Welcome to Teaching Across the USA!
I am an upper elementary teacher and military wife who first began teaching in 2006. Since that time, I have taught 2nd-5th grades in four states: California, Ohio, Texas, and Utah, and have taught in public, private, and charter schools. All that moving means I’ve been able to pull the very best from each school environment and bring it all together at the next!
My background: I hold a BA in English and a M.Ed. in Instructional Design, and am trained in EL Education, Responsive Classroom, and Singapore Math. I started out in a very textbook-dependent school that left me looking for engaging supplementary materials, and have since moved on to schools that have few set curriculum materials–meaning it’s all on me to find and/or create them! Luckily, I *love* creating curriculum materials and keeping up to date on the latest educational research & best practices!
What I value: For me, the two most essential aspects of teaching are building a close-knit classroom community and providing authentic and immersive learning experiences. I’ve found a strong rapport with students is the #1 biggest part of classroom management, and purposeful, engaging academic activities do as much for behavior as they do for learning. I look forward to sharing a bit of what I do in my classroom here on my blog!