Summer Camp!

I headed off to Cullowhee, NC like a kid going to summer camp. I kissed the kids and the hubby, grabbed some snack food, and headed west to the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching for a week of professional development with my new Kenan Fellow best buds! Now that I’m here, I’m somewhere between “deer in the headlights” and “chomping at the bit” – eager to dive in to my lab experience, excited to develop lessons that will be engaging for my students, and looking forward to the ways I will grow through this experience… but a bit overwhelmed by the grand possibility of it all.

So back to summer camp – I think the best thing about camp is that it brings all of the best stuff of childhood – playing outside, staying up late, getting your hands dirty – into one place, without any of the tedium – taking out the trash, putting up with siblings, or eating all of your vegetables. All of that fits with my metaphor for this week as “teacher summer camp” – no grading, no meetings, no paperwork – just amazing workshops, shared resources, and best of all – inspiring peers! As I write this, I am enjoying the evening mountain air on a beautiful patio surrounded by teachers laughing, storytelling, commiserating, advising and sharing. There are so many amazing teachers out there, and this program has pulled some of the best together. I am learning so much!

…and we get dessert with every meal. Yay, summer camp!