Budding Bloggers Showcase: Read With Me ABC

 
Thanks for dropping by for my FIRST Saturday edition of Budding Bloggers.  To kick off the new Saturday Showcase, I have a fabulous blogger to introduce.  From reality TV, to sweets, to a love of reading and a love/hate relationship with running, Wendy and I have a lot in common.  Read on to find out more about her and then hop over to her blog to leave some teacher love.

Hi! Allow me to introduce myself.  I'm Wendy from Read With Me ABC.

I live in Pennsylvania with my husband, daughter, two sons, and a little beagle named Bailey.  I love them to pieces.  :)

Introducing the girls...

and the boys.

We love adventure!

Hello everyone, it's so nice to meet you!

I've been teaching for 19 years, yikes! That makes me (a very young at heart) forty-something.  


Although I've taught many different grade levels, I'll always consider myself a first grade teacher since most of my years have been spent there.  

However, a few years ago I accepted a position as a reading specialist, doing what I love best, teaching children to read.  :)

Here's a peek at my room.

If you popped into my classroom unannounced, you would most likely see five children sitting around my rainbow table reading books and talking about the strategies they are using to decode and understand the text; you you might see them playing an active vocabulary game or writing in their journals; you might even see a few of them snuggled up with their books in the tent.  :)

We're discussing how to participate in the school-wide
reading challenge and get the chance to win a Kindle.

We've all had 'those' days, and when that happens I count on caffeine, good teaching buddies, and lots of laughter to get me through it.

Character dress up day with my first grade friends.
That's 'Alexander' on the far left...he has bad days, too.

Here are a few tidbits about me...

I'm a reality TV junkie; I eat too many sweets; I run even though I don't always enjoy it; and I talk.  A lot.

I can’t live without my morning cup of coffee, lap top, Kindle, flair pens, and sticky notes.

I've worn out my copies of these teaching resources from Fountas & Pinnell and Regie Routman. 

If I were to describe my teaching style, I'd say that sometimes I'm a coach, a teammate, and a cheerleader.  My students are actively reading, writing, thinking, and discussing.  They are playing games, role-playing, and creating.  I'm right there learning along with them.  Learning is social, I embrace that. :)

For me, blogging is a chance to reflect and grow professionally. I've learned so much from other teacher-bloggers, and I hope to pay it forward.

My goals for this year are to... 

• post often, at least 3 times each week,
• share effective strategies for teaching children to read, and
• add Facebook, Pinterest, and TpT accounts to my blog.

Thanks for taking the time to get to know me.  Let's be friends!