Saturday, Back in Tecumseh

We have had April showers for the past two days. The lawn loves it, and will need to be mowed as soon as the sun comes out again. Bill and I are glad to be home after following a hectic schedule at the TLC Teacher's Conference in OKC. There were 50 of us who were invited to join this event. We were overwhelmed by our VIP treatment! The Colcord Hotel is a part of the Coury Collection of Hotels that are over 100 years old, and has been restored to the tune of $6 million dollars. It is across the street from Ford Center where the Thunders were playing while we were there. We saw several of the players and their coaches in the elevator. We wondered how they sleep?? We learned that their beds are extra long!! Our own room was huge!!! We had a sofa, side chair, coffee tables, and orchids. Everything was high tech, including buttons for maid service.

The first night of the conference, we were all taken in vans to the Red Pin Bowling Alley in Bricktown. Everyone could bowl and enjoy the buffet which had been set up for our group. We ate the entire time we were there, paid for by TLC. Every morning, we went to the Baguette French Restaurant for a buffet breakfast. The second night, we were taken to Zio's on the canal for a feast. After appetizers, salads and bread sticks, I had lasagna. Everyone was laughing because my portion was so gigantic! Sorry to say, I left at least half. There were 3 desserts, so I just tasted some of each. On Friday, we had a formal lunch at the hotel with Tilapia and warm cookies from the oven. Oh yes, we sat through many presentations. The best was not about English. A lady was brought in from Dallas to teach us about dealing with difficult students. The one thing I learned was to not interrupt someone who is throwing a tantrum. (That's my first reaction.) Let difficult people have their say and run out of steam before you even try to deal with them. Three percent of the world's people are truly difficult and are proud of being so. I think I may have met them.

I met some of the most interesting people at the conference, and many were my age! One lady was raised in Paris. Her husband teaches architectual art at OCU. They lived in Rome for awhile while he was earning his doctorate. I also met a man who teaches in Edmond who is originally from Morocco. He is really bi-cultural and was able to help me understand many of my Saudi students. I'm hoping he will come to our Shawnee branch for a day, and do a seminar. I have learned soooo much about the Sunnis and the Shiites. It was great to be with other teachers who share many of the same cultural challenges in the classroom.

This afternoon, Bill dropped me off at Shelly's baby shower for awhile, and then we went to see, "The Last Song". If you like piano music, stained glass and love, you will enjoy this movie. Take tissue! The novel was a number one best seller. I know why!