Updating Decade Old Content

 I'm embarrassed to say that a lot of the content on my TPT store is from when I was teaching 4th grade. At the time, it was great content, that I made using PowerPoint. You read that right, PowerPoint. I'm slowly taking the time to update these products that are about 15 years old at this point. My goal with the refresh is to help the customers that previously purchased the product, and for the product to hopefully last another 15 years. 

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  This is a fun math activity with math problems based around Spring. Topics this worksheet covers include:
  - Area and Perimeter
  - Multiplication
  - Division
  - Addition using a table
  - Fractions (Addition,Subtraction, Simplifying)
  - Word Problems

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  Make multiplication review fun with this Multiplication Maze: Find the Hidden Treasure! Students solve multiplication problems to determine the correct path through the maze. Wrong answers lead to dead ends, encouraging students to check their work and try again.

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  Make every classroom celebration extra special with these bright, colorful Printable Treat Labels! Perfect for attaching to candy, snacks, and small student gifts throughout the school year.
  
  

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  Make the First Week of School Meaningful, Engaging, and Stress-Free! Start the school year with confidence using this 22-page Back-to-School Activities Bundle designed specifically for Grades 3–5! This print-and-go resource helps students build classroom community, reflect on personal goals, strengthen problem-solving skills, and get excited about the year ahead through engaging, hands-on activities.

  
  

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  Turn Classroom Procedures into an Exciting Detective Mission! Skip the long classroom lectures and transform procedure practice into an engaging classroom adventure!

  With this fully editable Google Slides resource, students become Classroom Procedure Detectives as they solve clues, explore your classroom, and learn important routines in a fun, interactive way.

  
  

Some of my resources are currently getting a complete refresh to align with the latest research and best practices in education. One of the biggest updates is my Reading Interactive Notebook.

After spending considerable time learning about and researching the Science of Reading, I've been redesigning this resource to better reflect evidence-based instructional practices while keeping it engaging and classroom-friendly.

I'm excited to share the updated version with you soon! In the meantime, take a look at a few sneak peeks of what's coming.

 

 

    

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Stages of Grief

Did you know when you lose a job you go through the stages of grief? I didn't know it was a thing until I experienced it myself. I'm not ashamed to admit that the first four to five days that I was terminated, I did a lot of crying. It wasn't out of anger. It was about being upset about letting people down that I had been working with, not finishing projects that I had been working on, and not feeling valued after working my butt off well beyond my contracted time for nearly 12 years. It was all thrown away with an air of smugness, and never truly stating what I did wrong. 

Eight weeks later, and you still do not know what you did "wrong". There are other things you have learned. One being that co-workers, whom you thought of as friends, were never friends. It has been amazing to see who has reached out to stay connected, and who has completely ignored me. It has been a learning experience. The most ironic part is that my former co-teachers, or teachers that I worked with as an administrator, are the ones sticking with me. None of my fellow administrators have reached out. Teachers truly are the backbone of education. 

A huge lesson I learned as well, was that I need to be more careful with my files. The day I was walked out, I lost access to all of my drives. Anything I had made or used teaching in the classroom is gone, all of my supervisor reviews are gone, my license and coursework are gone, and I could keep going. Normally, we leaves drives open for those separated to grab the files they need before we lock it. I guess I was an exception. Six years in the classroom, and six years as an administrator, and all of that work was gone. I was devastated. I felt like I had nothing to show for myself when I went job hunting. 

I found some light at the end of the tunnel when I started to think about my options for creating a professional portfolio. I was fortunate to be involved in a lot of projects for my district in the past 6 years, and there was a lot of information on their public site. I spent time scouring the site to grab any relevant information to help build my professional portfolio. A platform my district used actually posted on LinkedIn articles they had recently wrote from interviewing districts. My district happened to be one, and it was my interview from this previous April. It was perfect timing. 

With all this being said...

• Don't over dedicate yourself to someone who isn't loyal to you
• Ensure your important files you need for licenses and such are stored in a personal location
• When a culture is no longer a culture you want, don't stay
• Your family and you should always come first

Goodbye Teaching, Hello New Opportunities

18 years in education and early childhood education. I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. It has brought me so much joy to watch my students grow and develop over the years. It’s truly wild to see students that I cared for as infants graduating high school this year. 🤯

For the past 6 years I’ve had the privilege to work in Technology for the largest school district in Indiana. I supported teachers during a pandemic, implemented multiple platforms, created and led staff PD, created instructional videos, learned to become a baby coder, built a project management system with the best mentor, and managed district initiatives.

As with any educator, I had side jobs over the years. These experiences have helped to shape who I am too. I’ve worked for a credit card manufacturer, I’ve done office work for a local mason and electrician, mentored teachers, and helped a couple businesses setup their cloud infrastructure.

I’m happy with my accomplishments from the past 18 years, but I want to continue pursuing my interests even if it means pushing me to change. I have truly enjoyed project management, implementation, coding, AI, and all the puzzles and challenges that come with it. I’m excited for this next chapter.

I hope to share my past 8 years with you in the upcoming months. I had so many opportunities that I never shared with anyone. As an administrator, I was afraid to share my joyful moments. I hope to capture those through here. My goal is to capture my journey going forward as well. Stay tuned for more stories.