About Me

Hello! My name is Kristen and I'm an elementary ESOL teacher. I live in northern Virginia with my husband and 2 handsome boys.

Enjoying a day at the ballpark. Go Nats!!

I've been teaching since 2005, with all but one of those years in the same school district. I love teaching ESOL students! Their stories just blow me away. Can you imagine leaving all that you know and traveling to a foreign country, having to learn a new language while learning a grade level curriculum?! I can't!! They are so resilient, it just amazes me.

I grew up a military brat (loved it!) spending most of the time in North Carolina. Some day I'd love to make my way back there. My favorite "place" to be is at the beach. Sun, sand and waves make a perfect day. Some other favorites of mine are cooking, hanging out with my family, drinking coffee, wearing flip flops, going to the movies, walking my dog, and surfin' the web looking for inspiration...the simple things.

Oh, and I'm obsessed with creating educational materials! In the school district that I work, the ESL students learn the English language through content instruction. So, how do you teach a child who does not speak the language about...ancient civilizations, for example, or about animal adaptations, or weather, or any other topic? Where do you begin? How can you "show" them the information? How will they "show" you their understanding? When I create materials for my students, I do my best to look at it from their perspective. I love making resources that are fun, engaging and challenging, because those are the components I want in all areas of their learning for my students.

With that said, welcome to my educational blog. I hope that you find something here that's useful, interesting, or perhaps even a bit inspirational.