Relationships are IMPORTANT! As an elementary teacher in a public school, one of my favorite aspects of the job was truly getting to know my students. Each year, I welcomed a new group of students with eager and open arms. I couldn’t wait to discover their unique interests, likes, dislikes, and learning styles. I watched...Read More

Do I have to read that book again? Are you sick of Brown Bear? Have you read Goodnight Moon more times than you can count? Why do kids ask to read the same books over and over again and do I have to read it again? Kids love to hear the same stories more than...Read More

Does anyone else get nervous before parent-teacher conferences? Is it just me? Walking into a parent-teacher conference feels a little bit like walking into the lion’s den. Here’s the thing…I’m the teacher. Yea…it’s hard on all of us. I am the teacher, but I am also a parent. And I know the stress from both...Read More

Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate sounds. Phonemic awareness is very important. When kids learn to read, they need to have a good understanding of how spoken sounds go together to form words. One thing to know is that phonemic awareness is not phonics. Think of phonemic awareness as sounds and phonics...Read More

Why are sight words important? Is memorizing words as good as learning to read with phonics? The thing is, most sight words are phonetic words. The only reason that we teach sight words as words known by sight is because most students haven’t learned enough phonics skills to be able to read these words when...Read More