Happy Monday everyone!! I’m so excited to see so many new faces popping into the community, welcome!! 🤗 Love seeing teacher assistants in the group, too. We truly wouldn’t be able to do our job to the fullest without the support of a TA. Am I right!?! That team relationship can make or break you. I’ve been on both sides of this as a TA and lead, some times a great team from day 1 and other times, something I had to build slowly over time. There’s nothing like your team running like a well-oiled machine, to the point where you don’t have to ask, tell, remind bc they know exactly what to do when. That doesn’t happen overnight, it’s daily systems and consistency. I’d love to know your experiences! What’s one piece of advice you’d give a new teacher about working with their teacher assistant? If you’re a TA, what’s one thing you wish all teachers knew? Cathy

If you work in a bilingual, dual language or multilingual setting, you probably have set colors for each language, like black for english and red for Spanish for example. And maybe you set up your classroom to match, then move to a new school with a whole new set of color rules. I've been there! 🫠 That's why I added a variety of color coded options to this freebie set of basket and bin labels. Honoring the language, staying consistent in how we display it, and including children in the process will help students organize it visually, and also be meaningful when they reference it. For example, you can also use a red marker to write down a child's dictation spoken in Spanish, and a black marker for a dictation in English. So when children (or anyone) see the web of ideas, language is clearly and immediately identified. Having worked in only bilingual and dual language settings, this was my default way of approaching language, so you'll see me offer various color options for that reason, I know how important it is and I also know, we don't always have time to do it. How are you using the labels, show us your setups! 📸

Hey teachers! 🤗 What are your weekend plans? Relaxing, prepping, a combo? Let us know in the comments!

Happy Monday, teacher hub! Share one thing you want to accomplish this week. Can be in or outside of the classroom. I'll share mine in the comments too. 🤩

Hey teachers! 😊 Real talk for a second. The first six weeks of school are the hardest weeks of the whole year. Routines that fall apart, big feelings at drop-off, a schedule that exists only in your head. Every year we say we'll get ahead of it, and every year August eats us alive. So tell me: what's the ONE thing about the beginning of the year that stresses you out most? Drop it in the comments. Your answers are shaping what I build next. 👇🏽 And here's what's happening one level up, because I'd feel bad if you found out later. Inside the Pre-K Prep Club for Teachers ($7 a month), members get: 🎉 300+ done-for-you resources, ready to print and use + monthly drops 🎉 The Jumpstart Challenge for play-based learning 🎉 The Jumpstart Challenge for The Creative Curriculum 🎉 With done-for-you resources and video guides for both challenges 🎉 This August: a LIVE workshop, Your First Six Weeks Playbook, so you walk into the new year with a plan instead of a panic. This workshop is for you no matter what curriculum you use. You'll walk away knowing what developmentally appropriate practice looks like in those first weeks, so you can bring it into YOUR room no matter what your program hands you. We'll use the 2026 Creative Curriculum preschool guide as our example because it's one of the most well-rounded versions out there. Club members are voting on the workshop date right now. Join this month and you get a say in when it happens, a live seat with Q&A, and the replay forever. The resources will always be there. Being in the room while this gets built happens once. 🙌🏽 If August-you deserves a calmer start, come join us here. Already a Club member on our other platform? You're covered. Stay tuned for your invite, appreciate your patience! And even if the Club isn't for you right now, tell me your biggest beginning-of-year struggle below. This community is exactly where those conversations belong. 🤗 Thanks for being a part of it.