About Me

I live in Pennsylvania with my husband, daughter, two sons, and a little beagle named Bailey.  I love them to pieces.  :)

Introducing the girls...

and the boys.

We love adventure!

Hello everyone, it's so nice to meet you!

I've been teaching for 20 years, yikes! That makes me (a very young at heart) forty-something.  

Although I've taught many different grade levels, I'll always consider myself a first grade teacher since most of my years have been spent there.  

However, a few years ago I accepted a position as a reading specialist, doing what I love best, teaching children to read.  :)

Here's a peek at my room.

If you popped into my classroom unannounced, you would most likely see five children sitting around my rainbow table reading books and talking about the strategies they are using to decode and understand the text; you you might see them playing an active vocabulary game or writing in their journals; you might even see a few of them snuggled up with their books in the tent.  :)

We're discussing how to participate in the school-wide
reading challenge and get the chance to win a Kindle.

I love teaching and I wouldn't trade it for any other profession.  But even the dream job can be challenging at times.  When that happens, I count on good teaching buddies, a little caffeine, and lots of laughter to get me through it.

Character dress up day with my first grade friends.
That's *Alexander* on the far left...he's having a bad day, lol.  

Here are a few tidbits about me...

I'm a reality TV junkie; I eat too many sweets; I run even though I don't always enjoy it; and I talk.  A lot.

I can’t live without my morning cup of coffee, lap top, Kindle, flair pens, and sticky notes.

I've worn out my copies of these teaching resources from Fountas & Pinnell and Regie Routman. 

If I were to describe my teaching style, I'd say that sometimes I'm the coach, sometimes I'm a teammate, and sometimes I'm the cheerleader.  My students are actively reading, writing, thinking, and discussing.  They are playing games, role-playing, and creating.  I'm right there learning along with them.  Learning is social, I embrace that. :)

For me, blogging is a chance to reflect and grow professionally. I've learned so much from other teacher-bloggers, and I hope to pay it forward.

Thanks for taking the time to get to know me.  I hope we'll be friends!