National Title I Video Delay Due to Katie Garner’s Dumpster Diving in Detroit!
No, you didn’t misread the title.
If you’re subscribed to my Secret Newsletter, you were probably expecting to receive the video link to my presentation at this year’s National Title I Conference in your email last weekend.
The reason I was unable to send out the Title I video link last weekend as promised, was due to an unexpected, four-hour long dumpster dive in Detroit last Sunday—the ONE day that I had time in-between flights and conference travel to edit and upload it.
Why was I dumpster diving in Detroit, you ask? Was it for jewelry or cash….? Nope.
It was to rescue my favorite 1st-grade student writing sample below.
It was to rescue my favorite 1st-grade student writing sample below.
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If you’ve seen me speak at a conference, it’s likely that you tripped over this particular piece of writing when walking into my session, as it’s usually draped over the door and extending out several feet into the walkway. It is a perfect example of early learner skill-automaticity, but at over 12 feet long and heavily laminated, it’s always a challenge to get into my suitcase! That said, I love it and always take it with me wherever I go (to speak, that is, not on regular vacations- lol)
Even when I do keynotes, you’re likely to see it thrown over those fancy, giant ballroom doors, like a “Jed Clampett-style” welcome sign for teachers!
So you can imagine my horror when after finishing up my sessions at the Michigan Reading Conference, I looked up and saw that it was GONE!
I searched everywhere and questioned everyone.
“Has anyone seen a 1st-grade writing sample that’s about 12 feet long?” No one had.
“Has anyone seen a 1st-grade writing sample that’s about 12 feet long?” No one had.
I was especially suspicious of the “little-kid” cheerleaders (whose cheer competition was in the same part of the convention hall as the reading conference) as they seemed like the most likely suspects. Not only were they everywhere, tumbling up and down everything, but they were the only ones (aside from myself) who would have had any use for a 12-foot long piece of plastic (the makings of a perfect “cheer-banner!”)
But as it turned out, it wasn’t the cheerleaders.
It was a custodian who had apparently spotted my giant, puddled-up, plastic mass of writing on the floor by the door (where it fell) and decided to throw it away…. or try to, as it wouldn’t fit in her garbage bag.
The writing was so long, and the heavy-duty laminate so inflexible and unwieldy, that she’d apparently had to “hand-carry” that 12-foot long writing across the entire 3rd floor, down the escalator, and to the far side of the main lobby to the gondolas (a fancy word for rolling garbage bins), where it would then be taken to the building’s main compacting dumpster on the outer deck.
I later found out that my precious writing sample had been put into that giant compacter, where it was squished and squashed by an iron plate that pushed it further and further into the back recesses to make room for more cheerleader garbage.
By the time I had figured out what happened, that damn dumpster had literally “eaten and swallowed” my 12-foot long, 1st-grade writing sample! And to make matters worse, there was only one opening at the very front through which all of the garbage had to be pushed through. There was no top or side access door, which meant that there was no way to tell just how deep down that “rabbit hole” dumpster my writing had fallen!
But that didn’t stop me…. or my new (and VERY kind) friend, Kevin, an off-duty custodian who was willing to help me try and rescue my writing. So, with the circuit breakers turned off so that we wouldn’t be squished, (Can’t you just see those headlines? “Teacher and Custodian Squished to Death While Trying to Save Student Writing at the Michigan Reading Conference”) So Kevin and I donned matching garbage bags over our heads like ponchos and went in. (He went in because he knew what he was doing, and I went in because I was unable to accurately describe to Kevin what a 12 foot long, laminated 1st-grade writing sample actually looked like.)
We were in about three feet and randomly poking at walls of cheerleader garbage when I suddenly saw my writing pop out from behind some plastic cups. That super-heavy (and extremely expensive) Kinko’s lamination just would not be contained! Imagine a can of snakes trying to uncoil. It was like the tentacle of a giant, plastic octopus reaching out to me…as if it were running home to mommy (if mommy were standing in a dumpster).
I was so happy to see it that I actually had tears in my eyes, as I just couldn’t imagine having to fly home and leave it behind— no more than I could have imagined leaving behind the sweet student who wrote it! At this point (as if there had been any previous doubt) I’m sure that Kevin thought I was certifiably nuts!
It’s something that only a teacher would understand.
My husband certainly didn’t when I tried to explain why I’d missed my flight. Luckily though, Delta Airlines did understand (or else thought that I’d made up the most bizarre excuse EVER for missing a flight) as they were kind enough to book me on a later one that night.
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| Kevin, the bravest custodian EVER (and my personal hero!) |
It is thanks to Kevin (the kindest and most patient custodian EVER) and to Kinkos (whose overly-expensive, plastic lamination is virtually indestructible) that my favorite 1st grade writing sample is back where it belongs….safe and sound, and ready for its next trip to Montana on Monday (despite being “three times-compacted” and having a little less spring in its step!)
And I got to experience two things that I never thought that I would:
1. Go dumpster diving in Detroit
2. Take a shower with a 12-foot long writing sample (It was the only way to get us both cleaned-up in time for the flight! :-)
So now that I’ve provided you with what is probably WAY too much information, here it is as promised!
And if don’t have an hour and just want to watch some highlights, watch the video below.
I also want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has taken the time to send me pics and vids (or post them on Instagram, FB or Twitter) from your classrooms, as I can’t tell you how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE seeing all of the awesome things your doing with the Secrets and your kiddos! It’s the reason that I dig through dumpsters— Lol!
And for any new subscribers whose kids don’t know any Secrets, you can download this free “appetizer” pack of phonics posters to try them out. It’s amazing how much kids can read and write when they have MORE of the code to read and write with!
PS To all those in Montana, I’m looking forward to doing the morning keynote and several breakout sessions at your State Title I Conference later this month, and to hopefully seeing many of you there! And Maryland-friends, I will be coming back again in May, so am looking forward to seeing many of you again soon, as well! (To view all upcoming conference and school/district PD dates, click here.)
And a note to all subscribers, be sure to add Katie@KatieGarner.com to your address book so that your spam folder doesn’t “eat” my emails like the dumpster “ate” my writing— Lol! :-)
PSS I am also including the download link (see below) to the Secret Stories® Phonics Instruction White Paper which provides a great overview of the research that supports the topics covered in my presentation at Title I. Additionally, you can download the PDF handout packet from my featured presentation at Title I here.
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| SECRET STORIES® White Paper Research Support by Dr. Jill Buchan (author of the white paper for the The 2 Sisters “Daily CAFE/Daily 5” ) |
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