Washington DC, Day 3

On Wednesday, we headed out to a SMART Board office where we received training for the SMART Boards the company has donated to every 2011 State Teacher of the Year. Unfortunately, they didn’t have a lab for us to work in, and the facilities were small for such a large group. I did get some great ideas on staff development and was refamiliarized with the software for the handheld student receivers, which I needed. We had time to share ideas at the end of the day, and Matinga, the 2011 Michigan State Teacher of the Year had some great ideas and web pages.
After the training, we were bussed back to the hotel where we had an hour to get ready for our black-tie dinner. My mom looked stunning in her black dress, so nice that I felt like wallpaper next to her. We arrived and enjoyed wine and hordourves. When it was time for dinner, we were shepherded to the ballroom where we enjoyed a delicious three-course meal. The first course was a crab timbale with a bisque sauce. The second course consisted of two types of bison, risotto, and fresh vegetables, and the dessert was a chocolate flourless cake with strawberry sorbet.

In the meantime, we heard speeches from various people. My favorite speech was given by Michelle Shearer, 2011 National Teacher of the Year, whose speech inspired me as both a teacher and parent. I also really enjoyed the speech by Lily Eskelsen, Vice Preseident of the NEA, who gave a speech that was both funny and moving.