I’ve come to a very hard decision to forego the wonderful opportunity of attending EdCampKC or EdCampSiouxCity. It was an extremely hard decision to make. I love the whole EdCamp experience. Being able to learn new tech ideas from fellow educators who are passionate about teaching and learning is an awesome experience. I love the excitement that fills the air at the beginning when the day’s sessions are being added to the big chart. I love the hard decision I have to make on which session I should attend. It’s always so hard to decide, since many sessions that I would find beneficial for my classroom, are at the same time!
But the absolute best part of any EdCamp is meeting my Twitter friends…in real life! That is what is making this decision so hard. I would have loved to see @KylePace again. He’s the nicest guy and such a wonderful host. How can any EdCamp beat this, his mom makes homemade cookies for our lunch! Seeing my local peeps @J_Allen and @MrsKMPeters is also wonderful. They made sure I meet all my Twitter friends last year. I’m so sad to miss seeing @MrsBMG and @Russ_Goerend who have the cutest little boy, Henry. He was such a big hit last year, he could ‘meow’ just like a cat! Really sad to miss visiting with @ShannonmMiller again. She is so sweet! I feel so bad that I’m missing a visit with @jhox1 we were going to have a side conversation about making twine Rosaries. I was going to show her how I make them, in person.
Then, I am very sad not to be able to meet, for the first time, several of my Twitter friends. I’m missing, once again, the opportunity to meet @ELanghorst I missed him when he presented at NETA in April. I was with my mom while she was in the hospital. Eric always has wonderful ideas to share and is on the cutting edge of what’s new and cool. I just found out that @AmandaDykes is also going to be at EdCampKC. I would have loved to meet her! She seems like she would be a ton of fun to get to know. She shares so many great ideas and graciously shares photos of her adorable kids.
To add more to this mix, EdCampSiouxCity is also on the same day! Lees Summit, where EdCampKC is, would take me close to 4 hours of driving. But driving to Sioux City would only take me 90 minutes! I would have loved to see @KathyPerret and support the first ever EdCampSiouxCity!
I know there will be so many wonderful educators sharing and learning tomorrow at both EdCamps. I am grateful I’m able to watch some of the UStreams of some sessions. I really appreciate that!
So you can see how hard is was for me to decide not to go to either EdCamps. I love learning and I love being around people who willingly share ideas. But unfortunately, the call of an organized house wins out.
My mom died on May 28th of this year. She spent 3 weeks in the hospital and we brought her home on Hospice care and she died 10 days later. We lost my dad in 2008. So the summer was spent clearing out a 2 story 5 bedroom house. 40 years of memories were in the house I grew up in! We had an Estate Sale and sold many of the items that didn’t have a place in any of the siblings homes or didn’t have an emotional meaning to anyone. But, there were some items I just couldn’t part with just yet. Those items where placed in DS #2’s bedroom. He’s a student at Rockhurst University. He will be coming home for Thanksgiving and bringing his girlfriend. She needs a place to sleep and so this weekend I will be working on deciding what to do with the odds and end items. Believe me, I would MUCH rather be spending time with my teacher/Twitter friends!
I’m not going to either Edcamp either. Today is my mom’s birthday and we’re having a small celebration. I enjoyed reading your post. I wondered how things were going. You’ve had a difficult year. I look forward to seeing you at EdcampOmaha. I do plan to go to that one. Aren’t you kind of amazed that we are already getting ready for Thanksgiving? This school year is going fast!