Hey teacher friends! Welcome to Firstieland, where learning feels like play! Do you ever feel like your classroom has become a land of data and test taking? A place where rigor is the newest vocabulary word and there's just no time to actually teach? I'm Molly, the creator of Firstieland and author of this first grade blog. I'm here to show you how you can keep the fun and engagement in your classroom activities, while still meeting all your curriculum standards.
A Little About Me
I'm Molly Schwab, a first grade teacher with over 30 years of experience in the elementary classroom. I hold a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education and a Masters Degree in Curriculum & Instruction. I'm a mom to two wonderful sons who are the light of my life. I'm engaged to a great guy and we recently added a new member to our family – a beautiful new daughter in law! Life is good and I feel blessed every day by my family and friends!
Most of my career has been spent as a kindergarten or first grade teacher. I love working with young children and watching them grow over the year. Seeing the joy in their eyes as they begin to read still gives me a thrill, even after all these years.
I've worked as a mentor, cooperating teacher and as an educational trainer in professional development for teachers. My current role as a full time first grade teacher and TPT author keeps me busy and up to date with teaching trends. I've seen many changes in education over the years, but one thing that has never changed is child development.
My Core Beliefs
I'm a true believer that children learn through play and thrive on lessons that are hands on and engaging! Through play, children develop their cognitive skills, creative thinking, new vocabulary, social and literacy skills.
I've seen education change over time, with more emphasis placed on testing and data, which worries me. I believe that we can still give children the opportunity to explore and pretend in our classrooms, with developmentally appropriate lessons that meet the needs of all learners. In doing this, we'll see children thrive and be excited to come to school, creating lifelong learners.
I'm passionate about creating hands on and engaging activities for the classroom. I believe that learning can be content driven, rigorous and still be developmentally appropriate and fun! Students should enjoy coming to school and be excited about their learning each day. I design curriculum that shows teachers how to provide daily creative learning opportunities and make kids say “I love school!” In this first grade blog, you'll find lots of ideas that you can implement into your classroom today!
What You'll Find In Firstieland
Do you struggle to fit everything into your day? Do you wonder how you'll have time to teach reading, math, writing, science, social studies and all the rest? I'm here to show you how to combine these subjects into meaningful lessons and activities that your students will love!
If you take a peek around in Firstieland, you'll find fun and engaging activities that students love. I'll show you how you can create a classroom atmosphere that is inviting and makes kids excited to come to school each day!
In Firstieland, you'll see students working as paleontologists as they dig up and study dinosaur bones. You'll see kids become a pilgrim for the day as they compare life long ago to today. You might even see kids learning about responsibility as they adopt a baby peep for a few days. Throughout all of these lessons, you'll see young children who are engaged and learning about math, reading and writing!
So what are you waiting for? Take a peek at the first grade blog, Firstieland, where learning feels like play!
