Happy Holidays!

I would just like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a very happy holiday season.  It is my prayer that your Christmas was a blessed time with family and friends and that your New Year celebrations be safe and full of joy.

I have really enjoyed this time of rest and relaxation.  Over the break I have had the opportunity to spend time with family and friends, as well as relax and read a couple of good Christian fiction books.  I even gave my house a good cleaning, something that it desperately needed.  I think, however, my favorite part of this vacation was the time that I spent serving others at the Salvation Army.  I was blessed to be able to hand out Christmas toys and turkeys on Christmas Eve, as well as serve at the food line the week after Christmas.  My therapy dog, MaryAnn, joined me on all of these outings.  Although she may not have understood all that we were doing, she has definitely enjoyed all of the time she got to spend with her mommy.  I truly believe that there is no better way to spend out time than to serve others.  There is definite truth in the saying that it is better to give than to receive.

I have also had some time during this vacation to reflect upon this school year.  It is hard to believe that my first year as a Whole Brain Teaching instructor is almost half over.  It has gone very quickly, but it has been so much fun!  I have never enjoyed myself so much as a teacher.  It is fun to watch my kids have fun learning.  There are so many good things that I could say about Whole Brain Teaching. It has transformed my classroom in ways that I would have never thought possible.  Engagement is up, discipline problems are almost non-existent, my students love school and are excited about learning, motivation is high (Thank you Super Improver Wall) and the list goes on.  I am excited to see what the new year is going to bring.

Right now the thing I am most excited about is Coach B.'s trip to Las Vegas.  I am referring to Chris Biffle, the founder of Whole Brain Teaching.  He will be in Las Vegas January 23rd and 24th.  My students and I are so excited, because he will be spending a portion of his day on Friday in our room.  I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas morning to arrive.  On Saturday Coach B. will be giving an all day seminar from 8:00 to 3:00 at Mack Middle School.  It is free and open to anyone who would like to attend, so if you are in or around the Las Vegas area, I would encourage you to take advantage of this awesome opportunity to come hear Coach B. in person.

If you are working on New Years' resolutions for the coming year, I would encourage you to make implementing Whole Brain Teaching in your classroom one of those resolutions.  I promise you that the rewards will be well worth the work.  If I can help you in anyway with making this resolution a reality, please let me know.  I always love to hear from all of you.  Have a very happy New Year!