There are three things in this world that are really important to me, that make me who I am.  Those things are my dogs, my husband, and my students.

My students are the people who have allowed me to be as successful as I am.  I have only had 5 dogs in my limited agility experience, but through my students, I’ve been able to gain the experience of having trained dozens of dogs. I have only so much time and energy to gather data about how the game of agility is played, the types of mistakes that might occur, and the types of behaviors that will work well, but through my students, I have unlimited time and huge amounts of data.

My students are the people who allow me to, through them, fulfill the need to teach that lives within me. Some people are born to nurse, some people are born to manage, some people are born to teach…and I count myself in that latter category. Luckily, I’m also able to put bread on the table fulfilling this need and this passion.

World Championships is just around the corner; I leave on 9/23 with David and Solar for France. I’m hoping to do well, and really looking forward to the moment where I can step in to the arena, and this year, more than ever, I’ll be thinking of ALL my students, local and worldwide, and all they’ve done, whether they realize it or not, to bring me to that moment. My dreams and goals are changing – I’ll come right out and say it, I want a gold medal at the World Championships – but even more than that…I want a place to hang that medal, a place where students can come and learn, where I can continue to learn from them, and where any trophies or medals on display are there to serve the students as a reminder of their role in the process of having attained those awards. A place right in my back yard, where I can make sure that I have total control over the quality of the learning environment for my students, where everything is set up for learning.

My Teachin’ Heart won’t be silenced – and so it is with pleasure I announce that tomorrow, just in time for Back-To-School, I’ll be unveiling my new Virtual Online Classroom.  When you come back to http://www.daisypeel.com, you’ll see a link on the homepage to the Online Classroom, and you’ll be able to click and see what’s offered. Registration opens tomorrow for classes, but classes don’t start til 9/13, so you’ll have some time between registration/payment to learn how to use the classroom and familiarize yourself with your fellow students. You’ll also have some time to work on your first assignments! The direct link to the classroom is http://classroom.daisypeel.com.

I’m especially excited to offer a Goal Setting and mental management class – it’s a topic that has been difficult to devote time to while teaching seminars on the road, but something that I feel is of vital importance to everybody, regardless of level of accomplishment. I’ll also be offering an agility foundation class, where those of you looking for help with jumping foundation, recalls to heel, and other things of that nature can get that help without ever leaving your house or back yard.

Fall is in the air, and with it, the smell of textbooks, pencils, and frosty mornings….BACK TO SCHOOL!