Pineapple a Day

A little about me – I have been teaching third grade since 2012 in the same building that my husband went to elementary school. I received my undergraduate and graduate degree from William Jewell College. My masters degree is in Differentiated Instruction, something I KNEW I would use every day in my classroom. I am currently a Readers Workshop Lab Classroom for my district which allows me the incredible benefit of working with Ellin Keene and Debbie Miller.

My teaching beliefs – I think students are able to best learn when they feel cared for and are having at least an ounce of fun. I try to make sure we laugh together multiple times each day and that each lesson seems worthwhile to students. (You KNOW if they don’t care, they won’t learn). I want to saturate my classroom with texts that matter, lessons that matter, and making sure the students know THEY matter. My teaching style – I like to follow the workshop model for almost all of my lessons – keeping the lesson mini and the work time long. Lessons need to be the perfect marriage of engaging and meaningful. We have so many standards to teach (no matter what state you’re in), so we need to make sure we are prioritizing our time. My goal is to only promote and produce products that I would use in my classroom. My classroom style – I love when simplicity and design come together in a classroom. I try to keep my anchor charts limited to what we are using at that time so that my walls are effective and not just cluttered wallpaper. Each year, I try to minimize a little more.

Outstanding Elementary Education Major - 2012 Summa Cum Laude - 2012 Readers Workshop Lab Selected Teacher - 2014

Born in Waco, Texas (Sic em, bears) and went k-2 there. Moved to Springfield, Missouri for the rest of my schooling (3-12). Graduated from Hillcrest High School in 2008. Moved to Liberty, MO to attend William Jewell college. Graduated summa cum laude with degrees in Elementary Education and Critical Inquiry in 2012. Obtained my masters degree in Differentiated Instruction in 2016.

Visit my blog A Pineapple a Day to see how my products are used in my classroom!