opportunity knocks.

I don't usually like change.

But when new opportunities arise, it's good to step up to the challenge sometimes.

At the beginning of the school year, I was talking with a colleague about our new High Ability (gifted/talented) program. I had no interest in it, but came up with a few ideas that she took and ended up using with the kids in the program. She then approached me and asked if I'd like to be on the High Ability Team because my ideas were so good. Again, I wasn't really that interested, but I figured it would look good on my resume, and a monthly meeting or two wouldn't be too bad. So I agreed.

After a few months, I was approached with an opportunity to go back to school to get a license in Gifted/Talented education. We had gotten a grant from the state that would completely pay for the classes as long as the school was in-state. I love to learn and figured, you can't really turn down a free education! So I applied and was accepted in March.

I will be taking online classes through Ball State University beginning in May. I will take 2 classes this year and two next year. 

I figured that was about it.

Until we learned a few weeks ago that our school is restructuring for the upcoming year. Instead of having single-grade classrooms, all teachers will be teaching 3 levels. K-2, 3-5, and 6-8. That means I'll have kindergartners, first graders, and second graders in my classroom. Students will stay with me from kindergarten until they go to 3rd grade, so I'll have the same students for 3 years. The only new ones will be the kinders each year. 

That was a lot to take in. I still have my reservations about it. But after 4 years of teaching kindergarten, I'm ready to take on something new. So I've decided to rise to the challenge and face it head-on. After finding out about all that, I was approached about teaching the High Ability K-2 class. So all of my students will be the "smart" kids. And now it has come full-circle. The classes that I'll be taking will prepare me to teach the students I'll have next year. The team I decided to join in August will help me plan projects for my students who are bored by the traditional work in class and need to be challenged. This thing I wasn't even interested in at the beginning of the year is now going to be my job in the coming years! And the more I dig into it, the more excited I become. 

I'm also getting professional development opportunities. I'm going to Indianapolis this next week to attend a conference on High Ability education. I'm going to another training in June to learn about a language arts curriculum geared toward these learners. There will be more opportunities for me to go to things in the future as well (and all paid for by my school!) I'm excited about what I'll be able to do with these kids. It'll be much more work...and I'm not looking forward to that part! But we'll be able to dig really deep into topics they're interested in, rather than just teaching the standards set by the state. We'll all learn together.

So no...I normally don't like change. And I'll be completely honest and say that this change makes me nervous. But it's a change I'm looking forward to!

xoxo, Mrs. Miller