One of the requirements for this week in GAIN is to comment on a blog from the list provided. I looked at thethinkingstick.com blog on a recent post dated April 29th, 2015. The title of the blog entry was titled Institutes and Conferences. The thought in the entry was that as the school year was winding down, there was some reflection on how stressful the end of school year can be with the many comprehensive testing requirements. But with summer rolling in, it would be good to review upcoming conferences for teachers for the summer. Teachers stay pretty busy through the school year with very little opportunity for continuing education as the school year progresses. We can take advantage of the summers as opportunities to continue to develop our skillsets and to foster new ideas and experiences with other teachers within the profession. These conferences can spark new creative ideas and give educators a recharge and refueling to study plans and ideas they can take back into the classroom environment. The blogger on this site gives several ideas that will hopefully foster discussion among teachers you work with to take advantage of the summer and register for a conference near you.