Melissa: Blast from the Past

Hello all!

I am totally blown away by the CEC Annual Convention! I am having an absolute blast!

First of all, it was amazing to meet my fellow bloggers Tuesday morning. I was worried I wouldn’t recognize them, but I knew each of them immediately. They are amazing people with a passion for special education, and I am so happy to have met them in person. It was so fun to be a part of the Student Forum and share our teaching experiences with soon-to-be teachers. It was an experience I will never forget.

The educational sessions are wonderful! I have walked out of them with pages of notes of applicable things I can try in my classroom as soon as I get back home. I am looking forward to walking through the Expo Hall tomorrow. Everyone has said it is so fun to go to, and they all have fun toys and samples -- I can’t wait!

The most exciting thing for me, personally, was running into my favorite professor of all time, from way back when I was an undergraduate student. I am attending from North Dakota, he is here from South Dakota, and we happened to walk by each other in a sea of 6,000 people. He invited me to spend some time with him and the group of undergrads he brought with him -- and I had the time of my life! It was seriously one of the best days ever. I (almost) felt like I was 22 again.

I am absolutely exhausted, but so excited to get up and do it again tomorrow. I have my sessions all picked out, and I can’t wait to see what I learn tomorrow. I hope this conference is something each of you will have a chance to attend at some point in your career. I will go home being a better teacher because of it.

Comments

[Melissa]

Hi Naomi!
I think the best thing you could read is the CEC's SmartBrief, which comes as a daily email and has the day's top headlines and stories from the world of special education. I have learned a lot about what is going on across the country in many different areas of special ed (best practices, funding, teacher training, new research, etc.). I look forward to it popping up in my email everyday and I always use a few minutes of my prep time to check it out. You can sign up for it on CEC's website. :o)

[naomi]

I'm curious-- this question goes out to all Reality 101 bloggers -- what educational/Sped blogs do ya'll read? I'm a young EFL teacher considering moving into exceptional ed, and I'm trying to get a good idea of what makes a person a good Sped-er.