Boldness be my friend

This was a weekend for contemplating writing.  On Friday I was invited to speak at a conference for writing teachers organized by EMASS, Ethnic Minority Achievement and Support Services.  My seminar focused on Writing Workshop and the teaching research coming out of the Columbia Teacher's College Reading and Writing Project (TCRWP).  I gave a brief overview of the foundations of Writing Workshop and then connected it to current practices of teaching writing in the UK.  I then highlighted how elements of Writing Workshop would benefit teachers of English as an Additional Language (EAL) students.

Here's a surprising fact:  even the most extroverted people get nervous speaking in front of crowds!  I'm one of those people who registers "off the charts" on the extrovert scale - the needle ALMOST points as high as "loud and obnoxious"!  Hopefully I fall a little short of that but, generally speaking, I don't hesitate to engage strangers in conversation and usually end up leaving a room with at least one new friend.  However, even chatty individuals such as myself can get nervous thinking about doing a presentation in front of strangers.  So when I found out I would be teaching two sessions at the conference, each one with thirty plus teachers, I tried not to hyperventilate.  I worked hard on my powerpoint. Apparently a little too hard as my son Andrew later remarked, "Gee mom, you had a ton of slides!"  Ah, well, better safe than sorry!

Abbie left me a note and a chocolate talisman - what a great kid!

And it all seemed to go off smoothly, even though I started the day with a car that wouldn't start and a computer that wouldn't connect to the conference center projector.  Everything was solved and I even enjoyed my seminars - and, yes, made some friends before I left!

Abbie and I took the rest of the weekend to celebrate writing and visited the home of The Bard at Stratford-Upon-Avon.  For wordsmiths this is a little like Mecca!

The back garden of Shakespeare's birthplace

Abbie and I walk up to the door

Abbie in the garden behind Shakespeare's "new house"

You can't take pictures in his birthplace, but this is in the house next door, which is the same vintage (and I'm sure he sat in this same exact spot when he was visiting the neighbors!)

The front of his birthplace

Shakespeare's school - it's still a school!

Only a teacher would be so excited to find his school!  Can you imagine being Shakespeare's teacher?  "Yeah, Will was one of my kids...."   

Swans on the River Avon.  Did you know that all the swans in England belong to the Queen?

I actually look a little afraid to enter the church where Will is buried.  I don't know why, I certainly shouldn't be afraid of  low doors!

The bust of Shakespeare right above his grave.

Shakespeare's grave....we spent the day traveling his life, from birthplace to grave.

After all this talk of writing I managed to do some writing myself.  Liv and I were asked to write an article for the local newspaper talking about our exchange experience:
Northampton Chronicle and Echo article

Writing this article was a great way to solidify some thoughts I'd been having about the exchange, and it was interesting to read Liv's take on life in Maine.