I thought I’d give you my top 10 reasons why I didn’t go prior to this year.
10. I’m shy. Not really, but it is intimidating meeting new friends and going away for 3-4 days alone can be frightening. What I forgot is that school counselors are probably the most warm and welcoming group of people in the world. So many new friends, but it felt like going home after being away for years.
9. I’ll miss my family. I missed them, but I’m glad I didn’t take them with me. It was great to eat dinner and socialize with other counselors from all over the world. I learned a lot from talking to people and the time away from my husband and kids I know made me a better counselor.
8. I’ll be bored. Who are we kidding here. There is no possible way to be bored. There are so many things to see, do and experience. I found myself staying up much later than normal and wanting to get up at the crack of dawn to get going again.
7. I’m not a member of ASCA. You don’t have to be. This is my first year as a member to ASCA and it has had it’s privileges. I did notice that there were quite a lot of counselors that were not ASCA members, and obviously it didn’t stop them from attending.
6. I won’t get to meet anyone. With the different receptions and the tweet up, it was hard not meeting people. 
5. It’s too expensive. Yes, it can be, but try asking your district to send you, or your state or local organization for a scholarship. You never know.
4. I won’t learn anything new. There were plenty of sessions to choose from covering a variety of topics, grade level, and interests. There really was something for everyone.
3. No one goes to those things anyway. Wrong. . .there were over 2000 school counselors in attendance. Wow!
2. I’m good for PD since I attend my local or state organization. Can there every really be enough Professional Development? I am the sole counselor in my building, I have been a counselor for a long time, and I still can’t get enough!
1. I have better things to do. I could have started my summer work days, but other than that, I didn’t have anything better to do. I presented, I saw Stedman Graham, I saw Michelle Obama, I met a lot of wonderful people. Besides getting married and having kids, it ranks right up there as one of the best times of my life.
Over the next few days, I will post my notes and my handouts to my session and post some links to others.
