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I really love the discussions, clarifications, and experiences that are shared by all. This group really  came together today with the sharing. It is invigorating to have such professionals like Mary, Pat, and Antonio to show us the way! 

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I really love the discussions, clarifications, and experiences that are shared by all. This group really  came together today with the sharing. It is invigorating to have such professionals like Mary, Pat, and Antonio to show us the way! 

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I am energized to continue to learn so I can help students learn to read using these methods. As we have said many times, when you know better you do better.

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I am so grateful for all the learning I have received from the the fabulous LETRS trainers.  I will go right to work on the very important job of teaching all of this knowledge to my students and the teachers in our district.  I am ready to make a difference.

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I don't know where to begin.  First, supremely grateful to have access to this amazing training opportunity.  It's not just what I can provide for the kids that I teach, but what I can share with other teachers. This training and journey for me is an example of why it is never to late.  My mantra is "when you know better, you do better."  I look forward to "doing better."  Thank you to this wonderful group.  I have learned so much from all of you!

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I don't know where to begin.  First, supremely grateful to have access to this amazing training opportunity.  It's not just what I can provide for the kids that I teach, but what I can share with other teachers. This training and journey for me is an example of why it is never to late.  My mantra is "when you know better, you do better."  I look forward to "doing better."  Thank you to this wonderful group.  I have learned so much from all of you!

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Thank you so much for all of your amazing knowledge!  I am very excited to get started on this adventure!  I know that there is still so much to learn and I can't wait to dive deeper into this.  I am very excited to share this with all of our staff members and watch our district grow!

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Thank you so much for all of your amazing knowledge!  I am very excited to get started on this adventure!  I know that there is still so much to learn and I can't wait to dive deeper into this.  I am very excited to share this with all of our staff members and watch our district grow!

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I'm filled with hope, which is something we have lacked (with regards to reading growth) for some time in our district.  I'm excited to see how LETRS will empower our teachers and their students. A teeny bit of nervousness creeps in with the hope as I grapple with how this change will be received by some teachers.  However, I also know that it will only take one classroom's stellar growth to turn heads.   

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I'm filled with hope, which is something we have lacked (with regards to reading growth) for some time in our district.  I'm excited to see how LETRS will empower our teachers and their students. A teeny bit of nervousness creeps in with the hope as I grapple with how this change will be received by some teachers.  However, I also know that it will only take one classroom's stellar growth to turn heads.   

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This four day training really helped cement the content I had learned on the online edition as well as the content I had learned in the LETRS classic version. I found going through the case studies very helpful and I believe case studies and coaching will be so beneficial for teachers that I work with. -Melanie Andersen 

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This four day training really helped cement the content I had learned on the online edition as well as the content I had learned in the LETRS classic version. I found going through the case studies very helpful and I believe case studies and coaching will be so beneficial for teachers that I work with. -Melanie Andersen 

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Wow! Where to begin?! It's all the little extras that can't be learned from the manual or the online videos that I will find invaluable. Antonio's insights into Spanish speakers, Pat's speech therapy knowledge, Mary's depth of understanding of the English language.  Even though it was virtual, I was able to also learn so much from my fellow participants.  It will be days of revisiting the book, padlet, chat notes and the presentation before I can process it all.  I appreciate ALL that you have shared with us over these last 4 days!

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Wow! Where to begin?! It's all the little extras that can't be learned from the manual or the online videos that I will find invaluable. Antonio's insights into Spanish speakers, Pat's speech therapy knowledge, Mary's depth of understanding of the English language.  Even though it was virtual, I was able to also learn so much from my fellow participants.  It will be days of revisiting the book, padlet, chat notes and the presentation before I can process it all.  I appreciate ALL that you have shared with us over these last 4 days!

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Lisa Comer

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Thank you both for sharing your knowledge and expertise with us. The tips for delivery were very helpful.

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I'm excited to see how much our district (teachers and students) will benefit from this! :)

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I learned that there are amazing, brilliant dedicated classroom teachers, like the ones I met in Horsehead? NY who will do just about anything to ensure their students can be lifelong readers. I am so proud to be an educator. When we know better, we really do do better.  I owe it to them to learn  as much as I can so they can in turn change the lives of children.  Thank you to our trainers who created a welcoming environment to learn and to the researchers who keep giving us information that challenges what we have done in the past. 

