Nov 18, 2024
This year, I had the amazing opportunity to attend the NSTA (National Science Teaching Association) Conference for the first time as an educator and a Switch Classroom representative in the Exhibitor’s Hall! I was so excited leading up to the conference. Having never attended an NSTA Conference or been to New Orleans before, I couldn’t wait to experience it all! I love walking around those conferences and picking up all the freebies and was excited to see what it was like to be the one giving them away. I was also looking forward to seeing New Orleans for the first time as well.
As a booth worker, you are allowed extra time in the exhibit hall to set up your booth. So on Wednesday afternoon, as I entered the exhibit hall for the first time ever, it was overwhelming and AWEsome. It is completely different being on the other side of the booth, I got to see all the behind the scenes work it takes to set up the exhibit hall. There is a ton of work that goes into hanging signs, setting up tables, banners, flyers, freebies, and more. After we set up our booth I did a quick walk around the hall to see who else was there and what all they would be offering. I don’t think I have ever seen so many booths or so many companies in one place at one time. The next day was the big day!! At 11 the doors would open for teachers to have time to walk just the exhibit area. WOW! The excitement that filled the air, and the buzzing of teachers talking, let us know the time was near. As soon as the announcement was made that the exhibit hall was open, you could feel the rush of teachers! They were running around, like all teachers do, grabbing all those freebies!
For the next two days, I stood and talked for 8 hours straight. As a teacher, I am used to standing and talking, but this was different! By Saturday afternoon I was almost hoarse and my feet were killing me. Meeting teachers from all over the United States and the world was so cool! I had no idea that teachers traveled from as far away as Japan, Africa, Alaska, and as close by as Alabama, Oklahoma, and Louisiana just for NSTA. As the days and hours ticked by I was able to visit with so many educators about Switch Classroom. Most teachers that came by all had the same reaction to Switch Classroom …WHAT? IT’S FREE?? Yes, you read that right, Switch Classroom is a free resource for you and your students. Some teachers who were just walking by with no intention to stop by our booth did a 180 when they heard the word FREE! We had teachers from High School, Middle School, and Elementary that stopped by our booth. Each age group saw a different benefit for their classroom by using Switch. High school teachers who teach Chemistry and Physics saw lessons on Nuclear that intrigued them, Middle School teachers saw lessons on Electricity and Conservation that they knew their students would benefit from, and Elementary teachers quickly realized that Switch could help introduce the concept of energy, usage of energy, and efficiency. Teachers also realized that Switch Classroom is a great tool to use with lesson planning for subs. There were teachers who said they were in the middle of their Energy Units and would go back and use Switch right away and then there were teachers who said they are going to be teaching Energy soon and they would for sure go back and use it! I have no doubt that every teacher will be trying out Switch in their classrooms in the near future! Even after losing my voice and the sore feet, even after walking about a half mile from the hotel to the exhibit hall, even though it took me about a week to recover, I would gladly go to NSTA again! What an experience!
Oh, and just in case you were wondering, I did make it to Bourbon Street, Canal Street, and the French Quarter on Friday night!! If you have never been, for sure put it on your bucket list!
