I am so excited to be going to NCCAT (North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching) this week! They have all kinds of different seminars with all kids of exciting things to do. There are two locations here in NC one is in the mountains (where I will be going tomorrow) and the other is in the Outer Banks. I would have loved to do one at the Outer Banks but I picked my seminar based on this topic and it was only offered in the mountains!
To be accepted for this program you have to submit an essay on why you want to be a part of the seminar week and they pick people from those essays. Several years ago I saw a seminar called "Is there a Children's Book In You?" being offered and I really wanted to go because I have always loved children's books and thought it would be something I would love to do as a hobby. I have written a few things in the past and I get such a kick out of reading the stories to my class and getting their feed back. My favorite part is when I tell them that I wrote it... they just can't believe it. I feel like it is my little way of showing them that they can do it too if they want to! (And that is how they feel!) I looked at the application so many years ago and quickly gave up when I saw that you had to submit an essay. (I know that it does not make any sense that I would give up on going to a writing seminar over having to write a tiny little essay about why I want to go.) But, I have a learning disability in writing that was finally diagnosed in high school and therefore am very worried about my writing and sharing it when I know it is going to be critiqued.
The turning point for me was when I did my National Boards! That is all writing and it is a process that ALL teachers fear! Only 37% of teachers pass the Boards on their first try and it is like having a second job while teaching and being a mom. TONS OF WORK!! I always swore I would never do it because of my writing disability (the whole thing is writing!) You write 4 papers and then several essays on the spot at a computer assessment center and all of your work is shipped around the country for 8 months with many many people reading it, picking it apart, analyzing it and grading it. It honestly scared the SHIT out of me! But... that is ususally why I do things. IF you pass... you get a 12% raise and at that time the county was paying for me to try it. So what did I have to lose? Besides my sanity!? If I had gone for my Masters (which would have taken me longer to get, I would get less in the way of a raise and I would have to pay back student loans, but actually getting my Masters would have been more of a sure thing.) I decided to try for the Boards and see what happens! I get the results in 2 weeks from today... not excited about that! I am sure I will end up retaking something and the whole nightmare will start over for the next 5 months! But I digress....
I figured since I could suck it up and write for the Boards... I could surely write the tiny little essay that the NCCATs wanted. So I did. It took me all of 5 minutes and I was excepted within the week! I have been waiting for at least 6 months for my seminar date to get here and it finally is! I leave tomorrow!!
I am a little nervous but excited about the trip. It is a 4 hour and 56 minute drive. I am not vy good at driving. Car rides put me to sleep faster than anything else! My family often refurs to me as the princess because I sit in the back and let everyone else drive... trust me... it is for their own good! This will be the longest trip I have ever taken by myself and therefore the longest trip I have ever driven by myself. My mom really wanted me to partner up with some of the other people going and ride with them but people are coming from all over the state and it would have taken an extra hour to meet up with any of the ones that are closes to me! Plus... deep down here is another thing I am scared of doing... which is exactly why I want to do it!
I hear great things about the NCCAT experiance! I get MY OWN room and bathroom!!! There is no tv so I need to see if my computer plays dvds! But I think I will be going right to bed once I get to my room each night anyway! They have cooks there that cook each meal for you and I heard they are out of this world! (We all know I love to eat!)
I will have missed the fall colors in the mountains (which I am very upset about) but I love going to the mountains during the fall. That crisp air is just remarkable! And the peace and stillness you get in the mountains is unatainable anywhere else. I am a beach girl by choice so I am glad this seminar is in the mountains because I typically would not send myself there if I had a week to myself!
And last but not least I am very very excited about the courses themselves! We are going to talk about everything you ever wanted to know about writing children's books and getting them published! I can not wait to hear everything they have to say and challange myself as a writer to see what I can come up with! And to do this while meeting fellow educators from all over the state... I AM READY TO GO NOW!
(Just wish my hubby and son could come with me!)
Thank you to all of those that read to the end of my long winded excitement! I can not wait to tell you what this week was like. Who knows... maybe since blogging is writing, I might get to update you while I am there!
P.S. This program is largely funded by donation... so if you have large gobs of money and would like to support this program and educators please go here to donate! :-)
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