Have you ever wondered why your students may not be learning the curriculum that you are teaching?  Even the best designed Common Core curriculum can be boring to students.  Lessons directly from the text book are not always interesting to kids, lacking imagination and creativity.  It’s time to change the way we approach lesson planning.

My goal is to take the curriculum and shake it up, creating lessons that will engage my students in their learning.  I take an unconventional approach to student learning, encouraging student enthusiasm and excitement.  I love it that my students are loud and active, always collaborating.  This is where the learning happens.

My blog gives examples of ideas and lessons that will bring your curriculum to life.  These ideas can be applied to any content because the emphasis is on engaging students.  You’ll see how to take an ordinary lesson or unit and change it to include extraordinary engagement.  These are simple changes that make a huge difference in how your students learn.

I’m Mary Kienstra.  I have many years of experience teaching reading and math to elementary age students.  My background as a mother of 4 influences everything in my teaching life, as I realize my most important job is to get children excited about learning.  Follow my blog to see what happens next.