EDCI-528 All About Me

Hi! My name is Rebecca Blair, but everyone calls me "Becky". I enjoy spending time with my husband, Tony (not the former Prime Minister), and my four children. We have two girls and two boys ranging in age from seventeen to almost 5. I am also a voracious reader, lover of the great outdoors, occasional artist, and fan of anything chocolate! 

For ten years, I was an elementary teacher in North Carolina. During my teaching career, I’ve always had a passion for integrating technology into the curriculum. As a result, I was able to serve on the county DODEA technology team for several years, giving me the opportunity to facilitate professional development for technology integration for many of my peers. For the last six years, I've also contributed to Teachers Pay Teachers. One of the things I love most about the education realm is creating engaging resources that include innovative new tools or techniques! Last December, my family of six relocated to Indiana. Shortly thereafter, I decided that I was ready for the next step in my career.  

I am currently working as an Instructional Designer at Highpoint Global in Indianapolis. It is my hope that my participation in this program continues to advance my skillset in LDT and allows me to make some great new connections! But perhaps my most important goal in obtaining my MS degree is directly related to my four-year-old. Ben was born with a cochlear malformation, which wasn't diagnosed until right before his second birthday. Since that time, we've been on a long journey of cochlear implant surgeries, revision surgeries, and countless hours in language therapy. Our little guy is still basically non-verbal but was enrolled at the St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf last year, which specializes in Spoken Language Therapy. We're hoping and praying that we can get our little man talking and on track with his spoken language skills. Successfully completing this degree program will give me access to careers that have more flexible work options, which may be essential for our family in the future.

Fun Facts:

#1- I enjoy baking cupcakes and other unhealthy foods. Since I’ve always had an artistic bent, I find it particularly fun to sculpt cake decor out of fondant or modeling chocolate. We NEVER buy birthday cakes! I always get overly ambitious and then get lost in decorating our kids’ birthday cakes. I’ve even tried to pass along a little decor know-how. Here’s one of my favorite cakes that my youngest daughter made for an Easter cake decorating contest.

#2- Our oldest son graduated from high school this year in one of the most unconventional ceremonies that I've ever attended. We never imagined that we'd be watching one of our kids walk across a stage in the middle of a school parking lot from lawn chairs. Thankfully, due to ABC order, we got to park in the front center row during the ceremony so we didn't have to watch on the jumbo screen that was mounted on a trailer nearby. Weird, but memorable!

#3- After my dad passed away this May, we welcomed our newest additions to the family. Cora & Luna are long-promised pets that we surprised our kids with. It seemed like the right time. Originally, we planned to bring home one little fur-baby but we decided four kids justified the duo! They're spoiled rotten and constantly cuddled.

#4- In addition to our first graduation, this year, we also celebrated our oldest daughter's Sweet 16, our youngest daughter's transition to teenager, our youngest son turning 5, AND 21 years of marriage. It's been an epic year anyway we look at it!