Post camp musings

What an amazing weekend. I can honestly say that the weekend surpassed all expectations and I enjoyed it so much and got so much out of it that I am determined to set up Isle of Man's first teach meet. Right I have said it now so it has got to happen:)

Why was it such a successful weekend?
Visions
Well, it certainly couldn't and wouldn't have happened if the amazing Sarah and Stephen hadn't had the vision and the tenacity to see the project through. They were of course very modest about the whole thing but I didn't fail to notice that the weekend had been planned to perfection with every little detail taken into account. I certainly take my hat (or beanie) off to them for their expertise and professionalism.
Enthusiasm
The other aspect to the weekend were of course the attendees, all of whom were fully signed up to the ethos of the weekend. We all arrived with enthusiasm in shed loads, as well as open minds, ready to make new friends and share ideas. I was blown away by the diverse skill sets in the room and the obvious quality of experience everybody had. I initially felt nervous, would I live up to expectations, could I 'add' anything to the weekend? I needn't have worried as, without exception, I was made to feel valued and my confidence grew.

What did I take away from the weekend?

• I came away bouncing with enthusiasm to try new things in school, to strive to be better than I ever thought possible, to set up something similar to give more teachers the chance of experiencing what I had, in fact I feel like Tigger!
• Confirmation that many of my thoughts, dreams and ideas are shared by lots of other people in fact it made me feel valued and that I have got something to offer! I know it sounds silly, but 
• sometimes you do need a confidence boost and this certainly gave it to me.
• The permission to give myself time to reflect, discuss, research and plan. This weekend gave us this and more, in fact it highlighted how important these processes are and not to underestimate the value that we should place on them.
• Friends that I know that I can consult in the future and that are happy to help, which is more valuable than words can express. I have even made friends since coming home as a direct consequence of SLTCamp, who would have thought! In fact my new contact is going to help me plan our own version of the weekend on our little island.

In conclusion, I can thoroughly recommend to anyone to give something like this a go, go on, you know it makes sense! Thank you Sarah and Stephen for a birthday I am not going to forget in a hurry! :)