But since I’m not your teacher, you can call me Ashley.

Warning – I’ll probably call you “friend” since that’s what I called all of my kiddos in my classroom. (I still call my husband, son, and other family members that…it’s a hard habit to break, friend.)

Thanks for stopping by! It’s great to have you here!

And…while you’re here, I’d like to offer you some goodies!

I can’t exactly give you cookies and candy through a computer screen (disappointing, I know), but I can give you some amazing things to use in your classroom that I am sure your students friends will just love!

Wait! You don’t have a classroom (yet)? You’re at the beginning of your teaching journey? Still in school? Student teaching? Or, maybe you homeschool? Do you have kids? Work with kids in some way?

Then you’re also in luck! I think you’ll find my goodies exciting and useful as well!

They’re so exciting and useful that I refer to them as my “treasures.” And the treasures are all for you, my friend.

Treasures to make teaching easier for you and get your friends excited about learning.

Accessing the treasure chest is super easy!

Enter your name (so I don’t have to call you friend all the time… although, I still probably will. Hard habit to break, remember?) and email address!

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!

Seriously though, I’m glad (squealing with joy!)  you’ve taken the time to look around my website and hope you find something useful here.

If you’d like to know a little more about me, read on below, or contact me!

What Do I Think About Teaching:

  • Teaching should be fun for both the teacher and the students!
  • When students get excited and learn by “playing,” it’s a sneaky success!
  • Students (AND Teachers) are SO MUCH MORE than test scores!!
  • Teaching is NOT a Pinterest competition. YOU DO YOU!
  • Make time for yourself/your family a PRIORITY.
  • It can be hard. Very, very hard. But it can be SO worth it!
  • You CAN and DO make a difference. Every. Single. Day!
  • Great lesson plans ≠ a Great teacher. You are MORE than a lesson plan (especially a scripted one from a reading series that may be highly lacking in what your students really need!)

Professional Me:

  • Teacher Author
  • B.S. in Elementary Education
  • M. Ed. in Teacher Leadership
  • Endorsement in Instructional Technology
  • Elementary School Teacher for 10 years
  • Homeschooler

Personal Me:

  • I married a Canadian I met on the internet. (He became a U.S. citizen!)
  • I have one child – my hilarious son (named for an E.R. character)
  • I might be am addicted to my iPhone.
  • I am was Disney Annual Passholder! *cry face*
  • I love r a i n b o w colors.
  • I love to drink water with lemon juice. A lot of lemon juice.
  • I LOVE watercolors, crafting, creating, and shopping!
  • I enjoy playing winning board games.
  • I’m a child of the 80’s. Love the music! (Fave band- Duran Duran!)
  • I also love: David Cook (we had the same high chair as babies!), Parachute, and The Downtown Fiction.
  • I haven’t listened to the radio in years. Literally, years.
  • I live in Kentucky, and I am not into horses or horse racing.
  • It’s called a lightning bug.
  • I love me some Strawberry Cucumber Aha!
  • I thought about being a meteorologist or a forensic pathologist.
  • I taught for ten years, had my son, and now am a homeschooler and loving it!

First Grade Brain Stats:

  • Launched in January 2011 on Blogger
  • Moved to self-hosted WordPress in June 2012
  • My husband came up with the name (and first grade will always be my special place!)