Hi! I’m Kameo. I’m an experienced English Language Arts teacher, lover of books, chocolate, and my two sweet babies. I’ve spent some time in the classroom, and I thought it was time to share some of the things I have learned. I have worked in schools with just about every socioeconomic status. I grew up in suburban St.Louis, so the learning, growth, and diversity I have experienced throughout my teaching career has been invaluable.
A New ELA Teacher in Texas
When doing some research, I was surprised at how few resources (read: none) there were for new Language Arts teachers. Teachers who just graduated college, or who had recently made a career switch, or were certified in something else but were ready to give ELA a try, to name a few.
My first year of teaching, I started a week or two after students in a brand new city. Discipline felt weird as a 22 year old, and general teaching things with brand new standards (TEKS anyone?!) felt like a lot. I cried often on my drive home from being overwhelmed.
I remember the morning of my first day of teaching, I was so excited I couldn’t eat. Even though I had done really well in college, I had no idea what to prioritize when I actually got into that classroom of 9th and 11th grade students who really weren’t much younger than me. Should I establish myself as a professional? Should I create really fun lessons so I trick them into loving Language Arts? Should I create a new seating chart so the talkative bunch pays attention? Should I give them a couple of days to get it out of their system? So many questions swirled in my mind.
I had a great team of teachers to support me. They trusted me as a professional to do what needed to be done, more than I trusted myself. That’s because I just didn’t know what I needed to do first. Looking back, as a new ELA teacher, I should have focused on some key things. Consistent rules, expectations, and systems to structure my class for the entire year would’ve been a solid start.
For New & Overwhelmed ELA Teachers
This blog, and the resources I create are to support you. You don’t have to have it all figured out on day one. You won’t. So much of what I learned in school was theory. I didn’t feel prepared for interacting with real teenagers with real teenage experiences day-in and day-out. And I wasn’t sure I would ever be a Pinterest-perfect teacher, either(Hint:I never was). I wondered- if I have a pretty bulletin board all year but my students learn nothing, have I really been successful?
There are amazing resources out there to help teachers have beautiful classrooms, fun engaging lessons, and use the latest fads in technology to keep students engaged. And I tried it all! But I was really overwhelmed and bogged down by all that stuff. At the end of the day, I just wanted to be a good teacher. I wanted good relationships with my students and wanted to help them discover that we all can love reading and writing.
This is a place for you to focus on the foundation on which to build a strong classroom that works for you and your students all year, for many years to come.
So I hope you will join me as I share what I have found to be the essentials to every Language Arts classroom. I hope that you aren’t overwhelmed as we approach the new school year. Mostly, I hope that you reach out to those (me included!) who are ready to help you enjoy teaching.
If you are ready for support, first check out the freebie under the “Resources” tab (hello, already planned out first week of school!). Then connect with me on instagram to say hey, and for my most current tips and resources.
Really Glad You’re Here,
Kameo
