I wanted to indroduce myself and share my excitement for the "New Advanced System" I have been using in my first grade classroom! The first conference I attended was in the beginning of last year. I recently attended the Hemet conference and came back refreshed. Whole Brain Teaching has helped me tremendously with my three to four challenging students. The Hemet conference gave me more insight about the levels in Whole Brain Teaching. I didn't realize the importance of the scoreboard as I relied on my old system of group points instead. I have now implemented the practice cards and I weave the five rules throughout the day and it has made a huge improvement with my class. It really keeps my class running efficiently and there are a lot less instructional minutes wasted. Our class has a focus and it is fun to learn with gestures and my students really enjoy teaching their classmates what they just learned from me. It is a win-win situation. I did use it before but now I am more aware of why I am doing the strategies laid out for me in whole brain teaching. The explanations about the brain research is key to the success of this movement. I love how Whole Brain Teaching keeps me positive and focused.

Mary Contreras
Val Verde Unified School District