Life of a mom and Educator

  A Week Away That I Didn’t Know I Needed This week I want to talk about Thanksgiving break. We were out of school for a full week, and even though I missed seeing my students, I really enjoyed the time I was able to spend with my own family. I have built such a strong bond with each of my students, so being away from them always feels a little strange. At the same time, this break reminded me how important it is to slow down and enjoy the people closest to me. One of the highlights of my break was going to the Jacksonville Zoo in Florida to see the Lights Special. It was such a beautiful experience. My family loved it, and honestly, so did I. I did not realize how much I needed that little getaway. It felt like a breath of fresh air, and it helped me reset mentally and emotionally. I also hosted Thanksgiving at my house this year. Even though hosting can be a lot of work, I enjoyed having everyone together. The quality time I spent with my kids was something I will always cheri...

  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...