You might think that after 20 plus years of being in education, one might be apathetic or even act a bit curmudgeonly regarding workshops. However, after 24 years of teaching and being a school librarian, I’m excited to attend workshops and conferences; I’m especially excited to be at the ISLMA conference.
I remember my first ISLMA conference in 1999. The conference was held in Decatur; I had just left the classroom and was a school librarian for the first time. My library director encouraged me to attend the conference. My first thought was “Are you kidding me?” I didn’t know where Decatur was (I had only lived in Illinois a couple years at this point), and I couldn’t imagine hanging out with librarians for three days. But I attended and was greeted by some of the friendliest folks I’d ever met. I’ve never looked back, attending the conference every year since then.
I warmly welcome the new ideas, techniques and friends I know are waiting for me. I look forward to reconnecting with old friends, revisiting those tried and true ideas and remembering why I became a school librarian in the first place. I’m so glad my library director encouraged me to attend all those years ago. (Thanks JY!)
I’m so thrilled I don’t have to wait any longer. The excitement has started! It’s Thursday morning and the friendly folks at the conference registration are starting to greet people. The exhibitor’s hall is buzzing with activity, getting ready for all the vendors. The coffee is percolating and I’m perusing the conference program, circling the sessions I want to attend, noticing that it’s hard to choose between them. I’m eager and ready to jump into the middle of it all!
See you there!
Patti Fleser
