Spice Up Your Classroom: 13 Days of AI and Tacos

The 13 Days of AI: Taco Edition gives teachers daily AI tips and tools from Dec 3–19. Explore fun taco themes, classroom ideas, and easy ways to boost planning and engagement.

As educators wrap up the semester and prepare for a busy testing and holiday season, a little inspiration can go a long way. That is why this year’s 13 Days of AI is getting a spicy upgrade with a brand new theme: Tacos. Beginning December 3rd 2025 and running through December 19th 2025, teachers will receive a daily bite-sized resource that mixes practical AI tools with fun taco-inspired creativity. This collection was designed to support lesson planning, student activities, productivity, and assessment, all while keeping the tone light, festive, and flavorful.


What You Can Expect This Year

Each day features a different type of taco paired with an AI tip, template, or classroom strategy. From brisket tacos matched with Brisk Teaching’s Inspect Writing Tool to breakfast tacos linked with morning warm-ups, every entry blends tasty cultural elements with meaningful instructional value. Teachers will explore a range of tools that help with feedback, planning, creativity, differentiation, and student engagement. These ideas are ready to use and can fit easily into any grade level or subject area.

This year’s calendar also highlights specific tools like Wayground, Knowt, and Adobe, MagicSchool, Brisk Teaching, Snorkl, Class Companion, and many more! Each spotlight includes a short explanation of its classroom value so educators can decide quickly if the tool is worth exploring. The goal is to save teachers time, spark new ideas, and offer accessible ways to integrate AI into their daily routines without feeling overwhelmed.


Why Follow Along

The 13 Days of AI is not only a themed celebration. It is a practical collection of high-impact strategies that can reduce stress and boost creativity during one of the busiest months of the year. By checking in each day, teachers can gather resources that support student learning, promote engagement, and streamline planning.


Join the Fun

Bookmark the page, share it with a colleague, and follow along from December 3rd to December 19th. A new taco and a new AI idea will be waiting for you each day. Let this season be both delicious and productive as we continue exploring the possibilities of AI in education. Buen provecho!


Click Below To Check It Out

🦃 Run Forward, Give Back: Join the X-Factor EDU x Snorkl Virtual 5K Turkey Trot

Join the X-Factor EDU x Snorkl Run Forward, Give Back Virtual 5K Turkey Trot! Run, donate, and support Feed America this Thanksgiving while earning a medal and giving back.

Thanksgiving is the perfect time to give thanks, give back, and get moving! The X-Factor EDU x Snorkl Run Forward, Give Back Virtual 5K Turkey Trot is back for its second year—and this time, we’re trotting with purpose.

This fun, flexible, and feel-good virtual 5K fundraiser invites educators, families, and runners everywhere to support FeedAmerica.org. Together, we’re aiming to raise $1,000 to help feed families in need this holiday season—and the best part? Snorkl is matching donations up to $750!


🏃‍♀️ How to Join the Virtual 5K

Joining the Turkey Trot is simple (and won’t require you to dodge any actual turkeys). Here’s how it works:

  • Sign Up & Donate: Click here to register for the 5K and donate any amount toward our $1,000 goal.
  • Complete Your 5K: Run, walk, or jog anywhere, anytime between November 22nd through November 30th.
  • Snorkl Your Reflection: After you finish, record your reflection video in our special Snorkl activity and share your “run forward, give back” story!
  • Claim Your Medal: Everyone who donates, completes the 5K, and records their Snorkl video will receive a Turkey Trot Medal, thanks to Snorkl.

🎁 Bonus for Generous Donors

Those who donate $10 or more, complete the 5K, and share their “run forward, give back” story through the special Snorkl activity will also receive a free copy of a book of your choice:


💛 Why “Run Forward, Give Back”?

Because Thanksgiving isn’t just about the feast, it’s about gratitude, generosity, and giving back. This event brings together runners, educators, and friends to support a cause that matters while having a little fun (and maybe earning that second helping of pie).

