything and worrying about it later, I said yes to a very kind email from Doug Nelson to speak to educators in Tracy, MN.  I will give you a minute to open a new page in map-quest and see just how far Tracy is from Winona......I was nearly at the border of South Dakota!! Considering that I start any journey just minutes away from the Wisconsin border, this road trip was not for the faint at heart.  There were plenty of cows to count and I played "Going on a Picnic" with myself just to pass the time.  I was really wondering about the whole deal when I came upon Walnut Grove.  Walnut Grove....a place I dreamed about growing up in with millions of other kids totally in love with the Ingalls family so beautifully written about by dear Laura.

I don't know why I got all teary but I did.  I devoured those books one right after another and loved them all. I got to the museum with 10 minutes to spare before closing time.  In all my years as a Minnesotan, I had never been to Walnut Grove, until this week. It was worth the drive to throw a shout out to Laura in my shiny high heels there, on the banks of Plum Creek.

I also had the opportunity to meet and school a whole cafeteria full of great teachers from the surrounding area at their fall drive-in. I was worried about keeping teachers engaged after a long day at work and bellies full of Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy! I met some really nice folks way out there in Ingalls country.  After I was done, I kinda thought about driving to the Corn Palace....heck, I had come so far already!

Here it is!

This was a highlight of my year.  What fun to record "Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad" for the Pearson Foundation's "Read for the Record" event.  Learn more about the wonderful work they do at www.wegivebooks.org.  Enjoy!

Kids In Need Foundation

I was so honored to be asked to keynote at the luncheon celebrating the grand opening of the Teacher Resource Center in Minneapolis.  Kids In Need Foundation stocks warehouses full of school supplies for children all over the country.  Minneapolis is the newest warehouse and it is beautiful.  Before the luncheon began, I was lucky enough to be the inaugural shopper.  It was so fun to shop for goodies for our ECFE program. Teachers all over the state will benefit from the efforts of Dave Smith and Jeanne Mock and their staff as they work together to get supplies into the hands of kids and classrooms who need them. They have so much to be proud of.  Read more about the great work they do at 

http://www.kinf.org/

Before the luncheon began, I spotted the keynoter for the Kids In Need Gala to be held later that evening.  I met Zach Bonner.  When I asked Zach how it came to be that he traveled from Florida to keynote a Gala in Minneapolis, Zach began by telling me "Well, when I was seven, I started a foundation called Little Red Wagon Foundation, to help get school supplies to kids in need". Wow. When I followed up with a question about how he went about finding funding, Zach told me about walking across the United States of America to raise awareness and raise funds!!  This articulate, caring, generous young man blew me out of the water. His is an amazing story! I wish I could have stayed in Minneapolis to hear him speak.

http://www.littleredwagonfoundation.com

Instead, I traveled to Jackson Minnesota (I sang "I'm Going To Jackson" more than once) to meet with Education Minnesota members who live and teach in the area.  Here I am with teachers Rodney Rowe and Cheri Drever. I have met so many great teachers along the way.  They make a great audience at the end of a day. They keep me motivated to gather champions of childhood!

A MN TOY Gathering

I belong to a really cool new club called Minnesota Teachers of the Year.  We had a gathering last week in Bloomington. Meet Brett Smith (1999), Jackie Roehl (current), Derek Olson (2008), Me and Barb Stoflet (2001 and 2002), really great teachers and wonderful storytellers.  I look forward to getting to know them all better.

Jumpstart Read For The Record

Here is the link to my promo for Jumpstart Read for the Record!  I will be reading "Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad" to elementary school kids for the rest of the month in preparation for the big day on October 4th.  When you log in on the 4th, it will be me reading the on line version of the book.  How cool is that?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_omjYcOfiS0

Anoka Hennepin...Really!

It was such an honor to address the entire early childhood staff at Anoka-Hennepin school district.  When they all gather from the largest district in the state, there are over 100 of them.  I put myself way out on a ledge technology wise. My friends in Winona would have been shaking with nerves for me knowing that I was going to use a power point, a DVD and my iPhone during the presentation.  It seemed pretty seamless to me but I have been known to be a little delusional. We covered a lot of ground and felt more committed than ever to the work we do with families in Minnesota. I got such great encouragement from some amazing folks, one in particular whom I have admired for so long, Beth Yokum, a fellow parent educator was in the audience! I had a great morning and look forward to going back to the Anoka- Hennepin district to speak to parents on October 12th. It is so funny to me as I go to post this entry that for the life of me, I can't make the underlining go away.  In a post where I brag about my technology game, that's pretty funny.  Karma, it will get you every time1

I Left My Heart In Hopkins

I was surprised at how emotional I was returning to my high school to deliver the opening day address to the teaching staff.  It has been years since I have been there.  What used to be Lindbergh High School, my alma-mater is now Hopkins High School, home of the Royals.  You can change the colors, you can add on to your hearts content, but it still felt like home to me.

