On a cloudy Saturday morning following the cold rain the night before, teachers, writers, students, and authors filled the Student Center Ballroom. Stacks of children’s books, novels and adult coloring books balanced on each table. Chocolate kisses, literature stickers, bookmarks, and the day’s schedule of workshops scattered around each seat. With fresh muffins and steaming coffees, the guests perused the Montclair book table.
The Opening Comments
This was my second time attending the NJCTE Conference and this year, I had the opportunity to assist Dr. Laura and Jim Nicosia as they ran the conference. Teamed with fellow students and literature lovers, we organized and experienced the amazing workshops and speakers.
The first speaker for the morning was ESPN and ABC journalist, Tom Rinaldi. He’s interviewed athletes like Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Derek Jeter and more. He has also covered the Masters, Wimbledon and the US/Australian Open. Rinaldi has won 15 National Sports Emmy Awards and 6 national Edward R. Murrow Awards.
The morning of the NJCTE Conference, we had the opportunity to listen to the inspiration and importance of his first book, “The Man in the Red Bandana: A life. A choice. A legacy.” This novel shares the life of Welles Crowther as an athlete, volunteer firefighter, and hero during 9/11.
Rinaldi, who taught in NYC public schools through Teach for America, connected the significance of teachers during his presentation. “What I do at its best moments approaches what you do in all your moments,” he said. “What you do is a calling.”
Rinaldi read aloud a passage from the novel and as he verbalized the experience of writing Welles Crowther’s story, the room was so silent that I could hear the two-toned humming coming from the left and right-hand corners of the ceiling. There were sniffles and tears as Rinaldi recounts the moments the planes hit into the Twin Towers, and where Welles Crowther was at the time.
The room then reflected on their own 9/11 experiences. Rinaldi asked us, “Where you were that day. How did you hear? What was the first image you saw? If you were in a classroom, what was the moment like? What decision did you have to make? The emotions you had to process? The fears you had to navigate? The one moment prior wasn’t there, and now there was a tide, or a flood. Think for a moment the very first thing you tried to say. Whatever it was to say — that day, that week, that month, that year – in explanation to the students that saw it. The impossible answer…why did this happen? What do I do with my fear? [The answer to this question]…That is a calling.”
With a standing ovation the day progressed from book signings to the afternoon workshops. Spread around the Student Center and University Hall, guests had a variety of workshops to choose from. Such topics included:
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How to Create a Lot in a Small Space: Flash Fiction in the Classroom – with MSU’s own David Galef
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Class in America, and the Exploitation of the American Worker
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Teaching Gatsby in the Age of Trump
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Sparking the Fire for Teaching: Telling Our Stories
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And more!
Though I am not in the teaching program, there was content and discussion that anyone could apply. From inclusiveness to the importance of telling your story, the workshops offered smaller spaces to share your personal experiences.
After lunch and an awards ceremony A.S. King, author of Still Life with a Tornado, surprised her friend and fellow author Andrew Smith with The Muriel Becker Literary Award.
Andrew Smith (my favorite author ever!) is a Michael L. Printz Honor Book winner, Boston Globe-Horn Book Award winner, YALSA Award winner, Chicago Public Library award winner and New York Public Library award winner. You may also know Smith from his popular novel “Winger,” which both Nicosia’s teach in their Young Adult Literature courses. Smith also authored “Stick,” “Stand-off,” “100 Sideways Miles,” “Grasshopper Jungle,” and more.
During his presentation, Smith shared how he is a different writer for each of the books he writes. For instance, how his experience with a student who was a Syrian refugee, inspired his novel “The Alex Crow,” and how he wrote “Winger” while his son was a small toddler. I was so captivated by his presentation that I didn’t take notes!
The conference concluded with raffling autographed books and classroom posters; the book signing line for Smith and King wrapped around the entire room!
Overall, NJCTE 2017 was a spectacular day! Having the access and opportunity to hear prestigious speakers on campus was incredible. MSU students, local NJ teachers, and literature lovers alike should attend the conference. Be sure to keep your eyes open for the flyers next year and attend not only for the intellectual discussion, because who doesn’t love goodie bags filled with books?