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I learned that there are amazing, brilliant dedicated classroom teachers, like the ones I met in Horsehead? NY who will do just about anything to ensure their students can be lifelong readers. I am so proud to be an educator. When we know better, we really do do better.  I owe it to them to learn  as much as I can so they can in turn change the lives of children.  Thank you to our trainers who created a welcoming environment to learn and to the researchers who keep giving us information that challenges what we have done in the past. 

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Thank you for sharing all of the tips for training with participants in person and online. I appreciated hearing and see the Reading Brain. I also loved hearing from Antonio about ELs. It was very insightful to hear Pat talk through the vowel valley with all of her SLP background. Mary, thanks for walking us through your Sound Wall/Vowel Valley and etymology. I also appreciate having all of the resources that were shared.

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This training was the icing on the very tall cake of LETRS knowledge. I hope to someday be as fluent as you when teaching this life changing content. Thank you

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Thank you. I learned how to make this content come to life virtually. Mary, Pat & Antonio, your approaches and interactions with us in this setting makes us feel connected even though we are separated. Thank you again. 

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Thank you. I learned how to make this content come to life virtually. Mary, Pat & Antonio, your approaches and interactions with us in this setting makes us feel connected even though we are separated. Thank you again. 

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Thank you so much to Mary and Pat (and Antonio!) for an amazing week. I can't wait to get started spreading the good word to every teacher I see!
It starts with KNOWING. When we KNOW better, we DO better!

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I "squirrel" a lot. I need to make sure I stay the course.

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I think that my belief in Science of reading will be obvious.  I also am very honest and transparent.  I think being real is key. 

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I think that my belief in Science of reading will be obvious.  I also am very honest and transparent.  I think being real is key. 

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As a presenter, I sometimes get over focused on the task at hand. I don't want to miss out on those opportunities for the "in the moment" conversations that will help deepen participants understanding as well as develop relationships. 

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As a presenter, I sometimes get over focused on the task at hand. I don't want to miss out on those opportunities for the "in the moment" conversations that will help deepen participants understanding as well as develop relationships. 

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Lisa Comer

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Once I get it, I'm just fine. Presenting is like a celebration!

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Once I get it, I'm just fine. Presenting is like a celebration!

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I am confident in the areas of PA, phonics, syllables, etc but need to continue to practice with the Consonant and Vowel charts. I have a hard time hearing the difference between o, aw, etc. I also want to continue to to increase my confidence around the Reading Brain.

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I would like clear agendas for the days of study.

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I know that I have a good base of knowledge and look forward to sharing what I have learned.  However, my knowledge is still growing.  I could spend all day, everyday, researching and learning more.  I believe that as I begin to present that I will feel more comfortable.  I am grateful that I have colleagues to learn from.  

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I know that I have a good base of knowledge and look forward to sharing what I have learned.  However, my knowledge is still growing.  I could spend all day, everyday, researching and learning more.  I believe that as I begin to present that I will feel more comfortable.  I am grateful that I have colleagues to learn from.  

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The supporting research that accompany the big ideas is an area I need to keep working on. That's what helps people with the initial buy in. In the classroom, I feel confident with the areas of implementing and helping others implement. They will believe and buy in when they see it in action. Lisa Comer

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The supporting research that accompany the big ideas is an area I need to keep working on. That's what helps people with the initial buy in. In the classroom, I feel confident with the areas of implementing and helping others implement. They will believe and buy in when they see it in action. Lisa Comer

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I need to improve my expertise in consonant mouth/tongue knowledge. It's hard to see into my own mouth and sometimes I just don't "feel" it. Also....I still have some holes in what's an ortho error and what's a phono error in spelling.

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I need to improve my expertise in consonant mouth/tongue knowledge. It's hard to see into my own mouth and sometimes I just don't "feel" it. Also....I still have some holes in what's an ortho error and what's a phono error in spelling.

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Content Strengths:
I love this learning and am so excited and passionate about presenting the Science of Reading to our district.
Weaknesses:
I am new at this and I am balancing my job as a classroom teacher teaching all the subjects, reading is only a small part of my duties.  With practice training teachers and participating in the discussions I will become more confident with the material.  I also look forward to practicing the skills and assessments with my students, watching their excitement and seeing, with my own eyes, the growth in my students.

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I feel comfortable with the content. I will need to review the brain and consonant and vowel charts prior to presenting.

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I feel comfortable with the content, but am wondering if there is a reference document that lists any content changes made from 2nd edition to 3rd edition.