You could run or walk through your neighborhood, hit the treadmill, or jog around the track while knowing every step makes a difference. Let’s move together, give together, and help families in need this Thanksgiving.


👉 Ready to Trot for a Cause?

Join the X-Factor EDU x Snorkl Run Forward, Give Back Virtual 5K Turkey Trot today!

Sign up, donate, and make this Thanksgiving one to gobble about while supporting Feed America.

Create A Virtual Ofrenda For Día De Los Muertos In Canva

Celebrate Día De Los Muertos in your classroom with this Canva digital ofrenda activity! Students design creative altars to honor loved ones while learning cultural history and symbolism.

October can feel like a marathon of candy, costumes, and controlled chaos, but it’s also a wonderful opportunity to help students explore meaningful cultural traditions. Día De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is one of those celebrations that beautifully blends history, art, and reflection without requiring a sugar rush to enjoy it.

I created a Canva digital ofrenda activity as a simple, engaging way to introduce students to this important tradition. An ofrenda is a home altar built to honor and remember loved ones who have passed away. It’s often decorated with marigolds, candles, sugar skulls, photos, and favorite foods. Each element holds significance, from guiding spirits back to the world of the living to celebrating the lives that shaped us. Check mine out below along with the explanation.

This Canva template comes with three different design options, plus a design assets page packed with icons, flowers, frames, candles, and sugar skulls that students can copy and paste directly into their own ofrenda. Once students choose their favorite layout, they can delete the other two and get straight to creating. Easy, colorful, and no glue sticks required.

What makes this activity especially powerful is the chance for students to share their own stories. They can honor a family member, a pet, or even a historical figure they admire. You’ll also get a window into what matters most to your students, making it both a cultural and community-building experience.

Below, you can check out my ofrenda with an explanation of each component. Feel free to share this with your students (or make your own using the template).


Carrillo’s Ofrenda


My parents have both since passed and this ofrenda highlights just some of the artifacts that remind me of my parents, their likes, and some of my fondest memories with them. The grandkids all referred to my parents as “Tita and Tito” which is short for “abuelita” and “abuelito”. My mother was fond of crispy wings and her homemade enchiladas. Those enchiladas were special and are still an all time favorite of mine. She loved to read biographies and was constantly sliding around the house in her “pantuflas” or slippers. She had a beautiful rose garden with some of the biggest roses I’d ever seen in my life. My father and her were constantly in the garden together tending to their roses. Tito loved his $1.50 Costco hot dogs and coffee roughly the same temperature as the sun. He would dip apple fritter donuts into his coffee and to balance his health, he walked many miles everyday. If you had the opportunity to meet Tito, he was more than likely wearing a Hawaiian shirt. Some of my fondest memories of them were at family parties where they would be singing love songs together on the microphone.


If you’re ready to add some meaningful creativity to your end of October lessons, grab the Canva template and bring Día De Los Muertos into your classroom. It’s a little bit of history, a lot of art, and a reminder that every story—past or present—deserves to be celebrated.

Feel free to tag me on social media with your creations and let me know of the stories shared in your classroom. Buen provecho!

Click The Image Below To Get The Canva Template

One Prompt to Prepare You for Any Parent Meeting or Email (and Keep Your Cool)

Tough parent meeting ahead? Discover the AI prompt every teacher needs to stay calm, confident, and professional when emotions run high.

Every teacher has been there—an upcoming parent meeting that makes your stomach drop or an email that hits your inbox at just the wrong time. Whether you’re preparing for a tough conversation or crafting a response to an upset parent, the right preparation makes all the difference. That’s where this custom AI chatbot prompt comes in. It helps educators organize their thoughts, maintain professionalism, and communicate clearly and calmly. And the best part… you can create your own custom Gem in Google Gemini or custom GPT in ChatGPT. The choice is yours!


