Life of a mom and Educator

  A Smooth and Joyful Week in the Classroom and at Home By: LaQuana Thornton This Week Felt Like a Breath of Fresh Air This week was one of the easiest and most enjoyable weeks I have had in a while. As a mom, it felt amazing to finally have a routine that worked perfectly. I was able to get all of my kids fed, bathed, and in bed on time every single night. That alone felt like a big win. I also had a special moment outside of school. I took a day off from teaching to watch my best friend graduate from Southern Regional Technical College. I felt so proud of her and grateful that I was able to be there on her big day. On top of that, I completed several assignments for school. If every week could go this smoothly, I think all of us teachers and moms would be a lot more relaxed. We are officially one week away from Thanksgiving break, and I am counting down the days. My family and I are going on a mini vacation, and I am so excited to relax, reset, and enjoy time together. Long...

Growing in the Science of Reading This week, I continued exploring the Science of Reading and focused on long vowel sounds through my UFLI lessons. Long vowels are such an exciting step in reading because students begin to recognize how vowels can make more than one sound. Watching them discover this is like watching puzzle pieces come together in their reading journey. Long vowels can be tricky for first graders because they often look at words and want to say the short vowel sound first. The lessons from Cox Campus and UFLI helped me understand how important it is to teach vowel patterns step by step. When I model and guide my students through these patterns, they start to see how words make sense and how spelling connects to what they hear. What I Learned This Week One of the biggest takeaways for me was how explicit instruction and repetition help students master vowel patterns. Long vowel sounds are best learned when children can hear, see, and say the sound while reading a...

Welcome to My Blog Hi everyone! My name is LaQuana Thornton , and I’m a first-grade teacher in Georgia . I created this blog as part of my coursework to document my learning journey through the Science of Reading lessons on Cox Campus. My goal is to reflect on what I’m learning each week and how it’s helping me grow as a teacher and as a mom. I’ve always wanted to start a blog or even a podcast, but I never had the time or confidence to do it. This course has given me the push I needed to step out of my comfort zone and finally start sharing my thoughts. Writing this blog helps me get past my shyness and reminds me that learning and growth happen when we take risks. Why I’m Starting This Blog I’m starting this blog because I want to create a space where I can share my learning experiences with others, especially other moms and educators who are juggling so much every day. Being a mom is beautiful, but it’s not easy. We often balance caring for our children, managing work, attending ...