All the painting that I did over the summer with Kathy Weber and friends from the Portsmouth Art League really made a marked improvement on my skills as well as my motivation.  I am so inspired to just get out there and paint, I also have brought new ideas into the elementary art classroom with my students. The professional development really does ignite that old passion for painting.  When I'm inspired my students can feel the inspiration through my teaching, and their motivation soars, I can see it in their work.