Welcome

Welcome to MamaVonTeacher!

I don't really know where this is going, but perhaps my thoughts will inspire someone, some where, some how...I've spent many hours (maybe even days and weeks) reading other teacher blogs and I can't help but think that I've got more than enough of my own ideas and thoughts to write on my own blog.

A little about me to start:
By day, I'm a preschool teacher for children with hearing loss where I teach deaf kids to listen and talk. I love what I do and although I've spend a few years working in early intervention and with children who have other learning challenges, I can't help but be drawn back to working with children with hearing loss time and time again.

I recently began my journey into higher education, and took on a teaching job at a local university. I teach future teachers about language development and I must say that I LOVE working with my college students! It's so refreshingly different than working with preschoolers, but also so strangely familiar...

I also recently started posting some of original teaching materials that I've developed over the years on my Teachers Pay Teacher's  and Teachers Notebook stores. This year, more so than others, I've have to modify and develop TONS of my own materials due to the unique combination of student needs in my classroom. I was unable to find easy, visually simple and non-tracing/low fine motor skills kinds of activities to reinforce basic skills like shapes, letters and numbers. I've really had to stretch my mind and dig deep to find creative solutions...

Just to top it all off, I also have a 2 year old of my own  at home. He's a rough little guy who keeps me on my toes constantly! Most of the time I feel like my life is pretty crazy and most days, completely overwhelming, but I can say that it's MY life and I'm a lucky person to have all that I do. I couldn't do all this without the support of my wonderful husband :)

As a teacher, I'm passionate and committed to what I do. My students really feel like an extension of my family - heck I spend more time with them than I do with my own child most days. My teaching style is eclectic drawing inspiration from a variety of progressive schools of thought including Reggio, Montessori, Waldorf, 'unschooling' and play-based programs. I'm am inspired to bring curiosity, wonder and mystery into everything that I do in my classroom - while still meeting the unique needs of my students and the newly introduced common core standards.

I have no idea where this blog is going, but perhaps I can inspire someone else out there through my own work...