I helped out with the Sigma Tau Delta Creative Writing Conference on Friday. I didn’t get a chance to enter any of my papers (too busy, stressed, and tired at the deadline in February) but I offered to help out because I enjoyed the other writing conference I attended a couple of years ago and thought it would be fun and a great experience. The conference was a modest success yesterday – not as many papers presented as we would have liked but we had a nice turnout and some great discussions; I enjoyed myself and helping out. Most of all I will treasure the email that my professor sent me:
Jackie
I wanted to say that I thought you did such a magnificent job moderating panels today. I was most impressed by your gentleness and the seriousness with which you took your job. It’s not always easy to think of appropriate comments and questions. However, I believe that it is very important to encourage conversation to give the presenter the feeling that they’ve been heard and that what they offered was interesting. You handled these situations masterfully and showed a generosity that is really inspiring.
Thank you for your work. Are you free to go out to breakfast this coming Friday. I want to reward the conference committee and the secretaries. We thought we’d all meet at the crepe place. I wanted to see if this seemed possible before I settled on that day.
I hope you have a good weekend.
All the best,
Mary Jo
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I am so thankful she noticed and acknowledged my contribution. The conference experience and my professor’s comments really make me want to pursue becoming a professor and making my life’s work center on higher education.
Jacquelyn's Space 