Before I even started, I was met by a classmate,  Laura Thompson (she has a different last name now but I was so happy to see her that I don't remember it). She has been teaching in the Hopkins School District for 30 years. It was teachers like her that I was there to honor by honoring the many wonderful teachers I had in that district.  I know that many of them would have been surprised to see ME on that stage without a clarinet in my mouth.  I was an emotional hot mess until I knocked the first story into the balcony.  From there, I was on a roll.  I told story after story of lesson plans that still echo with me.  We laughed, we got teary, and we all felt so proud of our profession by the time we left.  I am forever grateful to the Superintendent, Dr. John Schultz for capturing this wonderful moment that I wont soon forget.

I can check another Minnesota Teacher of the Year off of my list of folks I long to meet.  Barb Stoflet teaches in the Hopkins School District and I was so happy to give her a hug!

I was able to have thoughtful conversation with the Early Childhood staff at Hopkins before we were all treated to an amazing picnic lunch served by the superintendent and the school board....YUM!  Becky Allen, the Staff Development Director, was my buddy all morning, thanks!  The very next evening after speaking to the staff and heading out of town, my high school track coach called.  He had heard that I was talking about him......it really is a small world and indeed, you can go home again.

Back to School!!

It's official, I am going back to school! I hemmed and hawed.  I putzed and pondered.  I weighed and measured, and finally decided that the offer was too great to pass up.  I am enrolled in another masters degree program at Walden University.  In less than two years, my new degree will be in Early Childhood Public Policy and Advocacy, a perfect choice for me.  I have a full scholarship from Walden that I am so grateful for.  It's never too late to learn something new and I am excited about starting a new learning journey.

As I spell check this entry before posting, it tells me that putzed is not a word.  Really?  Spell check has never met my friend Mary.  Take a road trip with Mary and you will know what it means to putz!

Goodview Days Grand Marshall

I was so honored to be asked to be the Grand Marshall of the Goodview Days Parade this past weekend.  My ride was amazing, a '61 Cadillac Convertible in mint condition.  It took my breath away.

It is the most humbling of experiences to ride through your community on the back of a car and have people shout and wave at you.  I heard such wonderful things like "thank you for representing us" and "we are so proud of you" that I was thankful that I had my sunglasses on.  I live in a great community!

PTA Rocks.....Again!

Each of these women, including myself will be mortified that I put this picture on my blog.  I am wearing shorts that I found in my daughters dresser that I remember wearing in high school, way to small and way too yellow for me but perfect for painting, right?  On one of our painting days, I took what I thought would be a quick trip through the gym to go to my office.  I breezed through the Key Kids Summer Talent Show in front of gobs of kids and dozens of parents.....yikes, I am so sorry!

The point of this post is to thank this partial crew of painters. My classroom has been transformed with fresh coats (three to be exact) of color!  The room make over was compliments of the ECFE PTA and I can't tell you how gorgeous it is and how warm you feel when you walk in. Speaking of walking in, please do! Registrations for fall term were due yesterday.  I can't wait to see you all in just a few days!

Heroes, Real Ones

I have decided that if I am ever granted a super power, I would choose time travel.  If that is not a super power, I would use my super power to declare it one.  I would love to sit down with these seven men who all raised their hand eagerly to man a mission into space for the first time.  I looked at all those rockets, that space station and those teeny, tiny space capsules with a lump in my throat and such admiration for the men and women who sign on to work in them.  I stood with a space suit weighing heavily in my arms and wondered how they ever found the calm center they needed to find as it took more than four hours to put it on.  I got anxious just looking into the space capsule knowing that astronauts spent two weeks in them.  My car looks enormous in comparison.  I would ask these guys why they did it.  I suspect that they would tell me "because it was there".

