I’m Jessica, a curriculum writer, former upper elementary teacher, and founder of The Literacy Loft. I’m here to help you teach with confidence, joy, & ease.
Teaching reading and writing can seem overwhelming, especially when you are trying to reach every child. every need. every day.
You value literacy.
You know that you have standards to teach and assessments to take. But, you also want your students to enjoy reading and writing. Plus, YOU want to enjoy TEACHING reading and writing.
You want your students to feel confident in themselves and be independent learners by providing them with everything they need to be successful. You want to learn and grow as a reading and writing teacher. You want to help students organize their writing and be proud of their published work.
You want the tools at their fingertips.
You want to feel peaceful and calm during Reading and Writing Workshop by having the tools you need to deliver valuable, practical, and engaging lessons that make teaching literacy seem like a daydream.
My passion is Reading and Writing. I LOVE to watch students get excited about books and make big, bold moves as writers. My goal is to help busy, caring, and passionate teachers help their students see themselves as readers and writers.
As a 4th Grade teacher, my most important goal has always been to show my students how to LOVE reading and writing. If they already love to read and write my job is easy.
If they don’t —- my job is IMPORTANT.
I hope to provide ideas and resources to help you ignite your love for teaching literacy and give you the tools to help your students succeed.
While my main focus is literacy, I have to tell you… As a teacher of #allthethings—-I get it.
You are busy. You have to be amazing at everything. Not only are you a teacher, but you are a reader, a writer, and a scientist (geologist, biologist, physicist, embryologist…yep.). You are a civics teacher, life skills teacher, historian, politician, and mathematician.
You are EVERYTHING to those 22+ little humans. They think you know EVERYTHING. They truly believe you have all the answers. I remember a student once asking me, “What was the cause of the Vietnam War?” …”What is the difference between Class A and Class B weapons?” At first, I felt inadequate because of course I couldn’t pull those answers off the top of my head. (And I’m not sure I even have them.) But then, I realized where those questions came from. He was reading a book about the Vietnam War. He knew that wise readers ask questions. He was practicing what he had been taught. He was a natural reader.
This is why I do what I do. I want students not simply to read and write because they are supposed to, but read and write because they want to.
I want to help teachers like you ignite their love for teaching and help their students become successful readers, writers, mathematicians, and scientists. But mostly, good people. That’s what education is all about. We could spend all our time focusing on one or two subject areas, but that’s not what life is. We want our students to see how they all fit together. So while you may notice that my greatest passion is LITERACY.
I can’t say that is ONLY what I am about. I am not an in-the-box kind of girl! I’m thinking you aren’t either.
After spending 8 years of teaching grades 3-5, I started The Literacy Loft because I had a passion and a love for teaching and learning that I needed to share with other teachers.
I spent 6 years in 3rd grade, a year in 5th, and have been teaching 4th grade for 3 years. In 2007, I graduated from University of South Florida, St. Petersburg with a degree in Elementary Education, K-6. I loved school so much that I went back for my Master’s in Reading Education, K-12. I graduated in 2012. I have worked with my district as a writing demonstration teacher as well as developing curriculum.
Fun Facts
- I am married to the love of my life, Ryan.
- We have two sons: a 9-month-old baby boy and an 8-year-old Doberman Pinscher
- I could eat pizza, french fries, or tacos every day of the week.
- I enjoy running and yoga. (Because I eat pizza, french fries, or tacos at least once a week.)
- I enjoy adding pizza, french fries, and tacos in my Math lessons.
- I eat half (at least) of a large pizza. Every time. Since 1991.
- I have 5 brothers. No sisters…But 3 beautiful nieces and 2 nephews
- I hope to write a children’s book one day.
