Shortly after college, I spent a year substitute teaching. My degree was in Secondary Education, so I always worked in middle schools and high schools. But one day, I got a call to sub in a first-grade classroom for two days and thought, “Why not? I love little kids, too.”

Ha ha. While the wee ones were at lunch on the first day, I sat at the teacher’s desk in a daze. I’d only been there a few hours and felt like I had run a marathon. First graders are a lot. Adorable for sure, but their energy, needs, conflicts, lack of attention spans, and propensity for distractions were so much more than I anticipated.

Give first-grade teachers all the money, is what I’m saying. And give even more to Ms. Fernandez, a first-grade teacher who isn’t just wrangling her gaggle of youngsters, but molding them into smart, contributing human beings who know how to communicate.

@.carolgiselle I’m huge on communication in my classroom and I truly believe even our youngest learners are capable of learning how to express themselves in meaningful ways. Today I modeled exactly how I teach communication skills in my classroom and getting to hear the students’ live reactions and feedback was honestly my favorite part. Moments like this remind me how important it is to give kids the space to use their voice. I really wish I had experiences like this when I was in school 🤍 #TeacherTok #TeachersOfTikTok #ElementaryTeacher #ClassroomCommunity #LearnOnTikTok ♬ original sound – .carolgiselle

I’m huge on communication in my classroom and I truly believe even our youngest learners are capable of learning how to express themselves in meaningful ways. Today I modeled exactly how I teach communication skills in my classroom and getting to hear the students’ live reactions and feedback was honestly my favorite part. Moments like this remind me how important it is to give kids the space to use their voice. I really wish I had experiences like this when I was in school 🤍 #TeacherTok #TeachersOfTikTok........

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