When I was in high school I had two groups of friends. I had my friends that were in all of my classes with me- honors classes all the way. I guess they were the "preppies". I also had another group of friends that I knew through my older sister. They were the skaters and the punks. They had siblings who were younger like me. I didn't have very many classes with them, but would see them in between classes and at lunch. Several of these kids or their sibling were in bands. I'm talking hardcore, punk rock or ska bands. Since I shared a room with my sister I knew the music and once I was old enough, my parents finally let me go to shows with my sister.
Now, up to this point, the only concerts I had seen were New Kids on the Block (when I was in 5th grade... Hanging Tough... jealous? Ha!) and Oldies concerts with my mom. Oh, and my dad took the whole family to see Rolling Stones on the Voodoo Lounge Tour. So these were all big productions. Going to a punk rock show in a little club in Atlanta was SO much different. By my junior year I was going to shows very regularly and I loved it. Some were in clubs downtown, some were on college campuses, some were in the garages at houses. The smaller the show, the more exciting it was. These shows were generally all put on by the kids and for the kids. The clubs didn't book the shows, the kids did. Some shows were free, some were $3 or $5, depending on if all the bands were local or not. The bands showed up in their parent's mini-van with the band equipment. The band sold the merch in between their sets. Other kids set up tables of records and demo tapes to sell. Sometimes there were tables set up with info on vegetarianism. It was all DIY and it was awesome!
Now, up to this point, the only concerts I had seen were New Kids on the Block (when I was in 5th grade... Hanging Tough... jealous? Ha!) and Oldies concerts with my mom. Oh, and my dad took the whole family to see Rolling Stones on the Voodoo Lounge Tour. So these were all big productions. Going to a punk rock show in a little club in Atlanta was SO much different. By my junior year I was going to shows very regularly and I loved it. Some were in clubs downtown, some were on college campuses, some were in the garages at houses. The smaller the show, the more exciting it was. These shows were generally all put on by the kids and for the kids. The clubs didn't book the shows, the kids did. Some shows were free, some were $3 or $5, depending on if all the bands were local or not. The bands showed up in their parent's mini-van with the band equipment. The band sold the merch in between their sets. Other kids set up tables of records and demo tapes to sell. Sometimes there were tables set up with info on vegetarianism. It was all DIY and it was awesome!
Why am I rambling on about all this? Well, a few years ago I came across #MTBoS on Twitter. Then I learned about TMC. Then last year I went to my first TMC in my own state. Not only was it better than I thought it would be, but it made me think of the punk rock shows from high school. All of TMC is put on by teachers for teachers. No silly sponsorships, no sales pitches, no $300 registration fees. Everyone was friendly and they all shared common values. And it was all math focused. It was amazing! How amazing? Well, TMC took place the last 4 days of my summer vacation. I'm going to be honest now. Once I found out I made the wait list cut, I figured I would go for a day. It was only $20, so I thought I would definitely get my $20 worth. So I went on Thursday and I then I quickly realized it was by FAR the best professional development I had ever attended (in 14 years of teaching). Day one was so great, I decided to go back on Friday. I told myself I wanted my weekend to spend relaxing before pre-planning on Monday. Well, Friday came and went and I even ventured out of my comfort zone and went to dinner with some fellow TMCers. As an introvert, this was crazy. It didn't scare me off though because I went back for day three.
This year I am attending TMC18 and I'm excited and nervous. I'm excited to go to a new city and see people I met last year and see people I've been following on Twitter. I'm also excited because this year I'm staying in the TMC hotel so I'm hoping to get more of the camp experience! I'm nervous though because I'm presenting on Thursday. Eeek!
