MRA 2024 - "This is such a great conference!"

Picture it.  Sturbridge.  Massachusetts Reading Association Conference 2024.  

Two crazy reading ladies are running late - per usual - and can't find our badges.  People jump to help us.  "This is such a great conference."

We sneak into the keynote, content to stand in the back.  We're quickly ushered to front row seats.   "This is such a great conference!"

They keynote was...chef's kiss.  All around us, heads are nodding.  Pencils are scratching.  Keys are clicking.  The audience is engaged, invested.  Again, we find ourselves saying, "This is SUCH a great conference!"  

As teachers,  we appreciate how rejuvenating and encouraging it can be to spend time with like minded peers. As a principal, Mary reminds us that participation in conferences is excellent evidence for Standard 4.  (Present and you might just earn an Exemplary!)  

The Sturbridge Host Hotel and Conference Center was such an accessible venue.  How lovely to not need escalators and a hover board to go from one session to another within the allotted transition time.  The lobby with the giant fireplace?  The courtyard with the live trees?  The exhibit hall that can be navigated without GPS?  Heaven.  

Gholdy Muhammad, author of Cultivating Genius and Unearthing Joy, spoke to our souls.  Her message was enlightening and truly validating.  Do curriculum designers study our students?  Take their measurements?  Or, when the dress doesn't fit, do they tell the kids they need to go on a diet?  Historically responsible education teaches identity, skills, intellect, criticality, and JOY.  

  

As presenters, we were given the VIP treatment.  Coffee and muffins, super accessible and helpful tech support.  And they gave us a session moderator / reluctant bouncer.  Jodi - call us!  We'll get coffee at An Unlikely Story!  

Perhaps the most cup-filling component of MRA 2024 was the caliber of attendees.  People didn't leave sessions.  They were attentive, taking notes, asking questions, fully engaged.  Dare we say, they were all in?  

And just when we thought the day couldn't get any better: Lauren Wolk.  (Just like Ms. Wolk's next book, Candle Island, more on this encounter is coming soon!)  

    

If you're a Massachusetts educator, you should join MRA.  You can learn more about them here.  And mark your calendars for MRA 2025: March 26 - 28 in Newton.  

It'll be such a great conference.