Last Wednesday, four of us from my district, flew to Miami Beach, Florida, to attend the "IB Conference of the Americas" at the Fountainbleu Hotel and Conference Center. All I can say is WOW...what an experience!
We arrived around 5:00 in the afternoon, and, after dropping our stuff in our room, headed to the lobby to explore the hotel. The first thing I noticed was that people wear WAY less clothing in Miami than they do in Minnesota! Not particularly a HUGE surprise, but I WAS surprised at how SHORT women't hemlines were, and how much CLEAVAGE was presented...not something I particularly focus on, in general, but...oy!
I decided that the Fountainbleu is a "peacock's paradise"...people flaunting their hard work and dedication to fitness (or lack of eating food...I can't be sure as to the method of "thinness and physique building") and their ability to get a REALLY GOOD TAN. It was DEFINITELY a "people watching" paradise, and I can assure you that I kept my shirt on at ALL times (being pudgy and pasty, both at the same time...).
Anyway...we decided our first order of business was dinner. We didn't know the area, so opted for a casual cafe, in the hotel, called Vida. They offered sushi, sandwiches, and miscellaneous fish entrees. It was good, but not stellar. I ended up choosing tempura and udon, and some veggie sushi rolls.
My room at the Fountainbleu
The view from my room
After dinner, we checked out the pool area, and headed to the beach. It was high tide, and completely dark, so we didn't see much of the "beachscape", but it was LOVELY to take off our shoes and wade through the tide.
We ended the evening with a cocktail in the lobby bar. The people watching quotient SKYROCKETED at this point, as many people were coming to the Fountainbleu to go to the club located on the lower level.
Thursday, we walked to a French cafe nearby for a quick breakfast, and, by the time we got back to the hotel, at 8:15, were completely wilted and sweaty. Miami in July is DEFINITELY a "stay indoors" kind of place...ugh!
After going back to the room and drying off, we headed to the pre-conference sessions. Nancy and I attended Programme Evaluation. Our authorization was last spring, and we now have three years before they come back to evaluate how we are doing. There is a TON of paperwork, some self-study evaluations to complete, and lots of scheduling to take care of. I was a little TENSE going in, because it really IS a lot of rigorous reflection and assessment of how we are moving forward with the IB standards and philosophy.
The BEST bit of information that I got from the day was that I'm not SOLELY responsible for doing it all. Administrators, teachers, students, and parents are ALL involved in the various aspects of the preparation.
I was also pleased to hear from others who have gone through the process, and the best piece of advice I got was "I've heard that some schools 'cram' for the evaluation. They drill the attitudes and profiles a few months before the visit, and do an in-depth study of the standards and Making the PYP Happen around the same time, so that when the evaluation team arrives, it's like regurgitating information for a test. We choose to make these things part of every day of every school year. It's imbedded in everything we do. That way, when they come, we are who we are. The pressure is AMAZINGLY diminished, and we're being more authentic in what we present ourselves as". BRILLIANT (and such a DUH! That's how it SHOULD be!). The workshop was extremely helpful, and I got lots of great information on the process.
After the workshop, the conference "officially" started with a keynote speech by Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea. Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner, just happened to be in the crowd, so he got up and made a brief speech as well.
I'll freely admit that I've never read Three Cups of Tea, and had no idea WHO Greg Mortenson was, but I found him to be an AMAZING person. His story revolves around a climbing trip to K2 in Pakistan, and involves getting lost, wandering into a village, and seeing children doing school lessons on the ground, in the dirt, because they didn't have a school. A teacher came to the village every three days to teach, and the students spent the other days practicing the lessons left by the teacher.
He made a vow to come back and build a school, and the book details his efforts, and successes, in doing so. It also speaks of relationships, family, overcoming HUGE obstacles, and a really unpleasant tea called Paiyu cha which is made with "salt, baking soda, goat's milk, and an aged, sour butter churned from yak's milk". I can't imagine what it tastes like, but am COMPLETELY okay never finding out...
He was a wonderful speaker, and his message was one of hope, and perseverence, and REALLY "brought home" the realization that we have SO MUCH in this country that we take for granted. America is TRULY a land of great opportunities, of which SO MANY people in the world will never experience, or have access to in their own countries.
Khaled Hosseini
Greg Mortenson
After his AMAZING speech, there was a reception in the courtyard. It was fancy, and fabulous, and fun! It was a chance to mingle, and get to know people, and network with the IB community. GREAT people!
Friday, was the official opening of the conference. It started with a keynote speech by Wade Davis, who spoke about his book The Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in a Modern World. His speech was full of information, and stories, and he spoke of his experiences with National Geographic Magazine. I have to admit that he lost me SEVERAL times during his speech. It was fast-paced, and full of eloquent words, and a little confusing, but, nonetheless, INCREDIBLY interesting.
After his speech, we went to various "breakout" sessions. I attended workshops on "Building Collaborative Teams", "Using a Conceptual Model for Integrating PYP Transdisciplinary Themes and State Standards", and the "PYP Update" to see what changes were coming in the PYP. The breakout sessions were good, and I came away with some useful information, strategies, and ideas.
