NAEYC Celebrations!!!!

It's a REDLEAF PRESS PARTY!!!!!

It's a "One, Two, What Can I Do?" Party!!!!

It's a HIGHLIGHTS HIGH FIVE PARTY!!!!

It's a get-interviewed-for-radio-telecast party!!!!

It's a BIG-APPLE Hug Fest Party!!!!

It's a Donna Wittmer & Dr. Alice Hong Hug Party!!!

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'?

Final NAEYC Shots

I'm attempting to 'finish' off these variety of shots from NAEYC, because life has marched on with several new & wonderful events since then, but I wanna be certain to get all of these pictures up before I move on. In this series, I have the Phillipines, Mexico, Nigeria and both Dayton and Columbus represented. How's that for diversity? From my various outfits captured here, it appears that at least three different days are reflected in this grouping: LOL. I had fun, a great deal of fun. A great deal of inspiration. A great deal of support. A great deal of seed planting. A great deal of opportunities on the horizon. A great deal of gratitude to my official sponsors at Zaner-Bloser. A great deal of thanks to my unofficial sponsors ZB's parent company at Highlights. A great deal of thanks to both Lois and Deborah for allowing me to share their moments in the spotlight. A great deal of thanks to Zak for his energy and enthusiasm in our own workshop. A great deal of thanks to Connie for getting me on the agenda to begin with. A great deal of anticipation to Redleaf for the project that's hatching as I type. A great deal of thanks to Mar for introducing me to new Floridians. A great appreciation for the hugs of fellow presenters, Mary Jo, Dr. Thomas and Lisa Ooey-Gooey in the elevator. And finally, a great deal of thanks to NAEYC for pulling it all together. Until next year!!!!

[WHEW!!!! A new personal blogging high-light. I just linked to an even DOZEN brilliant links -- into a bigger & brighter day for children..... thru the efforts of these individuals and their companies!! Not too very long ago, I didn't even know how to post a hot link. LOL. Look at me now!!]

The Fun Continues!!

A variety of happy-happy, joy-joy supporters from across the country and beyond! The delightful, news worthy note is that the first picture in this series includes a fellow Deborah Jo, (the tall and distinguished dearie in that first shot -- to my right.) This 'new' Deborah Jo is the Outreach Services Director at Fort Irwin in CA. How awesome is that on how many different levels?? They took two copies of my new picture book, "Red, White and Blue" back to their Army base early childhood center to share with the children in their program who have a parent active in the military. They were introduced to me by Kathleen Hayes of the previous set of pictures (remember? she's the editor of High Five.) Kathleen had heard me enumerating my goal & wish for the conference: to meet those who serve children from our military bases and so she brought Deborah and Veronica over directly to introduce me. (Are you following how all of this fits together??) Thank you Kathleen!

The last picture includes two striking beauties from Mexico..... so that's how we get 'beyond' this country of ours. They are old fanclub members and have wished me to their school before -- at previous NAEYC encounters. [It may really be time for me to get my passport updated.] In my experience, it takes several years of 'wishing' to get the ducks-in-a-row to make these big adventures come true!

QUACK!! QUACK!!

CELEBRATE: High Five

It's party time! There's even cake!! Lots & LOTS of cake for this kind of party. "It's time to celebrate. We are great. It's time to educate. We are great. Let's all appreciate. We are great!!" It's times like this that I'm really glad that I have a celebration song. The lyrics were absolutely perfect for this occasion. The four year old magazine, "High Five" received the award of preschool publication-of-the-year. What an honor!!! Before the cake got cut, we were singing and dancing in the aisles of the exhibit hall. Cake, cake and more cake!!

Meet Kathleen Hayes, editor of the award winning magazine. Here she's acting the part of lead back up singer as evidenced by the photos.... she's encouraging the crowd in their call back response. Can you tell that she's was pretty excited? Wait till next year, when High Five turns five!!! I think that calls for a golden birthday party: cake and party hats, noise makers and party favors. Watch out Orlando! We're hatching a plan!!

THINK TANK Dinner

NAEYC. Thursday evening. The amazing conclusion to an amazing day included an amazing gathering with completely amazing people over fairly amazing food to talk about amazing possibilities and amazing history. No doubt the most amazing part of the whole evening, was that I was a participant!! I must be feeling better: AMAZING!!!! Here is the gathered brain trust from our Zaner-Bloser contingent combined with the brilliance of our friends from the parent company, Highlights for Children. A rare and delightful social gathering to celebrate all things "High Five" and to enjoy and appreciate each other's company.

The last time I was together with the majority of this group, we were in Vegas at 'I Teach K' and it was hot, July-Vegas-hot. At that point in my long term "recovery" process, I would go directly from the exhibit hall floor to my luxurious room and order room service and totally collapse for the remaining couple of hours before cranking it up all over again the next morning. Four months later, here I am presenting a workshop at 8:30 a.m., singing & dancing at the booth from 10 to 6:00 and still smiling at our dinner reservation at 6:45....well actually this looks more like we've just had 'chocolate in a bag' for dessert. I am pointing this out, primarily for my own benefit. I am, apparently, making progress. Long term, documentable progress. Whooooohooooooo!!!!

P.S. I just got an email today, confirming my participation for I Teach K 2011, Vegas!!! I will have two workshop presentations: Sing into Science and Get a Grip (handwriting.) Make your plans now. It will be a great marker to see how I'm 'managing' by next July.