NCTE

Like Ann, I just returned from NCTE. It was my second time to attend. Like last time, I had a terrific experience. I return to Austin feeling very inspired and encouraged, yet pretty darn exhausted. I feel as if I now need a few days off to reflect and take it all in. No such luck! I have a 7:30 AM meeting tomorrow to discuss benchmark testing. Back to reality, I suppose!

Some of my favorite NCTE sessions...

A session on a partnership between an urban school, a suburban school, and a university focusing on the rhetoric of race; A session on the importance of seminars in the English classroom; Amy Benjamin's session on her new book (Engaging Grammar: Practical Advice for Real Classrooms); Douglas Fisher's session on his new book (Language Learners in the English Classroom)

Throughout this class, we have been talking about the need to redefine English class. I wish more English teachers had the opportunity to attend this conference and experience the power of being in a place with so many other English teachers who believe in this way of teaching.