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.