Today is the first day of Spring Break.
I woke up early anyway.
I made myself coffee.
I sat down at my desk.
I set a timer to check my personal and school emails – 30 minutes.
I did OK for a little while.
The timer buzzed.
I turned it off.
But, I kept checking my email.
I forgot my resolve –
to check for a set amount of time – and then move on to something more important.

Fortunately, I didn’t forget about #TheEdCollabGathering day of workshops.

This was my first time participating.
I couldn’t stay online for the entire day.
But, that was OK because the sessions are viewable on YouTube, 24/7.
I have this week to do that.
In fact, there are two sessions I am going to view in the next couple of days.

Still, I participated in the opening and closing keynotes,
and in a session about creating a classroom literacy community.

Here are three key ideas that have stayed with me from the opening keynote, Celebrating Student Voice, with Phil Bildner, Elizabeth Acevedo, and Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovitch.

• We must celebrate and amplify student voice
• Your story is precious. Your story is valuable. Your story matters.
• If a student asks, “Can I…” about their writing, say, “Yes!”

So, maybe I should have stayed in bed.
Maybe I shouldn’t have participated in #TheEdCollabGathering.
Maybe I shouldn’t have thought about teaching.
Maybe I shouldn’t have sent an email to one of my students to share a webpage that I thought he’d be interested in.

Maybe…but I’m so glad I did!