Preparing for the Meeting

Parent meetings can quickly become emotional, especially when student behavior, grades, or discipline are involved. Using an AI prompt designed for educators allows you to rehearse difficult conversations, anticipate tough questions, and prepare responses that stay focused on student success.

Think of it as your private practice partner that helps you stay composed and confident when tensions rise. The goal isn’t to sound robotic, but to BE prepared, fair, and professional.


Writing Emails That Stay Professional and Protected

When it comes to replying to an angry or frustrated parent, your best tool is a calm, factual response. Stick to facts over feelings, reference specific policies or rules that were broken, and avoid including your personal opinions.

Also, remember to never include the names of other students—this is a clear privacy violation and can escalate the situation even further.

Before hitting “send,” loop in your administrator so they’re aware of any potential issues that could be escalated. This keeps your leadership team in the loop and provides support if needed.

And if the email can wait until the next school day, let it. Giving both you and the parent time to cool off helps ensure that emotions don’t drive the response. This pause often leads to more productive and professional communication.


Why It Matters

Clear, calm communication builds trust between home and school. With this custom AI chatbot prompt, you can enter every parent meeting, or reply to any heated email, prepared, professional, and protected.


Try the AI Prompt for Yourself

Ready to take the stress out of parent communication? Copy and paste the AI prompt below into your favorite chatbot (ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Claude, or your personal favorite) and start preparing for your next parent meeting or drafting a professional, level-headed email response in seconds.

For more time-saving AI tips, teacher resources, and real-world strategies that make your classroom run smoother, subscribe to the EdTech Bites Newsletter or listen to the latest episode of the EdTech Bites Podcast!

AI Prompt For Chatbot

Your job is to assist me with drafting email responses and helping me answer defensive questions to parents. Draft two or three different versions of an email so that I can choose one to personalize to my needs for that situation. When drafting these emails, I need you to keep the tone professional, stick to the facts, and make sure the message is written in a way that reassures parents/guardians that we all want the best for the student. When I give you emails and messages, I will have placeholders for sensitive information. Please leave the placeholders in for me so that I can swap them out with the actual information. When I use you to prepare for meetings, I will give you context, and backstory of the scenario. I need you to come up with a list of possible questions that the parents/guardians will ask at the meeting as well as possible answers/suggestions for me to help prepare for these questions. Once again, I need you to keep the tone formal, stick to the facts, and make sure the possible responses reassure the parents/guardians that we all want the best for the student. I need you to treat this as a guided discussion between you and I so feel free to ask follow up questions that will help you create additional questions and responses for me to prepare for.

🎥 LIVE EVENT: How Drones Are Feeding the Future w/ Frankie Baker

Drones are changing what’s on your plate. Find out how in our livestream October 28th!

Have you ever looked up at a drone and thought, “I bet that thing knows more about my burger than I do”? Well… you might be right.

I’m going LIVE with Frankie Baker from Robolink for a special episode of our podcast, and this one’s flying straight into the future of food. You never know, we might even have our podcast snack delivered live with a drone. And you better believe there will also be some food trivia for Frankie. Tune in and see if you could outscore her.


🗓️ Event Details

📍 Where: YouTube (embedded below), LinkedIn, Facebook
📅 When: October 28th, 6:00pm CT
🎟️ Mark your calendars now to watch live or on demand!


Watch The Livestream Below

What’s This All About?

I’m sitting down with Frankie Baker to explore how unmanned aerial vehicles are transforming agriculture, food production, and the global supply chain. From precision farming to data-driven crop decisions, drones are helping educators and students understand the intersection of STEM, sustainability, and what ends up on your plate.

Oh, and yes—there will be some foodie trivia as well. 🍽️💬


Why You Should Tune In

✅ Learn how drones are used in real-world agricultural settings
✅ Hear how educators are using drones to teach STEM + food systems
✅ Explore the role of drone tech in sustainability and food equity
✅ Get inspired with ideas you can bring to your classroom or community
✅ Plus, we’ll sprinkle in some delicious food insights along the way


For Educators, Admins, and Curious Humans

Whether you’re a teacher, instructional coach, school leader, or just someone who wants to know what flying robots have to do with farm-fresh veggies, this event is for you.

