Coming Off a Mile-High High

Faithful readers will recall that, just a couple weeks ago, I was in Orlando, FL to present at one national conference and attend another. Well, I just returned from Denver, CO, where I attended and presented at the National Tutoring Association (NTA) conference. Allow me to fill you in:

Fri., Apr. 13

I was supposed to leave Dickinson around 3:00 P.M., but mechanical difficulties with the airplane in Williston, ND required the airline to rebook me on the next flight around 4:30. From the Denver airport, I took the Super Shuttle to the Westin Tabor Center in downtown Denver. The hotel and its conference facilities are quite nice, and my 15th-floor room was huge with a king-sized bed, a chaise longue, and a large window looking out over Denver's downtown ("LoDo") toward the expansive mountains. I enjoyed a seafood supper at Willy G's on the corner of the block.

Sat., Apr. 14

I participated in a pre-conference session (on techniques for training tutors) all day. The Westin provided a tasty lunch: Philly chicken sandwiches. I walked to the Panda Express for an easy Chinese supper of orange chicken, chow mein, and an egg roll--yummmm.

Sun., Apr. 15

I bought the girls each a soft and cuddly teddy bear wearing a miniature T-shirt with the NTA logo on the front. This was day two of my pre-conference session, this one chock full of games and activities to do with tutors (and prospective ones) to "break the ice" and to make various points about tutoring while having fun and being active; I'll be able to make use of many of them, I think. That night I enjoyed hors d'oeuvres at the reception to kick off the conference. There was also a DJ, dancing, and karaoke! (I just ate and watched.)

Mon., Apr. 16

The conference proper began with a keynote address by Dr. Rita Smilkstein, who shared some fascinating brain research about how the human brain learns (the physiology behind the heretofore mysterious processes of learning and remembering). I attended sessions throughout the day and then for supper joined my boss and a friend of hers from her graduate school days (I met Derek at the pre-conference session and later introduced him to her as my friend, whereupon the two of them began to realize that they already knew each other). We ate an incredibly expensive meal at Ruth's Chris Steak House (just glance at the prices on their menu) followed by dessert at The Cheesecake Factory.

Tue., Apr. 17

The morning keynote speaker was Mario Williams, principal of George Washington High School in Denver. He had us thinking about color (of others' skin) and the judgments we make based upon that. The luncheon keynote was given by Willey Jolley, a motivational speaker. There were Western decorations up in the luncheon ballroom to remind everyone to get excited about next year's conference in Dallas. I took a few of the bandanas tied to the backs of the chairs and paired them with the bears to give the girls. I (and about a dozen others) had signed up for dinner with Dr. Smilkstein, and that evening we enjoyed interesting conversation over a delicious meal. In between meals (!), I attended more sessions throughout the day.

Wed., Apr. 18

I gave my presentation in the morning . . . despite the fact that the presenter before me just wouldn't leave the room! He had a laptop and LCD projector set up for his own use and didn't watch the clock to see that he was running over into my setup time. I needed the overhead projector, which he had taken down in order to put his LCD projector in place. He never did put the overhead projector back for me to use, so in order to start on time, I skipped it and forged ahead using the handouts that I provided my attendees. Once I began, he finally took note that he was no longer supposed to be in the room and at that point began to dismantle his equipment. He even answered a cell phone call while I was presenting! He did not leave the room until 20 minutes into my presentation. Despite all that, it went well and was well received by participants. I had a post-conference session to attend, and then I got a ride to the airport with Derek and flew back to Dickinson, arriving home a bit after 10:00 P.M.

Beautiful as was Denver and luxurious as was the Westin, it's good to be back home.