I have a renewed sense of admiration and gratitude for space pioneers and the scientists and engineers who got them there.  I also have a deep respect for the folks at Space Camp who ignite imagination, innovation and the real sense of possibility.  Each camper is lead by a Space Camp Counselor.  I spent the week under the guidance and care of Wesley Kennedy.  You just won't find anyone else more knowledgeable about the space program.  His wife, Jennifer Kennedy (the 2002 Iowa Teacher of the Year) felt the same way when she met him at Space Camp for Educators. Their geeky love story is charming and inspirational. It is an absolute joy to hang out with people who have found their life's work, Wes is one of those guys.  Heroes love their work and it shows. "This is CAPCOM to Space Camp. Keep up the good work, over!"

Space Camp, The Final Chapter

It was even before I woke up on the third day at Space Camp that I realized that I was really liking science!  I had kind of scratched science and math of my list of strengths somewhere between my sophomore and junior year of high school (I had crossed singing off by the time I left elementary school or you just know I would be blogging from Vegas).  I loved the hands on science lessons of space camp.  We built rockets.....

And then shot them off with a dramatic countdown!  We tested heat shields by wrapping them around eggs and testing them by holding a blow torch to them for three whole minutes....wow!  We learned about gravity by strapping ourselves into a crazy twirly chair and flying through the air on a trapeze! We even traveled by zip line!

Space Camp is an amazing place for kids, kids who love science and math of course but also kids who don't think they do.  I left with a renewed interest in all things space and wondered how I might share what I learned with the parents of small children who fill up my classroom every day.

Space Camp 2

It's all about the missions at Space Camp.  You practice them to get comfortable in your roles because when you put that flight suit on, it's all business.  Missions build teams, collaboration and when they are completed, a pure sense of accomplishment.  There were so many parallels to what I was learning at Space Camp to my work at school.  Space Camp was indeed growing on me.  I worked with a wonderful team of teachers to form "Team Harmony".  We represented the United States, Singapore and Australia.

I knew about the Parade of Nations for more than a year and agonized over my costume for nearly every month of that year.  I avoided the expected, a Minnesota Twin, a Viking and a hot dish (although this one had captured my creative side).  I knew I could easily pull off a pretty convincing Bob Dylan or Mary Richards.  I had some excellent suggestions from other folks, some were pretty amazing and then it struck me.  I knew she was the perfect blend of Minnesota and of me....

That's right, Betty Crocker!  Right there beside Brad from Wisconsin, Julie from the Ocean state of Rhode Island, and just barely Paul from Michigan. It was a rich and fudgy moment for me to represent Minnesota's hospitality as this American icon.

Space Camp 1

You can't help but be wowed when you walk into Space Camp.  The enormity of it catches you in your throat as soon as you stand underneath that rocket.  I was in for a big, big week.  I can't tell you how happy I was to be reunited with my STOY family in Huntsville, Alabama.  We were joined by a dozen or so international award winning teachers from all over the globe for a week of learning and fun.

International Space Camp is a camp, a historical society, an enormous classroom, and a hands on museum all rolled into one. Meet my fellow camper, Katie Ferguson from the great state of New York. She makes me laugh with her stories of kids in her classroom.  She has that great New York accent that makes it twice the fun to listen to.  We were assigned to the same team for the week which made us both very happy.

Uh-oh! There she is again.  That's Jeanne DelColle from Jersey and we were assigned to the same team too.  Jeanne knocks me off my feet.  She is such a force for the teacher voice in New Jersey and beyond and I am so proud to call her my friend and colleague.  There were 14 of us that suited up as Team Harmony and we were excited about the week ahead. I was curious about how the folks at Space Camp would keep 70 teachers from all different subject areas engaged and enthused for a whole week. I was also curious about what Space Camp had to offer a parent educator from Minnesota.

A Meeting With Art Rolnick

I was thrilled when Art Rolnick agreed to meet with me this week.  Art is a rock star in the field of Early Childhood, an unlikely one considering that he is an Economist.  Art is the retired Chairman of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank.  He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.  Early Childhood has lots of champions and I consider Art to be a champion among champions.  Art was kind enough to give me a history lesson on early childhood policy in our state and in the nation.  Art believes that investing in early childhood is the best investment a government makes considering the rate of return on investment.  I couldn't agree more.  I have some big decisions to make in the next few weeks and my conversation with Art was inspiring and clarifying.  I hope this meeting with Art was the first of many.

 I have miles to go before I sleep tonight.  I am packing for SPACE CAMP!!  I am probably too excited to actually sleep. I will be sure to journal while I am away so I can share all the details of Space Camp when I get home!  I am off.....to infinity and BEYOND!!