Blogger Interview: {Miss Kindergarten!}

{Click on the image above to go directly to Miss Kindergarten's blog}

Hey y'all! Welcome back to The Elementary Entourage for our series Bloggers We are Lucky to Know. The blogger I interviewed is a personal friend that I had an opportunity to meet and hang out with while we were stationed in California. I drove a couple hours just to see what this superwoman does in her own element and outside of bloggy land. Let me just say that the things you see on TPT do not compare to what the lady can do with kiddos. She truly is an inspiration to Kindergarten teachers, primary teachers, well dang just TEACHERS. I present to you... Hadar Maor from Miss Kindergarten!

I guess you could say I started my teaching blog by accident! During my first year of teaching, I wanted to find a way to take my non-stop mind off of teaching. I found a really fun fashion blogger over Thanksgiving break, and decided I wanted to try my hand in fashion blogging. I spent the next day with my sister, taking tons of outfit pictures, and that was that. I realized six months into my blogging journey that I was sharing more about what I was teaching than what I was wearing! So I changed my blog name, changed my focus, and even started my own TpT store.

Four years later, my teaching blog is still going strong! I love sharing pictures of my classroom setup, fun crafts that my students create, and ideas to help other teachers set up centers and small groups as well as organize their classroom. I’m constantly reminding myself to blog for me, as a way to remember what I do year to year and not get too caught up in the traffic or the numbers.

Blogging is like one huge professional learning community! Not only am I able to share my ideas, but I learn so much from other teachers around the world! I have made the best of friends through blogging, and those same friends have also inspired me to be a better teacher! We are able to bounce ideas off of each other, test out ideas, and even work together! I recently shared a blog post about how a pen pal activity transformed my students’ writing abilities. One of my best blogging buddies, who lives in Missouri, had her class write letters to my class and it was the best thing that had ever happened to them! The letters they wrote back to their pen pals was one of the best pieces of writing any of them had ever completed!

I’m often asked how I “do it all” and my response is always that “I do what I love.” I’m so lucky this year to be able to teach part-time with an amazing kindergarten teacher. This allows me the opportunity to do ALL that I love. I would also much rather play with clip art on my computer for hours on the couch than watch TV or read a book. I have the greatest friends who understand and support me. They are always willing to help me wrap my head around my ideas, look over my rough drafts for me, and always make me laugh. It helps to have friends who understand and are going through the same struggles as you!

I am a visual person, so I always make sure that I share a ton of pictures! Seeing an idea in action helps me better understand how to implement it in my classroom, and also sparks ideas for other ways to incorporate an idea or activity in my class. One of my biggest blogging takeaways is to think about your blog as your classroom. If you were to invite someone in to visit your room, what kind of things would you show her? Keep that in mind when you are blogging and it will really help keep your blog genuine!

I am constantly thinking about innovative and engaging activities for my kinder kiddos. I glean tons of ideas from my students themselves. Whether it’s a concept that I notice they’re struggling with, or a math manipulative that they’re constantly drawn to during center time, I use their interests to help me create and in turn, share those ideas on my blog. One of the greatest feelings in the world is seeing the huge smiles on my students’ faces when they feel successful completing a task that once seemed impossible and knowing that I helped make it possible for them. My most recent favorite resource is my Fluency Families Freebie. This was one of those heartwarming activities that brought a smile to everyone’s face as we worked on it during reading groups. Even my little learners who came to me knowing zero letters and sounds were able to read the word family words. The look on their faces when they realize they’re able to read is absolutely priceless!

Thank you so much to Hadar Maor from Miss Kindergarten for taking time out of her busy life and day to day activities to come chat with us. Did y'all know that Miss Kindergarten will soon become a Mrs?! This lady is amazing and has some amazing things happening in her life right now. Don't forget to stop by her blog and, of course, her TPT Store for some goodies!