TxLA17 recap

Y'all.  #TxLA17 was amazing!
The Texas Library Association annual conference is always great, but this year was really superb.

Here are some highlights from my week in gorgeous San Antonio:

• Tech Camp. Amy Mayer of friEDTechnolgy's sessions alone were worth the ticket price.
• Jennifer Niven & my BFF, Adam Silvera
• Shrimp Paesano. Never underestimate bonding over good food with your library peeps.
• Seeing so many of my TALL Texan 2016 family. #clearlysuperior
• Cory Doctorow. 
• Talking about my fabulous TALL mentor to a group (thank you for everything, Kate)
• Mariachi in the morning
• Dancing to the Spazmatics at the President's All-Conference party.  Walter Betts is the man. 
• Sam Weller discussing Ray Bradbury
• Tuan Nguyen & Katie Halata
• Gene Yang.  Genius.  
• YA reading lists by the indomitable Teri Lesesne, Donalyn Miller, & Karin Perry
• Kid Lit vs. YA Lit Lip Sync Battle
• Talking the new draft-version of our state library standards with Donna Kearley & Liz Phillipi
• Meeting Nicola Yoon
• Books! Books! Books!
• Starting my tenure as YART Councilor

 

Currently {#sol17}

Currently I'm...

Creating: a poetry-rich library environment with fun interactive displays to celebrate Poetry Month! I have a black-out poetry station, some book spine poetry made by my student assistants, and a "magnet" poetry that isn't actually magnetic.  What can I say?  I don't have much metal.  We used special reusable double-sided sticky tape on laminated cut-out words.  We have windows.  It works.

Reading: The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See on audiobook, Ray Bradbury's essays on writing in The Zen of Writing, and The Reader by Traci Chee.

Planning for: TLA ---the Texas Library Association conference.  It is simply the best conference ever. Over 8000 librarians of all stripes gathered together for learning and fun.  What could be better?  Oh yeah, it is in my favorite TLA city this year (they rotate)---San Antonio.  So, yeah.  The Alamo, great Tex-Mex, books and margaritas?  yes, please!

Pondering: how I can best meet the needs of my students, my teachers, my admin, my district librarians, and others; how I can grow as an encourager.

Wanting: to exercise.  I've managed to strain my calf muscles and it has set me back from moving as much as I like and as I should.  Ready to fully mend.

Celebrating: School Librarians Day (today!) and School Library Month (all of April)