Wednesday, August 5, 2009

reflections on the conference so far...

Well I have been getting a lot of grief about not posting a blog, so here it is in a stream of consciousness outburst... Ready?

The drive to Wells became most beautiful as I drove along the east side of the lake down Route 90. I felt the excitement bubbling up within my psyche. I was once again going to meet and greet and work with people I hadn't seen for many months. My ear-to-ear smile probably made the people who saw me wonder, "What's he got to be so happy about?"
The picnic on the upper field (near a golf course, I hear ;o) had that typical good feeling we all get when we we're enjoying good food with good people and laughing just because we are together. It's a feeling that occurs in so many communities every summer and it can't be beat.Several of the other posts have mentioned our Keynote on Monday morning, so I won't bore you by repeating everything they wrote. Nor will I bore the reader here with details of the meeting I attended discussing our plans for next Summer's STEM Conference in Oswego... but PLEASE keep your ears and eyes open for information as it comes out because I guarantee, you won't want to miss next Summer's gathering of Science, Tech Ed, Engineering, and Math educators.

The food here is pretty good and we're getting plenty of it, when we want it. The college folk have been great and THANKS go to Frank and his team for the great job! Huzzah!

I've been taking sporadic photos of events happening in and around the conference and you'll see some of them soon on the AMTNYS web site. If I get the chance, maybe even here on the blog. If anyone does not like how they look in the photos I post, well thems the breaks I guess. ;o)

The presenters have gone to a lot of trouble to bring high quality professional development to us and it shows. NOT ONE person I have spoken with has been disappointed. I personally have sat in on and enjoyed presentations by Eric O'Brien, Jim Matthews, Frank Sobierajski, and Maria DiCarlo. I hope those who sat in on my workshop were not disappointed in the content and quality, but it's hard for me to know, being oblivious and all. ;o)

The weather here has turned out to be rain-free which is a nice surprise considering the forcast we were expecting. The banquet is tonight and afterwards the telescope will go back out for anyone interested in being blinded by the full moon, enjoying the moons of Jupiter, or looking at unusual star groupings. (The brightness of the moon washes out many of the dimmer objects in the rich night sky available from this dark Central NY site.)

And hey... don't forget to pick something up at the Scholarship Sales Table. We need your support. And hey again... the ice cream social gathering last night was delicious. And oh, by the way... the Monday game night was a memorable one (if you didn't have too much champaigne) with high the exitement levels exhibited.

I really think the best part of our Summer Conference is the comradery and the laid-back pace that allows us to relax, reflect, and renew our committment to quality math education.

TTFN!

1 comment:

  1. I wrote a bit about the first day. It really has been a relaxed affair, with some nice sessions and problem solving.

    I like the card games.

    Here's the bit I wrote

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