NCSS National Conference Day 2

 The day began early began with a pleasant jog with friends.   Got to see the mall by dawn with no one else around.  Highly recommended.  Then off we went to the convention center.  Shortly before arrival we saw something unexpected when a woman tripped and fell on the sidewalk.  Hard. Those nearby helped her up and I was relieved because I was pretty sure she was dead.  It led to some interesting conversation about the effect cities have on people and their behavior.  For the record, this TU member does not enjoy cities much. 

So as we made our way through our sessions on our second day of “Dimensions on Diversity” it seemed a common topic mentioned by many presenters was poverty.   It is a topic not addressed often enough in educational conversations but one that is confronted daily by classroom educators, education reformers, and most sensible people.  One would think it would rarely leave our collective conscience but it seems the opposite is true.  The problem is hard to ignore walking the streets of our nation’s capital where you are never far from those living within its grasp.  We are fortunate that our own community suffers to a far lesser degree but suffers none the less. 

Other less profound reflections on our visit:

-Another day of presenters.  Some great, some good, and some not so great.  Glad we went.

-Unlike yesterday, there was no bounding up the stairs it like I did a day earlier.  The convention center is big and we saw all of it.  Lots of up and down.

-When the 10th presenter told me they ran out of materials because they were told to make 25 copies, it got annoying.

-Many people in the exhibitors section are only there to promote and push their products.  We learned quickly to avoid the flashier booths as those people are not teachers and have far less in common with ourselves.   Target the plain with more substance.

-Perhaps next year we'll attend a conference and pass out cards promoting the TU as some did for their sites.   That would seem out of character. 
-Dyson Air Blade.  Whoa.

-The C-SPAN bus was pretty sweet.  

-If we go a few months without seeing a flashy TV screen Kiosk, that's OK with us.

-Escalators are big scary monstrous inventions.  Maybe that's why we like them better than stairs. 

We'll use tomorrow to regroup and then share some more thoughtful insights of what went on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Yd3ouQsPFY

No visible cracks

DC Convention Center. 

Mr. Dyson...nice work.

Cards for self promotion

2012 is  a long ways away.

"Of course we'll ride the escalator"

The "secret staircase"

Hard to tell what this was until its dark