This past week I was in St. Louis for the Annual International Literacy Association Conference. The ILA was formally known as IRA, but we have rebranded our organization to champion literacy around the world.
Next summer our conference is in Boston! Mark your calendars now: July 9-11. Here are 10 Reasons why you have to be in Boston next summer.
10. Explore a Great City
St. Louis was fun. We were able to walk around and see the
fantastic St. Louis Arch. No, I didn’t
go to the top. We saw the Cardinal’s Stadium
and unexpectedly were able to go inside the Ram’s Stadium. (The doors were open and there were no guards…so we went in and looked
around. Next year, Boston will be
amazing!
9. Have Fun with Literacy Educators
Here are just a few moments of our
trip that were fun…and that’s just inside the conference. We also tried a new drink by the Cardinal’s
Stadium.
8. Get Global!
ILA has members from 75
countries. There were presentations from
across the world.
7. Walk 12,000 steps in a day...with a SMILE!
So much fun to see all over the
downtown area and even in the convention center.
6. Calories Don't Count on Vacation, right?
Ate at Carmine's, Ruth's Chris, Sauce on the Side and more. But, the real St. Louis treat is Gooey Butter Cake, oh my. What will the tasty treasure be
in Boston?
5. See Literacy Super Stars
It’s very surreal. Where to begin: Bill Teale, Jerry Johns, Carrice Cummins,
Doug Fisher, Diane Barone, P. David Pearson, Rita Beane, Jack Cassidy, Tim
Rasinski, Laurie Oczkus, Valerie Ellery…and so many, many more. You
also get up close and personal with authors all over the place.
4. Get the Real Deal from Real Teachers
I love attending sessions with and
given by teachers. Everywhere you go the
conversations are about teaching and learning.
Everyone shares everything and conversations can take place in the
elevator, in the line for autographs or while racing to the next session. I presented a session on Emergent Writing (you know it's my favorite) and I hope I inspired something new is classrooms across the country. Isn't that an amazing thought?
3. Get Inspired!
We had the best speakers at our
General Sessions. The opening general
session introduced the world to Shiza Shahid, a co-founder and CEO of the
Malala Fund. The fund is integral in
championing for women’s rights. We also
talked to Shaq. Well, truth is, I talked
to Shaq. Let me take a moment…AHHHH! It was AWESOME! He was the nicest guy and we talked about
what literacy means to him. He has a BS
from LSU, a MBA and a Doctorate in Education from Barry University. He has also written a new series for kids,
Little Shaq. It’s coming soon. He also
said teachers should get 60% raises every year, tax-free. The closing session had the inspirational Stephen
Peters addressing the crowd. He had a
great message of education for all.
Finally, Octavia Spencer was interviewed by 2 great middle school kids
from St. Louis. She was a struggling
reader and gave a message to never give up.
2. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook
Yep…all of them…all the time. We tweeted and
posted and uploaded all day! Using #ILA15, you can check out the great stream of fun on my Twitter and Instagram. Check out the International Literacy Association Facebook page for information, as well. Steven Layne told the story of a teacher of "considerable age" bragging to her colleagues how she had signed up for twitter in the last session and she had been "twitting" ever since. Make sure you check out the posts from our conference...not just inspirational, but fun and informative.
1. Change the World!
My first way to change the world was buying a shirt. Check out this AMAZING t-shirt I purchased to
support libraries in Guatemala. It’s all
hand sown and I am in love. There were
belts, bags, jewelry, shirts, and so many other things. The money collected at this year’s ILA
conference would be used to build 5 libraries in Guatemala. That’s changing the world.
Then there's #800Mil2nil There are
800,000 people in our world who are
illiterate! That is unacceptable. We at ILA have a goal to bring that number to
nil. Join us using the #800mil2nil this
year. Help us celebrate International
Literacy Day, September 8. Join us for this amazing day of change by CLICKING HERE.
I hope I've convinced you...you need to make a plan NOW for next summer in Boston. The weather will be great, the conference even better! I am honored to have been elected as an ILA Board Member for the next 3 years. It's amazing to be a part of this organization and I can't wait to see how I can serve in the name of literacy.
Stephen Peters, one of the most inspirational speakers of the week, said, "We are the best profession. It starts with you. Do something. You have been stamped with phenomenal." Let's all be phenomenal and make a plan to be together in Boston.
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