Slice of Life: What to do? 3/6

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

After missing work all week, except for going in to do parent conferences on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, I feel a little stir-crazy and guilty.  "I should be doing something," my mind screams at me. "I am in pain and so exhausted," my body shouts back. So, I compromised. I started planning and trying to decide what my mind will be doing this summer. I have a lot of options. I am trying now to narrow down the options to what I can afford and what I can feasibly do.  I do need to renew my license and therefore need to choose some things to do for credits. 

I have these ideas on my mind:

1. Go to a local conference on innovative ideas in education. Summer Spark sounds excellent, with Dave Burgess as the keynote speaker. We can learn to teach like a pirate, matey. Arrgghh!

2. I am seriously considering driving to AllWrite. The line-up is amazing! I think it is wonderful that they are able to offer speakers with that calibre for a super reasonable price. Plus, there are so many people that I have "met" online that I would really like to meet in person. 

3. There are two local universities that offer a short NWP project. I have experienced the one already and really loved it. The other is more intense, but that might be just what I need this summer. I always welcome the chance to give myself the push into writing more and revitalizing my writing instruction. 

4. I am considering starting the process for National Board certification. I wish I would have looked closer at it earlier this year, because it has changed a lot. I think it looks like I would not be able to get this process completely finished during the 2015-2016 school year, but my state has an option for getting an extension on your license while you finish this process. 

Of course, all of these options include fees, some more expensive than others, which also means that I will have to pick and choose and consider which things will give me the most bang for the buck. I hope I will be able to find something that will energize my mind and transform some parts of my practice.