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Before I get too far in this endeavor of building Teachers Inspiring Students, I wanted to share out my purpose, my why. If you can't tell from the name of my company, inspiring students is the foundation of my core value. Inspiring kids to think critically, feel ignited to dig deeper, be compassionate, and love to learn is what I stand for. This is what I've tried to do my entire career, to make the biggest impact possible for children, so that they can better their future.
Along the way, as every good teacher does, I spent oodles of free time trying to come up with the best lessons possible. I'm sure if you're reading this, you've spent late nights and weekends doing just the same!
I started out teaching public school, but through life experiences I began finding there are so many kids out there, craving (and needing) a different learning structure; one in which they thrive, instead of trying to fit into a program that doesn't fit them.
I was initially thrilled with our recently hired superintendent because of the open canvas we had available to create our reading classes (following effective reading strategies taught by Debbie Miller, Stephanie Harvey, and Fountas and Pinnell). Elated with the creativity I could incorporate into my daily practice, my reading program took off and students thrived! Test scores skyrocketed because I was turning non-readers into avid readers. Students who used to be behavior problems no longer were, as they sat glued to the vampire series Cirque du Freak and others. Strategies were being taught and kids were clearly excelling, but what happened next was an utter shock.
I was pregnant the school year of 2009/10 and while the previous years were gathering momentum of enormous success, I found out that the superintendent who brought this fabulous freedom to our reading program, was now buckling down and changing the whole system. I asked for a meeting to discuss it with her, upset at what this would do to the flow I had created in my teaching practice and the avid readers I was creating. I thought about my students and the gains they were making. Sure enough a big display of glossy purple basal reading books along with the dozens of workbooks and planners that accompanied them was now staring at me. This was the kind of reading program that I was taught in elementary school, literally teaching me to hate reading. I was disgusted, disappointed, and empathized with students who I knew would not want to read excerpts of stories, some just written quickly to cover standards, but needed to read real literature. I cringed and found in this meeting that she had to make the move to a basal program because other teachers weren't having success without this kind of structure. I was defeated and I knew that when I went out on maternity leave, I would never come back to a school with this type of reading program.
My heart was crushed but thank goodness I had a beautiful baby that I was about to welcome into the world. Little did I know what he would teach me about education and that all kids do not simply fit into the public education system.
To give you a quick background, as Will (my son) grew, I noticed some difficulties he was having including sensory and social issues. He wasn't connecting with peers. He easily became overwhelmed and overstimulated, needing my full attention throughout the day. I didn't get a break. Luckily, I was able to stay home for many years to help him.
I noticed from a very young age that he had an affinity towards nature. He loved to explore, to get muddy, to study salamanders, moss, tree bark, or whatever natural material he was with. He loved climbing trees and collecting "treasure" on our walk. My car trunk would be filled with sticks, rocks, and other finds.
Luckily when we realized he needed to practice social interactions we found a school that served preschool to eighth grade and seemed to be just what he needed. He started for a few hours just a couple of times a week, which was all he could handle. At this school he struggled daily in many regards, but he thrived when he got to climb on "Grandmother Oak" an ancient oak tree that came to its final resting place, play in the mud, gain protection from the lilac tree on the playground, or play with the natural materials like wooden blocks the school had. His class was called the "chickadees" and in subsequent years "black bears" and "otters." Nature was infused in the curriculum and his teacher Danielle, took a very gentle approach with Will. She understood his difficulties and was okay with him watching from the special reading alcove until he could join his classmates.
Watching how he thrived there compared to the struggles we experienced on a daily basis of tantrums and meltdowns at home, Will taught me that all kids do not fit into the same mold. Putting a square peg in a round hole does not work, and public education is not for every child.
Seeing him so enthralled in the gentleness of nature that this school incorporated...the soft sage green walls, the calmness yet liveliness that enveloped the school, the Flying Deer program where survival skills and an appreciation of nature was taught from a young age, all made me think about education very differently. I began to watch and learn as an educator, bringing these tools into my own teaching philosophy.
At a young age this school was perfect for Will, however, as he grew, he began to need more academic rigor. There happened to be a great progressive school near us that had a 77-acre campus they used for all kinds of learning experiences, but unlike Will's former school, this school was known for more academics. Project-based learning where kids were doing instead of memorizing, making decisions, collaborating, solving real problems and doing so in an exciting and motivating way were at the core values of this school. Will transferred there in fourth grade and is currently slated to graduate eighth grade this year.
I had the privilege to teach there for two years. When I was there my teaching practice thrived! We were outside learning about tree species, writing poetry and enhancing our descriptive writing skills by carefully studying daffodils. Kids were collaborating and excited about learning because I could develop my curriculum based around their interests and curiosities.
My last year there we did a coral reef study, where my students learned about different types of corals. They made a large 3D model of a reef, including labels of the various corals. The project culminated with a debate scenario of a proposed hotel development and how it could impact the health of the pristine coral reefs offshore. From beginning to end, students were immersed in learning by doing, building community, confidence, knowledge, and critical thinking skills.
Sadly this school required teachers to get the Covid shot, which I did not feel comfortable getting. This happened with only two weeks before the start of the school year. Gratefully, I immediately found another teaching job back in the public setting, this time at a local urban district. This last-minute change sent shockwaves through my system and every bone in my body was grieving for the kind of teaching I was leaving behind, and being able to check on Will daily. While I am still at the urban setting today three years later, I am missing so much the progressive style of teaching where students' needs come first.
Teaching a scripted program has zapped my creativity. While of course each day I have to think creatively and problem solve, it's just not the same. This has led me to the creation of Teachers Inspiring Students, where I can continue to build the incredible lessons I so crave to create. I am beginning a membership program full of cross curricular lessons that promote deep dives and exciting learning. The lessons are done for you and a membership community of like-minded educators who care deeply about helping their students awaits you.
The long hours of tireless brainstorming and creating amazing lessons on late nights, weekends, and vacation time can be a thing of the past! I am offering complete lessons that focus on project-based learning, making you look like a genius teacher, without all the work! They are theme based and add multiple subject areas with targeted skills that will enhance any progressive or homeschool classroom. My intention is truly to inspire students deeply and profoundly with these units.
If you are a homeschool educator or progressive teacher and you are balancing a thousand things, take some pressure off yourself and see what I have to offer. Maybe you have a child like mine, who just doesn't fit into the public-school mold, but can't figure out how to get started? Maybe you've been doing this for a while, but just want a new perspective or a break. Try this membership out! My intention is really to help you inspire your students to the max! They so deserve a bright future!
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