"God must love the common man, He made so many of them..." Abraham Lincoln

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Portland to Orlando: 2,733 Miles One Way


I like to think I'm a traveler. But in reality, the furthest east I've been is Yellowstone Park and the furthest south is Salt Lake City. That is until... March 27, 2008 -- the day I crossed my eastern and southern boundaries.
I was on my way to the National School Boards Association conference in Orlando, Florida. Let me be very clear -- the whole board was invited to attend. Comments made in open meetings may have clouded that fact. As it turned out, only Terri (the board chair) and I (vice chair) attended.
Does it ever seem to you that the Oregon educational picture is a bit dim and out of focus? I'm not talking specifics here, just an overall tone. Having attended many a meeting during my board service, it seems throughout the state the issues are common. Funding, testing, funding, testing, funding and testing. I know we have success every day in our classrooms but somehow that's not as talked about. Anyway, I was anxious to see other states' educational pictures. I wanted to refresh my own educational picture. So off to Orlando I went.
The conference did not disappoint in any way. My brain was full to bursting with new ideas, suggestions, policies, activities, etc. One great idea was a blog, so I must thank the presenters from Virginia. My plan is to share with you highlights from the speakers and classes. I'm going to share what is, in my opinion, the best of the best. After all, what good is new stuff if it's never shared, discussed, evaluated, tried, tweaked, and tried again...
So if you want the whole conference enchilada, let's go to lunch. Seriously.

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