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Strength: My passion for this content and helping our students!

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Strength: My passion for this content and helping our students!

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Weakness: Feeling confident during presentations.

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I feel pretty good about the content. I know that I need to know more about language origins. That's my Achilles Heel.

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I feel pretty good about the content. I know that I need to know more about language origins. That's my Achilles Heel.

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Strength/areas of opportunity:  I feel more comfortable with my knowledge of the first 2 units and less comfortable with my depth of knowledge with the some of the content in units 3- 4. 

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Strength/areas of opportunity:  I feel more comfortable with my knowledge of the first 2 units and less comfortable with my depth of knowledge with the some of the content in units 3- 4. 

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I feel like I will be a forever learning of LETRS. However,  I will look forward to connecting all the models to allow better understanding of the SOR.  It is career changing for teachers and life changing for students. That is exciting.

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Honestly, being so new to this and so very green, the content is still pretty new. But I am learning so much from everyone here and am glad I'll have the videos to refer to, as well as everything else we have at our fingertips.

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Strength: my passion for the content. Weakness: staying true to the agenda and schedule

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Strength: my passion for the content. Weakness: staying true to the agenda and schedule

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I find in an effort to connect all of these models and processes together I want to try and make the visuals fit together to help participants (and myself) become more fluid with the content. But, Dr. Moats cautions, try not to make these models "fit" or "overlap" each other. They're not perfectly aligned.

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Strength: Reading the Room; Weakness: Confidence in myself in presenting; Not knowing everything; Presenting virtually

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I find that I make connections between units and sessions and get ahead of myself instead of waiting for the topic to come up in the continuum of the course.

CONTENT STRENGTHS:
Some new information, some information I have trained previously; Passion for content;

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I am concerned about doing this presentation virtually and doing it justice.

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I also must work on pacing and bringing back the group, even if rich conversations are occuring.  I am good at making connections and helping teachers see how this will work with their students.

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Hitting everything on the agenda is a worry of mine, but I also DO NOT have a poker face and I have a hard time hiding my shock when i hear teachers talk about practices that are not considered BEST practice, rather than validating their comments and bringing them over to the science of reading side. :)

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I need to improve my time management of delivery - sometimes spend too much or too little on certain topics. I also want to improve my virtual training engagement practices.

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I think my enthusiasm for this work is a strength. However, I totally resonated with both Mary and Pat. I want to share everything. I need to mindfully stay on point as best as I can.

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I think my enthusiasm for this work is a strength. However, I totally resonated with both Mary and Pat. I want to share everything. I need to mindfully stay on point as best as I can.

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I respond to audiences in a live setting. I just want to be sure I can honor that in a virtual setting.

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Like Mary, I find one struggle is maintaining  perky pace

Fear of not being able to manage all of the materials, resources and audience.  Need for support during training as in co-presenting especially with virtual learning.

Concern about the incredible amount of prep.

Presentation Strengths:
Comfortable presenting with adult learners. Typically able to create a safe learning environment.

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https://www.thereadingleague.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Decodable-Text-Sources-updated-Feb-2019.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1ly0vp2nL9nI-3H0Uqa6zA8GvGOODXsVpKnl5rADD3UOAhrjrMDjXwSkg

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Jenna talked about Linda Farrell's work with students on this site.

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Jenna talked about Linda Farrell's work with students on this site.

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https://www.readingrockets.org

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Dr. Tolman's Lit Kit (and hourglass t-shirts!)

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Dr. Tolman's Lit Kit (and hourglass t-shirts!)

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https://drcaroltolman.com/product/lit-kit/

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•https://childrenofthecode.org/Tour/c1/emotionaldanger.htm

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More about Gordon's Ladder of Competence:

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Before rolling out specific training or initiatives that are aimed at improving some facet of your business, you need to ensure that your leaders and team members are equipped with fundamental communication and relationship management skills.

Numerous studies have verified that cooperation, communication, interpersonal skills, listening and summarizing skills are critical to higher-order team success. In their book, The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes and Posner write, "Every leader ought to know how to paraphrase, summarize, express feelings, disclose personal information, admit mistakes, respond non-defensively, ask for clarification, solicit different views, and so on."

These skills are at the heart of emotional intelligence. Cultivating them in managers and employees is the key to all of the benefits of training and development. An organization that is already able to communicate across levels productively and functionally, and to manage conflicts creatively and beneficially, is prepared for higher-order training and learning that will require those skills for successful implementation.

