Minnesota PTA State Conference

I was invited to the Minnesota PTA state conference on July 16th. I was given a few minutes to speak after lunch.  With just a few minutes to work with, I spoke about the importance of eating together as a family.  Most families wouldn't consider mealtime as a predictor for academic success, but it is.  The dinner table is a great place for connecting with your kids.  It's not always easy and it is rarely pretty, especially when your kids are small.  I spent years wondering if one of my daughters would ever finish a meal without tipping her chair back on two legs. 

The lessons learned at the dinner table including manners, waiting your turn, healthy portions, civics and vocablulary, to name a few all transfer well to a classroom.  Most importantly, knowing that your parent (or parents or caregiver) is available for conversation, for homework help or for just being there is a safety net for kids.  Dinnertime is a ritual worth the effort.

It was great to see Linda and Richard from Winona at the conference.  They were full of ideas about how to use social media in the PTA at the Winona Middle School.  Thanks for the work that you do in the PTA!

Thanks Comcast!

It was such a treat for us, the Minnesota Teacher of the Year finalists and staff from Education Minnesota, to attend the Twins game compliments of Comcast.  We were treated like royalty! The Minnesota Teacher of the Year class of 2011 is a fun bunch.  We had the opportunity to catch up with one another and to see the Twins win against the Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0. Thank you Comcast, it was a wonderful day!



Visualization

When I realized that I would be meeting the President next spring, I put a call out to some of my friends.  I needed a 6'1", 180 pound man!  It didn't take long to find one (thanks Dean).  I needed to see what I would look like standing next to President Obama for many reasons, mostly to keep myself motivated to set some goals.  Who do I want to be when I meet him?  How do I want to look?  What on Earth will I wear?  Oh my goodness, what do I want to say?  So much to think about, and so little time.... I have always been the kind of person who prepares by visualization. Here is the picture of me and the President!                                              



Parades can be fun!

Parades have always meant a lot of work to me.  My previous experience participating in parades (yep, parades...plural....lots and lots of them) has always left me sweaty and exhausted.  All three of my daughters were Winona Winhawk Marching Band members while they were in high school.  I was the band booster president for that fine organization for many years.  One of my primary responsibilities was to recruit parents to "water the band".  Recruiting and watering, both tough jobs with very little glamor.  Watering the band meant walking backwards and trying to put water in a band members mouth in between songs while they stayed in step.  We tried our best to keep their mouths off the bottle and provide a steady stream of cool water to keep them hydrated (we always lost a member or two to heat each summer). I have many memories of dousing kids with water, loosening braces and once nearly flushing a contact out of an eye because my aim was so bad.

I have also walked in many a parade in Southeastern Minnesota in support of political candidates.  I managed two campaigns for a Minnesota House seat.  Parades are mandatory in politics.  It's all great on the block where they love your candidate, folks cheer and want to shake your hand.  It's a little awkward to come face to face with the opposition as they come out of the porta-potty you are in line for but you respect anyone who will put themselves out there in a parade.

Winona's community has a great parade as part of our annual "Steamboat Days" celebration.  I have marched in many of them.  This year, our Superintendent, Dr. Scott Hannon drove the convertible in our Winona Area Public Schools Sesquicentennial unit.  I got to ride and wave.  No sweat, no stress, no injuries....I highly recommend it.  It was great to see so many people there.  Winona is a great place to live!

MPR

I love Minnesota Public Radio. MPR and a good cup of coffee are essential to jump start my brain in the morning. I love the conversations, the stories and the story tellers I find there. I get my news from MPR and I feel good about that.  So, as you can imagine, it was a thrill to be a guest on Midday with Gary Eichten to talk about my work as a parent educator. The show includes plenty of calls from listeners and I was honored to listen to stories from all over the state about the importance of Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE). The callers confirmed what I know.....ECFE makes a difference in the lives of young families.

Settling In...

After an exciting weekend full of meeting and greeting, great food, interviews and sleepless nights, walking into the "Teacher of the Year" banquet felt like a thrilling end to a great experience.  All I needed to do was to eat lunch without spilling on my dress.  The audience was full of family and friends and community members who were there to support teachers. I was so proud to be seated with nine amazing teachers who had become my friends in one short weekend.  Each one of them is inspiring, take a look!

And then Ryan Vernosh, the Minnesota Teacher of the Year took the podium to announce his successor.  Ryan added drama and excitement by drawing out the introduction. Take a look.....



I was and still am shocked...and happy...and a little bit freaked out!  I will spend the next year representing teachers, schools, parents and the very smallest learners in Minnesota.  This blog is a way to share the ride with you.