Thank you Rebecca Herzog for hosting Poetry Friday!
I felt exhilarated, but a bit like a fish out of water here in Baltimore at the NCTE conference that began this morning. I’d attended many writer’s conferences, but never a conference for thousands of English teachers.
However, it must be common to feel a bit lost, because at registration, I was given a yellow ribbon for my name tag: First Time Attendee. I stuck it on my name tag and began to tackle the inch thick catalogue of events.
My situation, a writer new to NCTE, is not a hardship, though the unease of being new is universal. All new folks appreciate being welcomed, as I certainly felt here today in Baltimore. Here’s a haiku to celebrate the day:
NCTE
First time attendee
wearing a yellow ribbon–
conference courage.