When Wednesday Delivers, The Evening Extends Into the Late Hours, and There's Another Day, a Thursday, Ahead

Last night was part three, of three parts, in preparation for the Saugatuck StoryFest '19, anticipation of NCTE '19, and a special collaboration with Dr. Susan James of the Emerald Coast Writing Project at Western Florida University.  We were fortunate that Dr. Bickmore's YA Wednesday featured some of our thinking and conversation on his blog yesterday. 

Here, there is a conversation between Susan and I discussing our goals for the collaborative, two-site initiative and next week, Saturday, CWP-Fairfield is lucky to host Dr. Rose Brock, author of Hope Nation, on panels during the festival.

Susie Q and I have had teachers and students reading and writing around Hope Nation for the last year. Teachers Kim Herzog, Rebecca Marsick and Fola Sumpter have been doing cross-district writing about the text, as well. Meanwhile, Hope Nation was used by several during our summer's Young Adult Literacy Labs, too, including Ubuntu Academy.

Next week, we'll be fortunate to have Rose Brock with us to discuss the book and meet all the teachers and students who benefited from her book (it truly is one of a kind and inspirational).

Last night, my graduate students at Fairfield University had the honor of hearing from Susan and her work with Rose Brock's book in the panhandle of Florida. Of course, the entire crew will meet in Baltimore to present on the work this November. That culmination will be the confluence of a lot of work, but then Susan and I need to analyze what we think we learned from promoting The Superpower of Hope. That is what researchers do.

Wonder Twin Power - Deactivate.

I am a better human being because of this project and although there's a lot of background work that takes place to assure such reading and writing can occur, I am super excited (Superman excited, thanks Matt de la Peña) for the opportunity to look at the data we collected.

Technology has the potential to unite students and teachers who are otherwise separated. A philosophy of Ubuntu, I am, because We are, too, allows us to be individuals in the company of others.

Of course, today begins my first visits to classrooms of teachers who participated in the CWP Leadership Institute. I can't wait to hear what they've been doing since the beginning of the school year and how texts read this summer have had an impact on their teaching.

Inhale. Exhale. It's beautiful work and I'm excited about every second of it (if not, overwhelmed). I love what I believe in and will do anything to invest in it.