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34 thoughts on “iFLT”
I think I can say that I have attended many workshops and practicing in front of encouraging adults who are hanging on your every word in no way mimics the adolescent classroom audience who are not as “vested” in the process as we are. Think of it as wanting to ask for a professional day to go observe a TCI practitioner somewhere, but where? iFLT offers it in one place, but with additional opportunities to hear other presentations.
Anyone who’s hung out on our Ning knows that our teachers LOVE observing, and feel as though they’ve learned an incredible amount whenever they go out and watch in real classrooms, where real kids are acting like themselves, surrounded by whatever those real teachers put on the walls and in the middle of the normal school day. I got to go see two teachers in another high school for just one day, and it gave me new “channels” when I got back to my own classroom. To have a bunch of folks to process with after observing real kids…well, that’s just an amazing opportunity.
Wherever you go, go with the intent to be 100 % involved. Even if just for a few moments, be willing to practice, not just to listen and to observe. Stand up and be coached, by coaches or peers. Try something in a practice moment that you saw a presenter do, but have never yet done with your students. Video yourself before hand and bring it with you. Ask for feedback. Don’t go to be entertained, go to be enlightened. Go where you will be willing to share questions and concerns. It is not an easy transition to make if you are new to the process….even though presenters can make it look easy. :o) Go where you will feel supported. Visit the websites and blogs of presenters…see who resonates with you. Realize that some will only be presenting at one or the other, yet a number will be at both. You can’t lose at either one.
Sometimes we choose with our hearts. Sometimes with logic. Sometimes with our schedules. Sometimes with our wallets. This summer there are a pile of small workshops and the three ( Las Vegas, Punta Cana and Colorado) conferences to choose from. How wonderful is that?!!! Just make the best of whichever one you can go to. Then make a commitment to share what you learn with someone who wasn’t able to go.
If you go with an attitude of gratitude along with a little bit of hunger and a bit of humility, it will be an unforgettable personal / professional experience.
with love
Laurie
I may drive a shuttle from the airport to Breck. If I do, as we wait for people to arrive, I will coach people in the airport or on the bus. Once in Kansas City, we got a coaching session going in a Wendy’s. In L.A. at iFLT two years ago, Jody and Laurie and I got a group of Alaskans along with Doug Stone and Dead Elvis Presley and chill and others and we got a lot done in the lobby of Jody’s hotel. It’s like that.
This was a huge part of my experience in St. Louis last year at NTPRS. I have never seen a conference where people were working/ talking/coaching until late into the night and had MORE energy as the week went on as opposed to less. It was an invigorating experience.
The main suggestion I had after leaving was for ‘real’ teaching and coaching sessions at NTPRS. Working with kids in a real setting would have helped. I am sad to say that some of my colleagues that either went to NTPRS or trained in TPRS this summer have dropped off and reverted back to what they used to do after becoming overwhelmed in the classroom. Taking that first leap with real students is difficult…and terrifying. No matter how much teaching experience on has. Working with students at a conference to get one’s feet wet and having short-term success without facing the entire school year before you, would increase long-term success rates. Just my $.02-worth.
Shannon I think that they failed with their own real kids after the conference because they did not tell the kids what they were doing and that they needed help. They didn’t tell their kids that it was new to them and could they all learn together? That has to be done, in my view. Once the kids know that their help is required in a class, a remarkable thing happens – they help!
The other piece to realize is what Katya told me a while back: she says you need six TPRS workshops to start to feel truly secure in the ideas. I think that’s true, though it can be accelerated by being part of a blog like this one. Getting a big swoosh and then not being in contact for support is just like every other conference high. Somehow we should tell all the new teachers we run into at either conference that the most important thing after the conference is to keep reading and asking for help, even if they think that their questions are too basic or that they should already know the answers. I know that every time I read “Slow!” I remember to slow down in my own classes. And when we talk about behavior, I remember “Discipline precedes instruction.” Those basics bear constant repetition for me at least, and if I didn’t have the community reminding me, I might keep speeding ahead and forgetting the foundation.
Laurie just told me that “flights that get to Denver before 4 pm are actually $200-$300 MORE if you can believe it.” So plan accordingly. I’ll publish what Liz Hughes comes up with on haggling the airport shuttles for the lowest rate possible. We also need to find places for people who are going to stay over Las Vegas. Lot’s of work to do.
At least they are from my little corner of the world. :o)
Hi Ben – I decided to respond here to your comment under “coo coo” about the airport pickups, so it was under IFLT.
I have not yet made my air reservations. What time should I arrive by in Denver on the 15th in order to be picked up by you nice gentlemen???? 🙂
Thanks!
