I packed my yellow NPR bag with 30 granola bars, a package of tissues, band aids, and my roster. Oh, and my husband (in the car, not the NPR bag). Today, he was coming to school with me to chaperone a field trip to the Illinois Reads Book Festival, which was in Waukegan this year (just an hour north of our junior high school).
What a gift to have this free opportunity to join authors, teachers, librarians, book sellers, and, of course, readers (young and old) for a day of all things books.
I shook parents’ hands as they turned their children over to me for the day. They trust me with their kids every day, and yet I’ve never looked them in the eye. What a privilege to meet the people who raised these lovers of books, these writers of stories I get to hear in our classrooms, future authors.
We attended panels, author talks, a writing workshop, and book signings. I heard students share their writing for authors, and on the way home, they played 2 truths and a lie.
A marvelous day in this teacher’s life.
Awesome post and field trip! Last May, I attended the Rochester Book Festival with my daughter and her (middle) school. I helped chaperone and had such a wonderful day meeting authors that write for our students. Thanks for sharing! BTW – loved this line – “Oh, and my husband (in the car, not the NPR bag).”:)