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You Don't Know Unless You Try

The first week of the 2015-2016 school year is done, but I couldn't tell you where those days went. All I know is that Friday afternoon is here and my oldest daughter is getting ready to be flower girl tomorrow at my cousin's wedding.
While the first week went by at a speed similar to the last week of summer vacation, there was so much additional time and energy put in to it by so many people. The reason, starting a blended classroom in my sixth grade math and science classes. This is something that has been in the works since the beginning of the fourth marking period of last year, and something that I have been, unknowingly, building up to since I was hired 14 years ago. So while blended learning will be occurring in my classroom, it is definitely not a me-only project. We all will celebrate the successes the blended learning classroom gives us throughout the year.
What has been so fantastic about beginning a blended learning classroom has been all of the excitement and willingness to help from so many educators, especially my superintendent, principal, director of technology, and director of curriculum. Without them, I would not have been given to the opportunity to grow professionally and become a better teacher for my students. From the start, the have been fully supportive and encouraging. They saw the benefits of a blended learning classroom and found ways to make it happen.

I look forward to experiencing and sharing the challenges, successes, and connections this year will bring. Great things really can happen when you try, but you really won't know unless you try.

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