So grab a snack, click the link, and join us LIVE for a tasty blend of tech, teaching, and treats.


Have questions you want us to ask during the livestream? Drop them in the comments below or message us on social media!

How To Remove Ads From YouTube Videos

Stop letting YouTube ads hijack your lessons! Discover the Google Slides trick every teacher needs for safe, ad-free, distraction-free videos in class.

You’re mid-lesson, about to play the perfect YouTube video when an ad pops up… or worse, a totally off-topic “suggested” video shows at the end.

😬 Awkward.

The good news? There’s a better way and it takes less than 30 seconds.


📚 Why This Matters for Teachers:

Using YouTube in the classroom is powerful but unfiltered YouTube playback can lead to:

  • 🚫 Inappropriate ads or video suggestions
  • 🚸 Distractions that are a one-way ticket to rabbitholes
  • ⏱️ Wasted time waiting for videos to load or skip ads
  • 😭 Losing your students’ attention before the lesson even begins

By embedding YouTube videos directly into Google Slides, you keep students focused, content controlled, and your lesson flowing smoothly. Plus, it looks more professional. No flipping tabs, buffering, or getting the side eye when your administration walks in the room!


How to Embed YouTube Videos in Google Slides (Without Ads):

  1. Open your Google Slides presentation. Go to the slide where you want to add your video.
  2. Click “Insert” in the top menu, then select “Video.”
  3. In the popup, either:
    • Use the YouTube search bar to find your video, or
    • Paste a direct YouTube link into the URL field.
  4. Click “Insert to add the video to your slide.
  5. Resize and move the video box as needed.
  6. Bonus: Trim the video for class use!
    • Right-click the video
    • Choose Format options
    • Under “Video playback,” set Start and End times

Or you could watch the video below


🎉 No More Surprises, Just Seamless Video Lessons

When you play a video this way, it stays on the slide, with no ads, no recommended videos, and no YouTube rabbit holes.

Your students stay on task.

Your content stays clean.

And you stay in control.

The One AI Chatbot Prompt Every Teacher Needs

This standards unpacking chatbot prompt helps teachers break down standards for targeted, effective lesson planning while keeping student success at the heart of instruction.

There’s no shortage of “one-stop-shop” AI prompts floating around the internet that promise to plan your lessons, grade your papers, make your coffee, and maybe even feed your classroom pet. The problem? Most of those pre-made lesson planning prompts skip the most important part of teaching: YOU!

Here in Texas, we use the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) to guide instruction. But every state has its own version which include but are not limited to Common Core, SOLs, NGSS, state-specific frameworks, you name it. Whatever your state calls them, they’re still the foundation of everything you teach.

Here’s the truth that many people will refuse to believe…NO AI prompt, no matter how shiny or well-shared, can replace your professional judgment, your understanding of your students, or your hard-earned teaching instincts. Students aren’t widgets, and learning isn’t one-size-fits-all. That’s why I built this custom chatbot prompt. I guess it’s really not a prompt, it’s more of a set of instructions for your new chatbot.

These chatbot instructions are different. It’s not designed to hand you a fully baked lesson plan (because that’s how we end up with cookie-cutter lessons that don’t actually fit our students). Instead, it’s designed to help you unpack the standards so you can fully understand the expectation, identify its core skills and concepts, and plan lessons that hit the target every time.

Think of it as the pre-game strategy meeting before you hit the field. If you don’t know the “why” and “what” of the standard, the “how” of your lesson plan will always be a shot in the dark. Once you’ve unpacked the standard, you can:

  • Clearly define your learning targets and success criteria.
  • Align lessons to your curriculum while still meeting student needs.
  • Spot gaps in prior knowledge before they trip students up.

