Getting nervous about this one...

As some of you might already know, I have a strong interest in making learning engaging, particularly with maths as this is the area that I have tried to specialise in over the years.
It doesn't always happen, but that doesn't stop me from trying.
Late last year I was approached by a good friend who is a local school Principal who had the task of helping to organise a conference for a cluster of schools extending from Heathcote to the northern part of Victoria.

Titled "Engagement for Improved Outcomes 2015", I was asked if I could present some workshops with a numeracy focus.

Thinking that my friend was displaying the early signs of dementia, I quizzed him to see if he was pulling my chain (for overseas readers, this means trying to trick me/lead me on) but he assured me he was for real.
I found his request to be incredibly humbling because not for a moment do I consider myself any sort of an expert in this area, I just have a very active interest in it and love teaching it.

So, after discussing what they were after, I accepted his request and have been nervously planning the workshops over the past few weeks.
In my mind, it is vital that I get this gig right, because schools are closing for the conference, and teachers will be expecting bang for their buck.
I have so many ideas running around my mind, it is now a case of trying to put together something that will appeal to teachers of all age groups.

Over the weekend I received the conference summary, and this only made me more nervous when I saw who else was presenting.
Think of the TV show "The Weakest Link", and that's how I feel when listed with the other presenters.
Rather than wallow in self pity, it has only spurred me on to ensure that I deliver something that will influence change.
So, check out the conference summary, and hopefully I'll have only positive responses to share with you late next week!! (And don't you love the professional shots of the other presenters, and then there's me pointing to a sign outside the Richmond Hotel that I stumbled across in Rome late last year!)

(I'd actually be getting more done preparing my workshops if I didn't stumble across an Ed Sheeran doco on the TV that I am watching with my son who is a very talented guitarist as well- it is great sharing a discussion about what we are watching with someone who is just as passionate about his music as I am about my learning beliefs!!)