It's funny. I don't remember a lot about those first days of the pandemic. As someone who has never been married, I'm used to spending a lot of time alone, so that was not that different or that hard for me. What was different, and really hard, was the lack of routine, and the lack of stimulation. Those first few weeks, there was no church or Monday Night Bible Study. There were no Wednesday Spanish classes. The library was closed. I couldn't have coffee and read at the Tattered Cover, or admire the spring flowers at the Botanic Gardens. I couldn't go to the movies.
I realized, in a relatively short time, that I was going to have to figure out some new routines for myself. That second week, I stumbled across an incredible learning opportunity. Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallagher were online for about thirty minutes every day, sharing their thinking about reading and writing and teaching.
Sometimes it was just Penny and Kelly. Other days, they had guest speakers, like Kylene Beers and Bob Probst and Franki Sibberson. I loved, loved, loved those sessions and made a point of watching live pretty much every day. The few days that I had something else going on, I watched the recorded sessions later. At the end of thirty days, Kelly and Penny announced that they were stopping so that they could work on their next book. I cried.
Today, I happened to jump on Twitter for a few minutes. And I was absolutely and totally thrilled to learn that Penny and Kelly are starting up again! Today was the first of 30 sessions. And of course, I had to put everything aside and listen. Penny and Kelly talked about what they are currently reading and writing. And it was fabulous. I came away with at least five new titles. And there's also a padlet.
I can't wait for Day Two! Or the twenty-eight after that! If you are looking for some great PD, you might want to check them out.
3 comments:
How amazing you happened upon this and how generous to share it with us, too. I'm putting it on MY calendar too. Isn't meaningful professional talk like a great workout or a perfect hug - gives you just want you need (sometimes energy, sometimes comfort).
Thank you for pointing to this fabulous resource.
I felt exactly the same, Carol. Bereft last year when the daily conversations ended. They were my life raft for a month. I was so happy when I saw they were doing this again this year. I am always behind, so I've only listened to one of their talks so far. Hoping to make time for another one today.
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