Teacher of the Year, Recognition Week!

I'm sure my life has never been as chaotic as last week as I prepared for my trip to Washington, D.C. I spoke in three different cities, all while trying to pack for the biggest events of my professional life and while attempting to complete, print, and mail a draft of my book entitled Finding Mrs. Warnecke.

Suffice it to say that I haven't cleaned my house in three weeks - can't wait to do that! So...I finally starting packing, and my husband could barely lift the suitcase. I took a pile of stuff out and put some things in the car (I was flying, but David would be driving up later...) Meanwhile I dropped my gown for the ball right in the driveway and just generally made a mess of things while trying to get out of town. Then I got to the airport and my luggage was still too heavy! But I whined and told the check-in attendant "But I'm going to meet the President!" and she let me go without charging me the $50 she had mentioned. Thanks!

In the terminal I bought UNC championship t-shirts for the President (he picked us to win on his brackets) and Arne Duncan, the Secretary of Education and a former professional basketball player. Then I saw former UNC star Eric Montross come out of the gate I was headed in to. I felt like that was an omen of the famous people I would see in the days to come...

Once I arrived in D.C. on Sunday night, I was so excited to see the other State Teachers of the Year - we all met in January in Dallas and have communicated in the months since, all what I call "kindred spirits in education." My first fun event was to jump in a limousine and participate in a beautiful nighttime tour of Washington, D.C.

Here I am with Tony Mullen, the Teacher of the Year from Connecticut and the newly named National Teacher of the Year, and the State Teachers of the Year from Minnesota, Louisiana, Maine, Colorado, and California.


Here I am at the World War II Memorial - I'm proud of the veterans from North Carolina, including many of my uncles and my husband's uncle Riddick who died during the Battle of the Bulge.

Monday we boarded buses and headed for a day at the Smithsonian as we are now "Smithsonian Ambassadors." We met briefly at the Castle, the Smithsonian's first building, before breaking into groups and visiting different museums. My group spent a few hours in the Museum of National History, and although we were able to see exhibits like The Star Spangled Banner, Dorothy's Ruby Slippers, and an exhibit depicting the life of Abraham Lincoln (including his top hat), most of the time we were in the repository, digging through artifacts in an extremely secure area. We were all given a box from our own states, and we were able to look through diaries, postcards, and letters and feel connected to home.

The Castle

My Smithsonian Group

The Climate-controlled Area for Artifact Collections, including Duke Ellington's Sheet Music

Artifacts from North Carolina from the 30's to the 50's

I brought sixteen pairs of shoes to Washington, but none as famous as these!

The best was yet to come, though, as we hopped on the buses again and headed to Vice President Biden's residence. We were so excited while the security guards were checking our identification - I watched the dog sniffing for bombs under the bus in front of us and realized that this visit was a very big deal!

Dr. Jill Biden was our hostess, and she was so sweet and gracious. A teacher herself, Dr. Biden spoke to each State Teacher of the Year individually, smiling for pictures, and thanking each of us for what we do. Our visit to the Vice President's residence was definitely something I'll never forget!

The VP's Home

When I first met Jill Biden, I talked to her about being a reading teacher (she's one, too!) and about being a stepmother, another thing we have in common. I told her that I've always admired her for the way she helped raise those two boys after they tragically lost their mother and sister.

The Vice-Puppy is named Champ - a name the Vice President's father called him as a child.

Finally my travel weary husband showed up and we walked to Luigi's, an authentic Italian restaurant, to have dinner before our big day Tuesday. Stay tuned for my experiences as I meet the President, the Vice President, and the Secretary of Education. Not exactly my usual audience of seventh graders!