Why This Matters More Than Ever

In my opinion, unpacking standards is the most important step in planning. Without it, lessons can miss the mark—not because the teacher isn’t skilled, but because the true depth of the standard wasn’t clear. This prompt ensures you start with clarity, so every decision you make in your lesson plan serves the ultimate goal: student success.

Where You Can Use It

You can run this prompt in:

  • ChatGPT Plus (paid account) by building a custom GPT
  • Google Gemini (even the free version) as a saved Gem for quick reuse.

And here it is…your new best friend for planning! But before you copy and paste this into your AI bot of your choice, know this:

AI Can And Will Make Mistakes. Use Your Best Judgement With All Of Your Prompts And What You Choose To Do With Those Outputs!

THERE ARE MANY [PLACEHOLDERS] IN THIS PROMPT. PLEASE REPLACE THEM WITH YOUR STATE’S CURRICULUM DOCUMENTS, RESOURCES, AND LINKS.


System / Role

You are a standards Unpacking Coach for a [insert grade level and content area here]. Your job is to help teachers quickly unpack standards, design accessible lesson ideas, and be a thought partner to produce ready-to-use deliverables with minimal editing. Follow the steps and output formats below strictly.

  • Audience: K-12 teachers in [your state] public schools.
  • Subjects supported: Core (ELAR, Math, Science, Social Studies), LOTE/World Languages, Fine Arts/CTE.
  • Non‑negotiables: Accuracy to standards; plain language; student-centered; inclusive; actionable; cite the exact standard codes used.
  • Safety/Privacy: Recommend FERPA-safe tools; avoid requiring student PII; offer low-tech alternatives.

Data Sources

  • Primary standards source(s): [insert link here]
  • Resource library / district-approved materials: [insert/upload approved documents here]
  • District policies & grading guidelines (optional): [list guidelines here]
  • Accessibility requirements (optional): [insert accessibility links here]

If a required source is missing, ask for it once. If still unavailable, proceed using only the provided standard(s) text and clearly label any assumptions.

Operating Rules

  1. Ground every claim in the provided standard(s) text. Quote short snippets and cite the code (e.g., BIO.8C). If you cannot verify a code, flag it as: [Needs verification].
  2. No hallucinations. When unsure, provide options and label them as Recommendations.
  3. Use UDL, MTSS, WIDA/ELPS supports, and SPED/504 accommodations at a practical, classroom level.

What to Produce (in order)

1) Standards Unpack Snapshot

  • Standards codes & text: list each standard addressed with short quotes and codes.
  • Nouns/Concepts vs. Verbs/Skills table.
  • Big ideas & Enduring understandings (2–4 bullet points).
  • Essential questions (3–5 open-ended).
  • Academic vocabulary (tiered: Tier 2/Tier 3).
  • Prerequisites (knowledge/skills) + anticipated misconceptions.
  • Cognitive demand (DOK levels or SOLO) mapped to each standard(s) code.
  • Success criteria in student-friendly “I can…” statements.
  • Proficiency scale (4–3–2–1) aligned to the success criteria.

2) Assessment Plan Ideas

  • Diagnostic/Pre‑assessment Ideas (quick checks, 10 min max).
  • Formative check-in ideas (checks for understanding each day)
  • Summative assessment ideas and question types based on my state’s standardized test.

3) Differentiation & Inclusion

  • Identify any ideas to consider when planning for diverse learners. This includes but is not limited to neurodivergent students, emerging bilinguals and GT learners.

4) Next Steps

  • A list of ideas and questions to discuss with the grade level, PLC, or instructional coaches and specialist to begin planning lessons based on these ideas.

Although the results of this will generate what looks to be ready-made lessons for you, it is up to YOU to use what your students need. Also, get with your district specialists and content specialists/coaches and look at this together.

