Saturdays are precious.

Saturday mornings should be for sleeping.

For lazing about.

Maybe, on special occasions, for flea markets or car shows.

Not for early morning learning.

With one major exception:

The local Google Summit

And not because, or not just because, I was a presenter.

Oddly, it isn't because of the things I learned either.

I did learn some cool stuff, don't get me wrong.

I learned about some excellent apps and extensions.

I gathered a ton of new ideas for my classroom.

I gleaned some awesome ideas for PD.

But none of that is what makes it worthwhile to give up a Saturday.

Saturdays are precious.


And while learning new stuff is great, I can learn anytime.

The thing that makes a Saturday worth giving up is camaraderie.

It is the joy of being in a room full of people who care as much as I do.

The casual conversations that reveal how much we invest in our classrooms.

The questions that show the depth of our commitment.

The sharing of small moments that demonstrate our own on-going growth.

We sit and smile and laugh and question and learn together.

It is easy to forget how much that togetherness matters.

It is easy to lose sight of how much positive energy we can generate as a group.

It is easy to become afraid of trying new things.

A Saturday that reminds me I am not alone?

That reminds me we are powerful?

That lets us all overcome are fears to try something new anyway?

Priceless.

Just priceless.

Yeah, I am exhausted.

It is going to be another long week.

I will never feel caught up.

I will get caught up.

There are a million things I will do wrong or forget to do.

And it will all be worth it if I can hold on to that feeling that I am part of something bigger.

If I can remember what we do, when we try, is inherently a good thing.

Nothing about growing our children into awesome adults could be anything else.

Giving up a Saturday to be tangibly reminded of our community, our commitment, our purpose:

Heck yeah, that is a good thing.

I might even say:

Worth it.