About

My first year of teaching was rough. Like all first years. I taught third grade and struggled with managing everything- lesson plans, grading, pacing, managing my students. It seemed like there were just so many components and I didn’t know where to focus my energy. I was spreading myself too thin trying to be amazing at everything.

Spoiler alert: I wasn’t so good yet.

At the end of the year, one of my students told me his favorite thing was when we would skip science and just read.

As I headed into my second, third, and fourth years, I started to focus on one aspect of teaching at a time, realizing that they would all come together eventually. Still, I never forgot what that boy told me. I started to realize that time I spent with my students wasn’t just reading aloud. It was reading aloud and just talking about them. We built relationships during that time.

The first big change I made…

was to plan for read aloud time. My fourth grade was departmentalized, so my time was limited. Read aloud time was precious, but it helped in so many aspects. The class was having fun reading, and we made personal connections! I wanted more of this positive energy. Enter community meetings and daily morning messages. 

My classroom was transformed in the best possible way.

Now, if anyone asked me what my non-negotiables are during the school day, I would tell you community meetings and read aloud time. Having taught for 11 years in three schools (including during a pandemic!), I know what it’s like to be overwhelmed in the classroom. There’s always one more thing to plan, grade, or manage. This is why I want to take the pressure off, so you can enjoy the relationships.