The Four Stages for Learning Any New Skill

No matter what new skill we decide to learn, there are four learning stages* each of us goes through. Being aware of these stages helps us better accept that learning can be a slow and frequently uncomfortable process.

Stage 1 - Unconsciously unskilled. We don't know what we don't know. We are inept and unaware of it.

Using a recent personal example, last year after seeing the great shape a friend was in and learning that it was a result of Pilates exercise, I decided to try it out for myself. The first time I went to a class, I felt self-conscious and awkward. I knew nothing about how Pilates worked and I had never seen, much less used, any of those machines before.

Applying this principle to communication training at work, often leaders communicate in ways that interfere with or damage relationships with their team members, but they aren't aware of it.

Stage 2 - Consciously unskilled. We know what we don't know. We start to learn at this level when sudden awareness of how poorly we do something shows us how much we need to learn.

I have exercised for many years so I thought I was already pretty fit and strong. Wrong. After two or three Pilates classes, I was struck by how few of the movements I could do well. The instructor did a lot of observing and correcting. I also observed the ease with which she and other students did more advanced movements (and learned how long they've been doing it!).

While participating in a Leader Effectiveness Training course, leaders become aware of both ineffective and effective ways of communicating. They become conscious of the way most of us usually respond when team members signal they have a problem and the negative effects these "Roadblocks" have on the working relationship. And they become aware of the power of empathic listening. They also learn about the importance of clear and direct self-disclosure as an alternative to passive or aggressive communication. But at this stage, they aren't yet using these skills. They might feel some guilt as they realize the effects their previous communication might have had on their team members.

Stage 3 - Consciously skilled. Trying the skill out, experimenting, practicing. We now know how to do the skill the right way, but need to think and work hard to do it.

In each Pilates class, I try to concentrate completely on doing the movements correctly-both to get the most benefit from them and to avoid getting corrected. It's not easy because I'm not used to these positions and haven't yet developed the core strength it takes to do them well. It's invaluable to have an instructor there to coach and help me get it right.

At this stage of learning communication skills, leaders are very conscious of using them. They try hard to avoid unhelpful or damaging responses and to listen empathically instead. This means they bite their tongue a lot! And they are very aware of trying to speak in clear, authentic, non-blameful language when expressing their opinions, needs and problems. When conflicts arise, their goal is to try to find a solution that works for both people. Sometimes, they might feel a little phony-the use of skills seems kind of gimmicky. Other people usually perceive the leader as consciously trying to communicate differently.

Stage 4 - Unconsciously skilled. If we continue to practice and apply the new skills, eventually we arrive at a stage where they become easier, and given time, even natural.

Now, nine months later, after going to Pilates twice each week, I can do many more moves and no longer feel so awkward. I look forward to going to the classes; they're energizing, challenging and rewarding, and no longer scary. I've gotten stronger and more fit and other people notice the difference, too! Still, I see how far I have to go.

When leaders persist in using the skills they start to be comfortable with them. Now active listening, congruent self-disclosure and no-lose conflict resolution seem more natural. Team members and others respond favorably because they feel heard, understood, appreciated, satisfied. Leaders find that they can apply these skills in all areas of their lives and gradually they become integrated into all of their interactions and become the natural way of being with others.
*This Learning Stages model was developed by former GTI employee, Noel Burch over 30 years ago.

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Learning a New Skill is Easier Said Than Done

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By Linda Adams, President of GTI Before rolling out specific training or initiatives that are aimed at improving some facet of your business, you need to

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Good Morning! Very excited to be here and learn from all of you! 

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Good Morning! Very excited to be here and learn from all of you! 

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Julie Goodwin - Super excited to be here with all of you!

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Julie Goodwin - Super excited to be here with all of you!

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Good Morning from Illinois!

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HI!

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Hi everyone!

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Hello Everyone!  I'm looking to our 4 days together!

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Hello Everyone!  I'm looking to our 4 days together!

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I am very excited to learn from everyone!

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Hello! I am very excited to get to know all of you!-Jorene Cook

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Hello! I am very excited to get to know all of you!-Jorene Cook

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Welcome to Volume 1 Facilitator Training!  In order to practice entering information on the padlet: type your name, and send us a quick message.

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Welcome to Volume 1 Facilitator Training!  In order to practice entering information on the padlet: type your name, and send us a quick message.