~~MB
We are trying to set up a 12:00 airport pickup for those arriving in the a.m. and a 5:00 departure for those arriving later. Honestly, we don’t know at this point how it will work. Get your best flight and we will make sure you get up to Breck.
If you find anyone coming out Monday morning, could you alert them that Chill and I are arriving early Monday (6:00 am)? The last time I checked, the shuttle service said it would be $300 for taking us out there. I’m going to call again, now that it’s closer to the time. We’re figuring that we will rent a car if need be.
How are you and chill getting to Las Vegas after Breck, if you are going? I think we need to run this discussion through Jan. We need to respond to this shuttle deal.
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!! $300???!! Ok…Ben, I’ll email you and we’ll see if we can find out more info. :o)
with love,
Laurie
Starting to try and figure out if I can do this. The shuttle may be the deal breaker for sure.
OOPS…it turns out they fixed it! There’s a $39/one way price now attached to the iFLT website. Phew!
I’ll be okay.
Not if I’m the shuttle. Tell me what I have to do to get you over here.
Yeah Monday should be do-able. The Sunday deal is the problem.
I truly appreciate all these opportunities and also the guidance and info about them It is so difficult for me to make decisions. Like clinically difficult, so it really helped to read Lauries post about how you basically can’t make a “wrong” decision if you are “all in” for the experience.
Jen, there is no wrong decision, so I am going to both:) Truly, you will be nourished at either. You will leave with a feeling of exhilaration and of connectedness to an amazing community of like minded people who will become your friends and mentors. I told Laurie this morning that the majority of people I call good friends are a result of the intersection of my life with Blaine Ray. It was a lucky day indeed!
Same with the day I met Susan Gross. And I would like to add here that we need to remember Blaine’s contribution of the Three Steps of TPRS as pivotal. Blaine was the first one through, and his courage cost him two jobs. The three steps are the formula for Coke. CI is largely TPRS. All of the new stuff we are doing, in my opinion, are mere wrinkles on the surface of TPRS. We need to keep reminding ourselves about that, and showing proper respect for Blaine, Joe, Susan, Carmen, and those kick ass leaders form the early and mid 90’s. What courage! What vision!
Jen I also have an almost clinical fear of making decisions. No shit. Libra rising. I have been to various conferences over the past decade and I have made the decision to skip some. After each of the conferences I attended, every single one of them, I felt that I had made the right decision to make teh sacrifice and go. My learning curve during the entire year after the conference was based on every detail I learned in sessions from Susie, Linda, Blaine, Diana, Jason, Laurie, Bryce and all those awesome teachers out there, the best teachers in the nation. But that is my experience.
Two thumbs up.
Nice photo!
Hey that’s the shirt I wore up Mt. Evans. It was a 90 degree August day in Denver and 35 degrees with hail cells and lightning at the top. Today I went up to 11,000 feet on my bike cause my kids were skiing. Dang near got blown off the side of a mountain like what happens to semis. Scary. The wind tried to steer my bike instead of me for three hours. That said, I invite all road bike officianodos to get some serious riding in up at Breckenridge this summer. I know that we have some roadies in this group.
Well, I am not a road biker, but I’ll take that offer of a ride in the shuttle bus to be coached. I’ve seen what you can do in a hallway!
I’m looking for roomates for a condo? anyone interested?
Kate
ooh, me! but i better check to make sure i can go. i will e mail you 🙂
Hi Kate, if the offer is still there for a roommate, please let me know.
Ben, what day/time would you be running the shuttle?
~~MB
We gave up on that. Diana’s argument prevailed that it was not going to work with all the different flight arrival times and getting to Breck via the airport shuttles was the only practical way to do it. Apologies.
OK – but I checked the online shuttle schedule. they are only running July 16, 17, 18 and 19? How about the 15th? since the pre-conference workshop is on the 16th. thanks!
Diana said to contact Jan Coone, coonej@mac.com. Anyone with questions can find a link on the iFLT website and those questions go directly to Jan.
Diana told me that a lot of people can fit into a condo. I think if three shared the big ones they would each have an individual room). Up to five could share one. Not certain, just something Diana told me.
Is there a kitchenette in them?
I think I was told yes. Go to the link and it will probably tell you:
http://www.ifltconference.org
Then tell us. What I heard is it has all the amenities and a kitchen but the main thing was that it is in walking distance from everything so that cars are not at all necessary up there. Close walk to town, the schools we’ll be teaching in, the mountain, etc.
I have reserved a room and am looking to split it w/ someone. If interested email me at grantboulanger at gmail dot com