Ready! Pronto!

As most of you already know, I was honored last April with the prestigious McGlothlin Award for Teaching Excellence.  Along with the recognition, I was given a check for $25,000 with the stipulation that at least $10,000 be used for international travel. What an incredible gift!  According to the McGlothlin Foundation "The...goal is for the awards to inspire recipients, their students, their peers, and indeed, their entire school." Mr. McGlothlin believes that if he provides teachers with the opportunity to enrich their own lives, they will bring that knowledge back to inspire and enrich the lives of others. :) Knowing this, I chose to go to Italy, a country rich with history, scenery, and culture! Thanks to a wonderful travel agent, my family and I are ready to embark on a custom planned trip of a lifetime. I truly wish I could take all of you so we could explore together! Wouldn't we have fun?! Fortunately, thanks to modern technology, we can do the next best thing!! For those students, parents, colleagues, friends and family who are interested, welcome to my blog "Beyond the Chalkboard". Come spend two weeks in Italy with me!  Follow along on our trip, see the sights, post comments, ask questions, and be sure to tell us about your experiences abroad! We leave on July 18th! Andiamo!