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👋Hi and WELCOME to my blog! I have spent all of my life living in central Illinois and have been teaching in my home community for the past 8 years. My teaching experience began in a rural community in 2001 for three years, but was followed by taking 14 years to raise my family. That gap in teaching was eye-opening and has helped me to redefine what good teaching looks like in today's ever-changing world. 

My family consists of my husband and me and our four boys-YES, you read that correctly! The boys keep us busy and involved in our community through sports, school, and church. Having kids ten years apart has given me a great perspective as a parent and a teacher that I try to rely on and consider when challenges arise in and out of the classroom. 

I consider myself a life-long learner and challenge myself to learn something new each year. I believe being a student makes me a better teacher. It makes me consider how vulnerable it feels to not understand directions or what to do next in a task, and I hope that makes me more thoughtful about my own students' personal experience in class. My recent challenges led me to become scuba diver certified, which was really out of my comfort zone but has been a rewarding experience. My education has led me towards a master's degree in instructional technology and design and helped me to reframe the importance of good instructional design for both the teacher and the student. 

My hope is that this blog can be a place where ideas are shared and expanded upon to help support all of us in our journey to impact our learning communities in a positive way. 

Thanks for dropping by!

Alissa  

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