Ella Jenkins: Alabama

My happy rainbow travels continue.... with one amazing chapter following another. Today I've traveled cross country to Montgomery, Alabama to present tomorrow at their state's Office of School Readiness Pre-Kindergarten Conference. I navigated successfully thru two airports and a taxi ride to arrive safely @ the Renaissance Convention Center. Just as I'm about ready to find my way to my room, who should I spot but tomorrow's KEYnote speaker, Ella Jenkins. Yes, THE Ella Jenkins! Ella is nearly eighty-seven years old. Our paths have crossed several times in the past, but this was the first time I've had a camera along to document the amazing moment in time.

Ella is the grand dame of music for children. She is still traveling the globe, sharing her unique call and response songs with children of all cultures. She has come to this event by way of a tour thru Europe. The first time we met was in California, when I'd arrived at my very first NAEYC convention. At that point she was hovering near eighty and she had just been back and forth across India and was thinking of new songs resulting from that trek.

One of the very first songs I remember learning on the guitar was Ella's "You Sing a Song and I'll Sing a Song." I was so excited when I had it mastered. A classic. I just need to keep traveling the country for another 35 years and then perhaps I'll be able to have some up and coming whipper-snapper blogging (what will the technology be like in 35 years??) about running into me in the lobby, in my 87th year on the planet. WOW. Things that make you go "wow".