Monday Musings: MRA 50th Anniversary Conference

Happy Monday!  It's currently raining and cold - a hard reality check after the gorgeous weather we had this past weekend! I'm currently musing about all I learned at the Massachusetts Reading Association's 50th Anniversary Conference last week.  Here are just a few take-aways:

Irene Fountas kicked things off and her keynote on Thursday morning
was invigorating.  My favorite reminder was this --------------->
Values and beliefs have to come first!!  If we (a school, a district, a classroom) don't have shared values and beliefs that have been clearly articulated and communicated we can't move forward. 

In a later session, I had the amazing experience of hearing Vashti Harrison share her story.  Harrison is the author and illustrator of Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History as well as Little Dreamers: Visionary Women Around the World, among others.  Her session centered around the idea of books as windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors.  While not a new idea, it is always nice to be reminded of how critical it is for ALL kids to see themselves represented in books. 

A similar session with Lesley University professor Grace Enriquez encouraged us to consider the perspectives that we are 'centering' when we select titles to share with students.  Are we doing more than just including diverse books - are we centering and embracing a variety of perspectives?

During Friday's Keynote, Jack Gantos reminded us that books are not something we outgrow - we can always revisit them with a new purpose or appreciation even if it's just to reminisce.  Let's not tell kids they can't or shouldn't read 'easy' books.

One of my favorite take-aways came from Annie Ward, co-author of From Striving to Thriving.  She encouraged us to abandon our 'book snobbery' and invest in books that kids want to read - the more superheroes and potty humor the better!  Let them read Dog Man and Captain Underpants and Lunch Lady - those are the series that increase kids' volume!

Such a fantastic two days full of new learning, inspiration, and catching up with colleagues.  Would love to hear your thoughts on my musings or your own if you attended!