I’m currently in Campinas (near São Paulo) at the AASSA (Association of American Schools in South America) conference. I’m choosing to focus mainly on the librarian and literacy tracks. I’m also looking forward to meeting other American School librarians and teachers. This is my first year teaching and serving as a librarian so I’ve never been to a conference like this before. The only thing I have to compare it to is a writer’s conference. Right this minute I’m sort of missing my writer friends, looking around to see if someone can help me brainstorm some plot possibilities for my WIP, but I think once we get started there will be plenty I can apply to my professional teacher life . . . and maybe even a few things I can apply to my writing life. I’ll keep you posted!

 1. Things that prove I sometimes have the maturity of an 8 year old boy: I *barely* held in my giggles this week when we were talking about the truism "Don’t tell me the sky is the limit. There are footprints on the moon" and a student leaned over and quietly asked me  — with complete sincerity –, "Are there footprints on Uranus?"

2. Preparing for Book Fair on March 19. The theme is SuperReaders/SuperHeroes. I painted a stand alone superhero girl today and will paint a superhero boy next week. I am not an artist but I am a very good copier/imitator. My superhero name shall be Xerox. 

3. So-wonderfully-happy-making-news this week as one of my poems was accepted for a forthcoming found poetry anthology.

4. In other good news, DIZZY DINOSAURS, a Lee Bennett Hopkins Easy Reader Poetry Collection in which I have two poems, just received a great review from Horn Book and they printed one of my poems IN COLOR with the review!

5. Best news of all: We have a week-long break from school for Carnaval. No school until Monday the 14th. I shall relax and enjoy. Even superheroes/superlibrarians/superteachers need their rest.