Hi, I'm Trae! I'm a proud Oklahoma teacher who creates fun and engaging resources for upper elementary. I love teaching through inquiry and project based learning to engage and excite students about social studies and reading.
I love integrating reading skills with social studies curriculum! When I first started teaching, I was horrified by how boring textbooks make social studies class. I was determined to make a change because social studies is FUN! American History is full of drama, legends, and unsolved tales, so I set out to bring this content to life. The greatest compliment I ever received from a student was "Hey, wait a minute! I just realized you're tricking me into learning!!"
Keep the boring AWAY! Engagement is a high priority in everything I do in my classroom. Who wants to sit still and listen to a lecture all day - yuck! I love making my classroom come alive through project-based learning, inquiry, and movement activities. I believe that students learn best whenever they are active, so we are out of our seats ALL the time. Differentiation is at the core of my classroom- I believe all students can succeed if given the appropriate challenge.
The town I was raised in was tiny - like, 785 total people tiny. In fact, the nearest stoplight was over 30 miles away from my home! My little community was poverty-stricken, although I was not aware of the extent until after moving off to college and discovering the 'normal' for schools. My first teaching job was in a Title I school in rural Oklahoma, and although we had a lot more than my hometown, we were still far behind the national standard. Underprivileged schools have my heart because of the unique challenges we face!