Friday, April 28, 2017

WIN A REGISTRATION to Frog Street SPLASH!

YES! You read that headline correctly. I have permission to give away a registration to this summer's SPLASH Early Childhood Conference!!! I hope that you've always wanted to attend. This could be your lucky weekend! 



I have posted the opportunity on my FB RainbowsWithinReach fanpage just now on Friday, April 28th.  You'll need to make a comment on my post in order to be entered to win the registration. I will draw the winner on Monday, May 1st, {before I go to bed} I will use a random number generator to select the lucky winner!!! That simple. The 'fine print'? Your travel and lodging would be your own expense..... but what an opportunity! 

Now let's get a little more personal. See why I am so excited! 



YES!!! That's me as one of the three presenters for the Make-It-Take-It part of the weekend. Every Early Childhood teacher worth their salt LUVS a M/T session! 

Earlier this month I wrote an article at PreK+K Sharing on what this line-up means to me....

Twenty-one years ago, I was an administrator at a private preschool for young children with special needs in Columbus, Ohio. I was in charge of designing a day of professional development for our staff. One of my peers suggested that I bring Jim Gill to inspire our team. I had never heard him speak. I called him. He came. He was amazing. 

Jim had us singing and dancing. We laughed. We cried. I was indeed inspired. Jim changed my life. For!ev!er!

I wanted to be like Jim when I grew up. I wanted to sing and dance and inspire. So without a whole lot of consideration, very soon after his day with us, I wrote my letter of resignation. I finished out the last couple of months on my contract and I walked away from all that was familiar. I walked away from health insurance, snow days and a retirement account for the unknowns of contribution, adventure and creativity. 

One day of professional development and my life changed forever. Twenty-one years ago. Fast forward a couple of decades. 

One of the very first presenters to welcome me to the 'circuit' (after Jim) is a fellow Hoosier, Mary Jo Huff. Over the years we have become not just cheerleaders of one another's work but also of one another's families. When the phone rings and I see MJ, I know I'm likely to be on the phone a l-o-n-g time. The woman has talked me down from the ledge MORE than once.