Welcome!

Happy Wednesday, friends! This is my first post, so exciting :). Welcome to my Inflate Learning blog. I’m Kelly and I’ve been teaching Pre-K for the last 10 years. I wanted to start a blog to help fellow teachers inflate learning in their classrooms using inflatables.

I’ve always wanted to be a teacher ever since I was little. I truly enjoy helping others reach their full potential. I learned this early on in life. My dad was a full-time basketball coach/trainer who dedicated his life to helping players reach the next level. He was always so positive and constantly built them up. I knew I wanted to bring that same positive energy into my classroom.

My first grade teacher was also a major reason for my love of teaching. She was my favorite teacher and always kept learning so fun. One of my best first grade memories was watching the Polar Express while drinking hot chocolate (with a few marshmallows on top, of course). I knew I wanted to create fun memories for my students as well.

After high school, I went to college and graduated with a degree in Elementary Education. Now what? Well, I wanted to get some experience right away and a local private preschool gave me the perfect opportunity. As a head Pre-K teacher, I lead about 15-20 students daily. I was so thankful for an amazing assistant teacher! I created and delivered lessons that aligned to the NAEYC curriculum standards. This was an awesome first year of teaching! I learned so much!

I had to cut my time with the preschool short, due to meeting my future husband. He was moving to South Carolina for his job, so naturally I wanted to be able to spend time with him and build our future together. I packed my bags and headed down South with no job in sight. I applied to a plethora of schools, and finally secured some interviews. My interview went well (whew!) and I became a Pre-K teacher where I would spend the next three years giving students their first schooling experience.

In South Carolina, Pre-K is included in the Elementary schools, so it was fantastic being a part of that atmosphere and team. The students were also able to become more familiar with the school they’d be attending for Kindergarten and the years to come. This was where I truly began to grow as a teacher. I had many superb mentors along the way that helped me get through the tough times and celebrate the small wins.

Sadly I had to leave after my third year. My husband started traveling for work, and I wanted to be able to travel with him. This is when I launched my online teaching career. The thought of teaching online was a bit daunting, but I loved every second of it. I’m so thankful for each teaching opportunity and truly enjoy helping students, as well as fellow teachers and stakeholders. Teaching is definitely a life long learning process and to this day I’m still learning.

Thanks for taking the time to ready my post and I’m looking forward to sharing more with you soon!

🙂 Kelly

P.S. – I’ll be adding some of my activities to my TPT store if you’re interested.