Remember That AI Can And Will Make Mistakes. Use Your Best Judgement With All Of Your Prompts And What You Choose To Do With Those Outputs!

So go ahead—try it out. You’ll still be the one making the calls, deciding what’s best for your students, and crafting lessons that truly work. The prompt just makes sure you start with the clearest map possible. Because if our goal is student success, it’s worth making sure we’re aiming in the right direction before we start running the race. Have a great beginning of the school year and let me know how your prompting goes. Buen provecho!

How to Use Brisk Teaching to Simplify Back-to-School Prep

Use Brisk Teaching to create your syllabus, Meet the Teacher presentation, and parent newsletter in minutes so you can focus on what matters: being prepared to welcome students on day one!

Back-to-school season is here, and teachers everywhere are racing to finalize their syllabus (syllabis…syllabusssesss, syllabi??!!), prep for Meet the Teacher Night, and draft parent newsletters—all while setting up their classrooms.

Luckily, Brisk Teaching offers a suite of AI tools to help you knock these tasks out fast so you can focus on what really matters: welcoming your students.

Here’s how Brisk can help:

  • Syllabus Creator: Input a course description, and Brisk generates a polished, professional syllabus in seconds.
  • Presentation Creator: Turn your syllabus into a parent-friendly slide deck for Meet the Teacher Night—instantly.
  • Newsletter Tool: Send a warm, informative welcome message to parents that looks like you spent hours crafting it.

Want a walkthrough? Watch my tutorial where I demo all three tools in action:

Start your school year feeling prepared, confident, and focused—without the last-minute scramble. Buen provecho!

From Overwhelmed To Organized: How School Leaders Can Save Time and Sanity with Brisk Teaching

Check out how Brisk Teaching wowed hundreds of school leaders at NAESP/NASSP and learn how this powerful AI tool can streamline emails, slide decks, and staff communication in minutes.

When you gather hundreds of school and district leaders in one room, you can usually count on a few things: a lot of coffee, even more acronyms, and the constant buzz of “How can I make this year smoother than the last?”

Well, at this year’s NAESP/NASSP Conference in Seattle, we didn’t just answer that question—we Brisked it.

I had the absolute pleasure of presenting alongside a rockstar Michelle Cummings from the Brisk Teaching team. Our goal? Show school leaders how this AI-powered assistant isn’t just another shiny tool in the tech toolbox—it’s the Swiss Army knife of educational leadership.


So, What Is Brisk Teaching?

Great question! Brisk Teaching is like that dependable AP who just “gets stuff done” without you having to chase them down. It’s a free Chrome extension powered by AI that helps educators and school leaders write smarter, faster, and with way less stress.

And it’s not some out-of-reach futuristic idea. It’s here, it’s now, and it’s already helping schools across the country.

During our session, we pulled back the curtain and gave the audience a tour of what Brisk Teaching can do—and let’s just say, jaws dropped faster than a student realizing there’s a pop quiz.

💼 Real-Time Solutions for Real-World School Problems

Here’s what we covered with our administrator audience, and what had them nodding, gasping, and typing furiously:

  • 💬 Communication Made Easy: We showed how Brisk can draft staff emails, parent newsletters, and even community-facing announcements in seconds. Say goodbye to late-night “urgent updates” that take 45 minutes to write and still sound like a robot wrote them (an unfriendly robot, at that).
  • 📊 Slide Deck Creation: Need to build a back-to-school PD deck or a data walk presentation for your board meeting? Brisk can do that—yes, actually do that.
  • 📝 Observation Notes & Feedback: Brisk helps you organize, summarize, and professionally phrase your feedback—without losing your voice or intent.

It wasn’t just a sit-and-get either. We gave them a real-world scenario, walked them through installation, and then handed them the keys to try it out themselves. Within minutes, leaders were using Brisk to:

  • Write their first-day staff email
  • Generate an orientation slide deck
  • Draft a welcome back newsletter for parents

And the best part? It didn’t take a 6-hour PD or an “implementation team” to make it work. Brisk was up and running in minutes. No tech degree required.

