Blogger Interview: Tammy Lee from Teacher Tam

Hello, Maja from KookyKinders here! I am interviewing Tammy Lee from Teacher Tam's Educational Adventures. 

 

I had already been offering my materials on TPT for some time and thinking about starting a blog. That’s when Language Stars was looking for parents to blog about their program. I saw it as an opportunity to make my debut in the blogging world! I’ve been blogging for about 3 years now.

 

I don’t know if ONLY blogging has helped my teaching, but preparing

materials for TPT and TN certainly has! It is so inspirational to work in

an environment like TPT where teachers are working together to provide

better educational experiences for our students. Reading other blogs, downloading new and innovative materials, perusing Pinterest for ideas, and editing my products for improvement have all helped me become a better teacher. 

 

At some point, you just have to tell yourself, “Walk away from the computer!” Or, my husband has to say that! It is so easy to want to put the finishing touches on your latest product when you should be doing the laundry! So, I carve out specific blocks of time to work, such as after the kids have gone to bed. But then there’s this sleep problem . . .

 

I hope you will all be better at planning out your posts than I am! I am actually a horrible blogger! I only blog when I have something I think is worth blogging about. I know that I miss many ideas because I don’t stretch myself to post once every couple of weeks. Plus, if you really want to be good at blogging, I think you have to take a lot of pictures. I always forget that! 

 

I love using games in the classroom and at home! I find that students are so engaged! They think it’s all fun and games when it’s really focused practice. So, my all-time favorite product is my “SodaShop Sight Word Sentence Game.” It isn’t one of my best sellers because I don’t think most people recognize the potential of a game. I use them in centers, in small groups, and for homework. Games make it easy to differentiate instruction. The skill each child is working on can be effortlessly addressed through a game. For example, preschoolers and new kinders use letter sound cards. Those learning to merge sounds use CVC word cards. Beginning readers use cards with sight word sentences. INSTANT differentiation! Plus, if you add some little cars or Squinkies™ to your game, kids will beg to take it home!

 

Thank you SO much Tammy for answering our questions! It has been great getting to know you better!

Please check out Tammy's blog and TpT store!