This next school year will be my third year of teaching first grade. I am very excited to be staying in the same place next year and working to improve my craft. I am looking forward to taking time to plan and organize this summer after the whirlwind of this past year which included a cross-country move. I am really thinking about how to best manage my centers or stations during my Literacy Block and Math Instruction. I am also going to find a better way to teach writing because I really have a hard time balancing small groups with stations or centers and the direct instruction or workshop time my students need to become great writers. Not to make my wish list too long, but I'd really like to plan more integrated STEM or STEaM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) projects. I'll start sharing ideas soon. Right now I'm learning how to make my blog look cuter and having fun doing it!

Why Teach Forward?

I believe our mission as educators should be to prepare our students for the world of tomorrow by teaching them the essential skills they will need to be successful in our dynamic, global society.  I have taught grades K-4 over the past 15 years in both urban and suburban regions from coast-to-coast in English Language Learners (ELLs) and General Education settings.   

My goal is to help educators work together to achieve the important task of providing all of our students with rigorous and relevant instruction that builds on the work of those who came before us.  By working together and sharing, we can help more students set and achieve high learning goals. 

I have wanted to start a blog for years, but was waiting until I felt I had something new and amazing to share.  I'm not there yet because I'm still learning and I think I always will be.  If something I share here can help an educator reach their students in a new way, encourage teachers to try new and different ideas, highly engage their students or just be inspired as so many others have done for me, then I will feel successful.

Thank you for joining me on this journey.  I hope it will be a wonderful adventure for us all!