Sweet morning dew of CUE

Let me frank. I had zero intention of attending Fall CUE this year. I was not scheduled to present and, in fact, I had another (completely unrelated) conference to attend the same weekend. Originally, I planned to attend MathCon put on by the Stanislaus County Office of Education. I committed myself to something completely unrelated, though, in the Sacramento area.

In a shift, Fall CUE would be held in the Sacramento area. I figured being committed to a conference potentially nearby, I could at least connect with fellow educators in my downtime. As the weekend neared, I saw the promos start for the keynote speeches. One of my inspirations for my math instruction was among them, the other was one I needed to reach out to for some guidance in language arts. Heck, she's a go-to for the curriculum we are using. Why wasn't I going this year? Still, I stood in my decision. I had to stay strong. I had to holdfast in my decision.

As the date grew nearer, I started helping to plan our possible affiliate meet-up or meeting. I was making calls, making my hotel reservation, and realizing just how close I would be to Fall CUE. Still, I was feeling strong in my decision. I knew it was right.

And then, it happened. My son who is also one of my math students, was scheduled to present during the Kid Booms at Fall CUE. Suddenly I was thrust into having to balance two conferences, two schedules, and thankful they were just a few short miles from each other. And, at this point, I was now scheduled to attend Fall CUE.

Obviously, I was attending differently than ever before. I was attending as a teacher and a mom for a student presenter. But, I also wanted to do what I could to keep commitments in my affiliate board role. The wonderful thing is the Connor gets excited about engaging other educators and was set to be my sidekick for the weekend. Everything came together just about perfectly.

Connor's Kid Boom was fun to watch as he developed it, but even more fun to see presented on the big stage at Fall CUE. Kid CUE Booms allow students to share their educational experiences and give educators insight into what is working, what needs some work, and what really doesn't work, all from the perspective of a student. Connor and the other Kid Boomers did an outstanding job of sharing this insight with the crowd of educators.

What made this also incredible for me was getting to see the morning keynote presented by Ed Campos. I attend his sessions whenever I can and always take away at least a little nugget of something immediately implementable in the classroom. He transformed my math teaching.

Inspired by Method Man and Mary J:

Like sweet morning dew

I took one seat at CUE

and it was plain to see

e-d-u's my destiny...

Once again I was inspired. Once again I brought home something I could use. Once again, I was refueled and ready for action.