Debbie Clement Keynote Presentation

"It always seems impossible, until it is done." -- Nelson Mandella

Circle the day on the calendar. This is an exciting one for the books. A new project comes to fruition!!!! Oh happy, happy day. My spotlight is increasing in size and brightness. My invitations are getting even more & more exciting as I'm being considered for greater & greater responsibilities: for school & library districts, for Head Start Agencies & Special Ed cooperatives, and for exciting conferences -- including more & more KEYNOTE presentations!!! YIPPEEE!!!

Several people have asked me for a video of my "work" to introduce me to their committee as they progress toward decision making for their future event. That concept alone is exciting. Working toward a deadline is always exciting. Making the deadline? Priceless!

As of today, an entire 24 hours ahead of the deadline, my brand new video introduction is complete! It's a combination of my children's DVD Kweezletown, spliced together with my earlier SDE video audition, mixed together with the recent Utah Head Start children serenading me, spliced further with the Childhood League Center toddlers dancing with Goldie & me, pieced in with some footage shot in Vegas at SDE's I Teach K in the Zaner-Bloser booth last summer, combined with video shot on Long Island during my recent author/illustrator visit captured in the midst of their kindergarten concert , further mixed with dancing Detroit baby feet, and concluding with unbefore/unseen vintage footage from my SDE K conference preview at Easton in Columbus: what a hoot! Sprinkled through out there are dozens and dozens of photographs thru the years: NAEYC, a spring time MI preschool visit, the Redleaf Press booth, a Columbus School for Girls group hug, various Keynote presentations in Kansas City, at Auburn University, SDE in Richmond VA, a variety of Chicago-land libraries, and then there are plenty of Artist-in-the-School photos from GCAC, one in Hosanna Lutheran Preschool Pataskala (that's WonderBoy), others at Children's Hospital Childcare, the JCC Bexley, various library visits with dear librarian friends, the celebration in the Highlights for Children NAEYC booth, my mentor Mimi and dear friends Mary Jo Huff, Dr. Thomas Moore and Deborah Jo Stewart representing the whole catalogue of my fellow road warrior & presenter friends. Those are a few of the locations & people that I can recall off the top of my head..... from hither and yonder & all quilted together into one glorious retrospective.

You know what's even more amazing? The literally hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of photos that got left laying on the editing floor. We felt compelled to keep it under the nine minute mark. Trust me, it was tough to edit out all of that love and joy across the years & across the miles.

So what we have now are eight and a half minutes devised and developed by my brilliant and talented friend, Shawn Likely, producer of my nationally award winning Kweezletown DVD. I have beaucoup long-term supporters who genuinely believe in me and what I'm doing. Shawn is at the tip-top of the list for putting his own capabilities to work on my behalf. For his efforts, energy and insight, I will always be grateful.

I realize that I don't have a photo of the two of us??? How is that possible? The Kweezletown premiere was pre-blog but surely there were a couple of pictures taken that day of the two of us?? Where would those be? In any case, I have a HUGE respect and appreciation for Shawn and his commitment to children and his support for my work. This piece really does show the many aspects of what I LOVE to do, all because of his capability!!!!

The project is done. It's uploaded to YouTube. Now to share it with a wider world. I ask that each of you forward it on to someone in your life for whom it is appropriate. A fellow teacher, a cousin librarian, a fellow quilting grandma, your neighbor the Head Start administrator, or better yet your college friend on the committee to choose next year's Keynote presenter! Thanks in advance for helping me to shine my light a little brighter. (I just saw that this little blog is now up to 550 followers, as of today!!) Wouldn't it be awesome to make a quantem leap forward as a result of this 'introduction video'?