When students are asked about their favorite thing at school, the classic reply is recess and lunch. I completely understanding their thinking….getting out to play with your fellow classmates and talking together about anything in the world while you eat took top ranking for me too!

I loved the speakers that were selected for us.  I’d been looking forward to meeting and hearing from Vance Kite and I wasn’t disappointed.  And learning about the experience of “flipping” in the classroom fueled my fire to begin the work of creating lessons with a group of teachers next year with our Wake Ed Partnership Teacher Leadership Grant money. But spending time touring the beautiful forest and river and eating and drinking sweet tea to my hearts delight are my number 2 and number 3 on my most memorable list.

Because of the rich and thoughtful conversations at dinner time, Julie agreed to take Kathy and I along for the ride to Walmart to pick out a couple of mementos for her children.  The trip turned into an hour of laughing, laughing, and just having fun discovering our uniqueness’s and the many similarities that we all had. The chance meeting of 3 teachers from different parts of the state, all teaching different subjects, lead to friendships that I know will last because they left me feeling like I want to invest more in our new relationship.  I’m really looking forward to seeing them in July.

Lastly, it wasn’t recess and it wasn’t lunch that took the top billing of my trip.  It was my ride home with Erin Lawrence.  What an amazing young educator!  We are both in Wake County so I will make it my business to stay in touch with her, pray with her and for her future, and be invested in her success.  I’m in awe of her attitude, talent, and outlook about education and want to be a part of her future success story because I know it will be an amazing one!  Thank you for the ride home Erin but mostly, thank you for being the extraordinary young educator that you are and beautiful young woman that I know will inspire other girls to become scientists!