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One of my favorite parts of summer is dreaming up new ways to make my classroom an even more joyful, welcoming, and meaningful place for my incoming second graders. While I absolutely love teaching reading, writing, math, and science, I believe some of the most important lessons children learn happen in the moments between the academics—when they choose kindness, persevere through a challenge, encourage a friend, or refuse to give up.

There is something incredibly special about a brand-new school year.

June has a special way of bringing excitement to a kindergarten classroom. The days are longer, the sun shines a little brighter, and our students are eager to celebrate all they have learned throughout the year. This week, we had the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful field trip to the Green Animals Topiary Garden, and it was the perfect way to welcome the season.

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." — Helen Keller

There are moments in education that feel less like career moves and more like coming home. As I prepare for the 2026–2027 school year, I am filled with excitement and gratitude for a new chapter: moving from teaching kindergarten to teaching second grade — and even more meaningful, the opportunity to teach some of my very own former kindergarten students again.

As a mom, former principal, author of Educate the Heart, and now an MLL kindergarten teacher, I often hear the same question from parents each spring and summer:

“Never hurry and never worry.”— Charlotte's Web

In a kindergarten classroom, it’s easy to get swept up in the materials—the bins of math manipulatives, the carefully leveled books, the glue sticks that somehow always run out too quickly. But this week, as we prepared for Mother’s Day, I was reminded of a simple truth: “The best things in life are not things.”

“Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.” — Rumi

“Every now and then, I'm lucky enough to teach a kindergarten or first-grade class. Many of these children are natural-born scientists.” — Carl Sagan

There’s something deliciously rebellious about reading a book just for fun—no sticky notes, no standards alignment, no “what’s the learning target?” hovering in the background. This weekend, I traded data analysis and lesson plans for pure joy, and Prime Time Romance delivered exactly that.

“[Kids] don't remember what you try to teach them. They remember what you are.”— Jim Henson, It's Not Easy Being Green: And Other Things to Consider