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Presenting in 2016

October 31, 2015

The best gift that my husband has given me as our family has grown…and grown…and grown…is the support and freedom to continue to travel and work with teachers. From a practical standpoint alone, it is really, really hard for me to be away from my kids. My oldest will turn four just five weeks before my due date with our fourth child in early February, so to say that the brood is “high maintenance” is quite an understatement. Between preparing the workshops, finding someone that is capable of watching three (and soon four) babies/toddlers and available to do so, preparing activities, schedules, instructions, etc. for said person, and actually flying out of Alaska….every trip is an major undertaking. When we made the decision for me to resign from my full-time teaching position to be a stay at home mom, it was so that I could have more time to focus on the home and the kids so that my husband could have more time to focus on building his business…you now, so that we can afford to feed three teenage boys in a few years. He still needs that time for his business, but he also sees how much it means to me to stay involved in world language education. So, if you have ever benefited from something that I have posted or created or shared, then you share in the debt of gratitude that I owe to MR. BEX, the man behind Martina, for helping me to continue to do what I love! With the birth of my first daughter :) :) :) in early 2016, I will not be traveling anytime after ACTFL this November and before iFLT next July in Chattanooga. Unfortunately, that means that I will not be returning to CSCTFL/OFLA with my All-Star Presentation “Bringing Culture Back” (you can catch it at ACTFL in San Diego, though!). After July, I will be able to make a limited number of trips. My travel schedule will depend on how many nights I will be away, how long between trips, and what flight schedules are available to and from Alaska. As states begin planning for 2016 fall conferences and districts for fall in-services, it has been overwhelming for me to figure out which and how many commitments I can realistically handle. Matt and I discussed it last night, and this is what we came up with: If you would like for me to lead a workshop or training for your school, district, organization, etc. between August 2016 and December 2016, I need to receive the request via email by November 30 (one month from today!). Then, my husband and I will look over the requests and see which ones are feasible. Usually, we end up flying my mom or my mother-in-law from New York to Alaska to stay with the kids while I am gone. (Like I said, each trip is a major undertaking!) If we can see all of our options at once, we will be able to see if there are any that we can group together in a single, longer trip during which we know that Matt will have grandma help. Depending on where you are located and when you need me, another option would be to lump the training with a visit to family back east or with an already-scheduled conference. If we can see everything at once, we will be better able to make decisions and commitments to travel. If you need to put together a specific proposal for your district or organization, it might be helpful for you to see presentations that I have done before (click here). I apologize that this request is somewhat “forward”, and I wish that I were able to accommodate all requests to present, since I truly love working with language teachers, challenging what I “know”, making friends, and getting to know new places! However, this stage of my life simply doesn't allow it! Again, please contact me via email by November 30, 2015, and I would love to see you sometime next year!

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