The moment that I walked into the Story Shop I knew it was going to be a magical day. In fact, it took a lot of magic (or maybe just hard work, but we’ll call it magic) just to get me to that moment in the first place. It took a chance meeting of two ELA teachers some 700 miles apart in an alternative reality. Ok, maybe I’m being a bit too dramatic, but let’s face it, Instagram is a reality all of its own!

Making Magic

Still, I find it miraculous that I met Ashley (@buildingbooklove) on Instagram several years ago. We made a connection when we realized that we’re both ELA teachers married to history teacher husbands. Ashley’s vision to create the Keeping the Wonder Workshop came together in one month’s time (miraculous in itself), and I am so thankful that she brought me on board! With the teaching expertise of our Instagram-turned-in-real-life friends, Abby (@writeonwithmissg) and Staci (@theengagingstation), the four-hour interactive workshop was born, and with a little bit of magic and a lot of hard work, the Keeping the Wonder Workshop became a reality on June 19, 2017.

The Keeping the Wonder Workshop was nothing short of a magical day! Of course as far as magical bookstores go, the Story Shop takes the cake, but the magic really started coming to life when the little shop in Monroe, Georgia was enchanted with the creative minds of 60 ELA teachers (a sold out crowd based on the size of The Story Shop) from all across the United States, even California!

Keeping the Wonder

In creating this interactive workshop, our goal was to prove that magic, whimsy, and play don’t have to end in elementary school. Therefore, my sessions were all about using picture books to re-establish the wonder of our secondary students’ primary years. In my introductory station, I explained my three-step model for secondary ELA lesson planning with picture books. Then, this lead into an interactive session in the whimsical dining room. While we dined on food fit for any student of Hogwarts, we put our creative writing skills to the test with a paint chip tone story. A gallery walk and a creative competition followed.

The Keeping the Wonder Workshop was all that we dreamed it would be and more! We’re not making a big announcement, but stay tuned for more exciting magic that lies ahead! You can follow our Instagram, @keepingthewonder, for the latest updates. For now, enjoy these pictures from an enchanted day at the Story Shop.