After our sessions on Friday, we decided to do some shopping at Aventura Mall. We jumped in a taxi, and, $35.00 later, arrived. It was like any other mall, and we were still a little "shell shocked" from the cab fare, so didn't enjoy it as much as we could have. From the mall, we headed to South Beach to explore the area, and THAT cab fare was $52.00. Ugh!
South Beach is another FABULOUS "people watching" destination, but turned up about TWENTY notches from the Fountainbleu. What an amazing melting pot of all KINDS of people! Very trendy, very expensive, and very eclectic (the only thing I could afford was a t-shirt in the "tourist shop", that said LIFEGUARD MIAMI BEACH...).
We found a GREAT Cuban restaurant, David's Cafe, and I had a DELIGHTFUL shredded beef and pepper dish, with sides of black beans, and tostones (salty breaded plantains). We started the meal with the sampler appetizers, and got to try a variety of Cuban goodies. My favorite was the plantain chips.
After dinner, we explored more of Lincoln Road, then headed back to the hotel.
Saturday's keynote speaker was Alma Guillermoprieto, an AMAZING reporter with FASCINATING stories of her experiences in South America. She has written for The Guardian, The New Yorker, Newsweek, and many other key magazines and newspapers.
She has experienced some REMARKABLE things, and spoke with passion and authority, and was very moving. She spoke of interviews with dictators, and sandanistas, and everyday people. She spoke of poor people lying dead in the streets, killed by the death squads in the area, and her first assignment, in which she got an interview with a dictator that no other reporter was able to get, and, upon shaking his hand, dropped her purse. The photographer with her snapped a photo at the exact moment that she was reaching down to retrieve it, and the photo ended up running in many major newpapers around the world. In it, she looked like she was curtseying.
The breakout sessions for Saturday included "Developing and Implementing a Schoolwide Assessment Policy", "Creating a Nurturing, Open-Minded School", and "Transforming a Media Center into a Center for Inquiry". I again came away with some great ideas, good information, and things that I can use to improve what I do, and where I do it.
After the breakout sessions, we headed BACK to the beach for a little time in the sun. Unfortunately, there were HUGE rain clouds in the sky, and, as we were sitting looking at the ocean, it started to sprinkle. We were fine with sprinkles, since it WAS the beach, and we WERE putting our feet in the water, but it started raining harder, so we decided to head toward the hotel.
By the time we got to the gate, it started POURING. We made it to one of the cabanas (after hurrying people along), and only managed to get SLIGHTLY drenched. I had to LAUGH at the people who had stopped to use the "foot wash" showers to get the sand off their feet, considering that a MONSOON had just hit, and they could really have accomplished the same thing just by continuing to walk toward shelter...)
Drenched, but under shelter
The monsoon
After time at the beach, we decided to head back to South Beach. Becky wanted sushi, so we found a GREAT fusion place called Sushi Samba. I'm not a big fan of sushi, but decided to try a kobe beef sushi roll, with avacado, red onions, and a few other goodies tucked inside. I ASSUMED that since it was beef, it would be cooked, but, in true sushi/sashimi fashion, is was raw. Steak tartare is NOT my thing, but, deciding to be a risk-taker, I dipped it in my soy sauce, loaded on some pickled ginger, added a small dash of wasabi, and ate it. It was SURPRISINGLY tasty.
Becky went for the "classic" sushi rolls, and ordered some sashimi (raw fish) as well.
Terry was the TRUE risk-taker of the evening, he tried my kobe beef rolls, Becky's sushi rolls, and the sashimi, all for the first time. GO TERRY!!!
After sushi/sashimi, we headed down Lincoln Road to do more exploring.
We stopped at an Irish Pub for refreshments...
Did some "people watching"...
And went for our SECOND dinner at a FABULOUS pizzeria...
Sunday, was the final day of the conference. I needed one last "ocean fix", so got up early, packed everything, and headed outside. It was MUCH more enjoyable to explore the pool area when there weren't many people around. The music was not POUNDING, there weren't people EVERYWHERE, and it had a lovely serenity to it. Here are some photos...
After the pool, I headed through the gate for a few last minutes on the beach. It too, was serene, and mostly empty, and extremely lovely! Here are some photos...
The FINAL keynote speaker was Lorraine Monroe, and educator, administrator, and, as she described herself, crazy person. She spoke of her passion for education, and students, and in doing EVERYTHING possible to help them succeed.
She was ALL OVER the stage, and brilliant, and funny, and a little scary. I want to BE her when I grow up. By far, her speech was my favorite part of the conference. She spoke about giving our jobs 110%, and in encouraging others to do the same.
Her final thoughts (in my words and with my interpretation) were "Negative, lazy people...don't car pool with them, don't eat lunch with them. Have nothing to do with them. They suck your soul dry, and interfere with what's truly important...doing whatever it takes to get your students to succeed."
This was my first Conference of the Americas, and I was inspired, challenged, amazed, and informed. The conference reaffirmed even more strongly that I think IB is the way to go in education. It was AMAZING to be surrounded by so many others who share the IB vision, and who believe in it as strongly as I do.
Here's hoping YOU were able to enjoy a new experience recently...in a new place...and that you were able to be "reinvigorated" in your career as well!
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