🤯 The Aha! Moment

You know that moment when a teacher finds out their lesson plan aligns perfectly with state standards and includes a built-in formative check? That was the vibe in the room when leaders realized how much Brisk could take off their plate.

They weren’t just impressed—they were relieved. Because let’s be honest, admin life can feel like spinning twelve plates on four fingers while being asked to juggle flaming parent emails and unexpected walk-ins. Brisk doesn’t just lighten the load; it organizes it.

📅 Streamlining the School Year Before It Even Starts

One of the best moments was watching attendees generate actual documents they planned to use this school year. No fluff. No fake scenarios. Just real help, real fast.

They left with:

  • Personalized messages ready to go
  • Presentation decks built for August PD
  • Newsletters that didn’t sound like recycled templates from 2012

It was the kind of session where you could feel people thinking, “Why didn’t I know about this last year?”

🍽️ Oh, and About Seattle…

Of course, it wasn’t all AI and acronyms. After our session, I took a little time to explore what Seattle had to offer—culinary style. And let me tell you, the food scene did not disappoint. From market-fresh seafood to artisan coffee, I captured it all in a quick YouTube video, which I’ve embedded below. Because what’s an education conference without a little local flavor, right?

(Watch the video below and try not to get hungry. I dare you. 🍴)

💡 Ready to Get Brisk?

If you’re a school or district leader and haven’t tried Brisk Teaching yet, it’s time to give it a spin. It might just be the assistant you never knew you needed—but won’t want to live without once you’ve tried it.

Want help getting started or seeing it in action? Click here to get started.

Subscribe to my newsletter to stay in the loop on AI in education, tools to save your time (and sanity), and yes—food recs from conferences around the country.

Because let’s face it: great leadership starts with great support…and maybe a really good sandwich. Buen provecho!

From Math Coach to First Grade: Building My Foundation

Support a teacher’s journey from coach to classroom by helping build a first-grade space focused on math foundations. Explore the Amazon Wish List and make a lasting impact today.

Guest Author: Erika Ferrel

After years of supporting teachers as an elementary math coach, I’ve made the decision to step back into the classroom — but this time, with a twist. I’m heading to first grade! A place I’ve never taught before but have always been curious about.

Why The Change?

Because I want to grow as a math educator. My long-term goal is to move into a curriculum writing or math specialist role, and I realized that in order to truly understand the full K–5 math journey, I need to experience where it all begins — the foundation.

I’ve worked extensively with grades 3–5, but if I want to help shape how students learn math from the start, I need to be in the room where math stories, number sense, and problem-solving begin.

New Classroom, New Lens

First grade is more than a grade level. It’s where students learn what a number means. Where they build fluency not through formulas, but through games, exploration, and movement. It’s where math identities are formed — and I want to be a part of that journey.

As I prepare to make this shift, I’m building my classroom (and mindset) from the ground up. And yes, that includes everything from flexible seating and math manipulatives to bookshelves and bins. As a coach, I didn’t need these tools. As a first-grade teacher, I absolutely do.

That’s why I’ve created an Amazon wishlist and joined the #ClearTheList movement. It’s a way for teachers like me — who are making bold moves and building new learning spaces — to crowdsource support.

If you’d like to take a look or help out, you can find my list here. Every item brings this new learning space to life.

Why It Matters

This year isn’t just about teaching a new grade. It’s about becoming a more well-rounded educator who understands how students start thinking mathematically. I know this experience will shape the way I write, lead, and support instruction in the future.

So here’s to number bonds, ten frames, and messy math centers. Here’s to fresh starts and foundational learning.


Want to Support This Journey?

Check out my Amazon classroom wishlist here. And if you’ve taught first grade or made a similar leap, I’d love to hear your advice in the comments!

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