Miss Moe Teaches

People often talk about how hard teaching during the pandemic was…and it was. Distance learning, isolation, uncertainty, trying to navigate a world none of us understood yet. But when I think back to that time, I also think about the joy we created anyway.

I think about the laughter on Zoom calls. The inside jokes. The way we learned to show up for each other through screens. The very late Friday evenings playing Among Us and Minecraft and Roblox and streaming movies together. The way my Scholars continued to shine even in the middle of something so heavy.

Was it “normal”? No. But I truly believe we made something beautiful out of a time that felt so difficult.

Receiving this letter from one of my former and forever Scholars means more than I can explain because it reminds me that even during one of the hardest seasons in education… connection still mattered. Joy still mattered. Belief still mattered.

What once felt like such a heartbreaking and uncertain chapter somehow became one of the greatest blessings of my teaching journey.

Yes YOU Can. Always. ✨

Tonight, I wore a shirt covered in the signatures of the ten year olds who once filled my very first 4th grade classroom. 💙

On their last day of school, I told them that one day I would wear it to their high school graduation…I blinked and somehow that day arrived.

I had the honor of being invited by my Diego and his wonderful family to his high school graduation tonight, where I also got to watch several of my forever Scholars from my very first class cross the stage.

I cried watching these older versions of the ten year olds I once knew walk into “Pomp and Circumstance.” What seems like it wasn’t that long ago really showed tonight just how much time has passed seeing them all grown up.

I am so proud of every single one of you. To those I didn’t get to see after, and those whose graduations I’m still coming to in the coming weeks…please know my heart is just as full for you too. And Diego, I am so honored to still be your Miss Moe and honored to be part of this huge celebration. 💙

Yes YOU Can.
Yes YOU Did My Forever Scholars 🎓🥲

Had the honor of meeting the amazing at one of my forever Scholar’s graduation party this evening (pics to follow 🥹).

I have been listening to Lisa on the radio since back when she co-hosted with and now daily on my favorite station ! She is truly just as kind, genuine, and sweet in person as she is on the radio. 💙

✨ RON CLARK ACADEMY ✨

The past few days were full of laughing, learning, dancing, cheering, sliding down slides, and being reminded why I fell in love with education in the first place.

Not because classrooms need to look the same.
Not because every school has the same resources. Not because we should strive for perfection.

But because kids deserve joy. They deserve belonging. They deserve spaces where they feel safe enough to take risks, be themselves, and believe they’re capable of amazing things, while being held to the highest expectations.

If you know me, then you know I’ll always believe the experiences we create for kids matter. Whether it’s 1% more confidence, creativity, encouragement, laughter, or love for learning… it matters.

Kids may not remember every lesson we teach, but they will remember how school made them feel. Being surrounded by educators who still believe in creating that kind of magic, humanity, and possibility for kids was something really special. 💙

Day 1 🎈🎉

I genuinely don’t understand how anyone could experience this and then go back to teaching mediocrity.

The energy.
The joy.
The movement.
The relationships.
The belief in kids.

Welcoming another year with arms wide open, smiles, and so much gratitude 🥳💖

(Excuse my 6th graders’ cubbies…it’s almost the end of the school year and well…they’re 6th graders 🤪😂)

As the after-school GATE Coordinator for my school site and a full-time 6th grade classroom teacher, I have the privilege in leading over 150+ 3rd-6th grade students and providing opportunities for them to share their voice and genius.

Today was a reminder that there is so much brilliance sitting inside our classrooms just waiting for the opportunity to be seen. At today’s County Office of Education CS Showcase & Skoolcade event, my incredible 3rd-6th grade GATE students and my own amazing classroom students shared inclusive design projects, coded mini golf courses, and student-created video games, with FOUR students earning medals at the Skoolcade Competition. 🥹

The part that mattered most to me had nothing to do with medals. The real magic isn’t the devices, screens, or gamification. It’s watching students who never thought these spaces were meant for them begin to take up space in them anyway.

I’m not interested in using tech just to make learning “fun.” I’m interested in what happens when students are given the opportunity to build, create, solve problems, and realize they are capable of more than they thought possible.

As a Riverside County Teacher of the Year, I hope the work of my students reminds both educators and kids that creativity belongs in our classrooms, and that there are so many students just waiting for the chance to show what they’re capable of.

Yes I Can. Yes YOU Can. But together it makes…Yes WE Can ❤️

Feeling incredibly honored and grateful after today’s Riverside County Office of Education Teacher of the Year Luncheon.

As someone who is still proudly in the classroom every day, this recognition means the world to me. Here’s to continuing to champion students, creativity, innovation, and the power of possibility. 💛