Loveteachbless with Nita Creekmore

08/18/2026

I teach through storytelling.
Culturally responsive teaching asks us to do more than bring diverse books into the classroom. It asks us to see students’ cultures, experiences, language, and stories as assets.

Research supports this. Studies of culturally responsive literacy practices show that when students see their lives and experiences reflected in literacy and have opportunities to tell their own stories it deepens engagement, connection, and cultivates meaning.

That’s why storytelling is such an important part of my classroom. When I share my story, students learn more about me. When I listen to theirs, I learn more about them.

And when we connect those stories to the books we read and what we are learning, literacy becomes more than a skill. It builds community in the midst of our learning.

08/16/2026

One of my favorite things about teaching 5th grade is watching my students realize that they have something to give. 😍

Friday, my 5th graders spent time reading with their kindergarten buddies, and honestly, there is something special about watching the “big kids” become the encouragers, the listeners, the role models, and the ones cheering someone else on.

They weren’t just practicing reading. They were building relationships with their Kindergarten friends.

They were slowing down and thinking about what their buddy needed. They were talking about books, asking questions, laughing, and sharing a love of reading with someone younger than them.

And our kindergarten friends? They were getting to experience what it feels like to have an older student say, “I want to read with you.”

This is what I mean when I talk about reading outside your bubble in my book, Read Outside Your Bubble: Expand Your Bookshelf, Expand Your World.

Sometimes expanding our world doesn’t require going very far. Sometimes it looks like sitting beside someone who is different from you, opening a book, and making a connection.

Books can build bridges. And every Friday, my students are building some beautiful ones. 💕

08/11/2026

Both/And in Teaching

Teaching can be so rewarding, and it can also be incredibly tiring. Both can be true at the same time.

For me to say otherwise would be an understatement.
I absolutely love what I do. I love creating lesson plans on a quiet Saturday morning with my coffee in hand. ☕️ I love learning and reading about teaching, coaching, and leading because I genuinely want to become better at my craft.

I enjoy talking with other educators about what’s working, what isn’t, what our students need, and what we can adjust. I love those moments when a lesson comes together, a student has that “aha” moment, or a child begins to see themselves differently as a reader, writer, or learner.

And…

What exhausts me is the system.
I grow weary of how fast we are expected to move. The never-ending list of things to accomplish. The feeling that there is never quite enough time in the day to do all the things we know matter. And, if I’m being completely honest, there is also the weight of knowing that I am preparing my fifth graders for their next level—middle school.

That responsibility is not lost on me. I want to prepare them academically, but I also want to prepare them to advocate for themselves, navigate relationships, think critically, ask questions, take risks, and believe in who they are.

So, yes…

I love teaching AND teaching can exhaust me. I can be grateful for this profession AND frustrated by the systems surrounding it.

I can love my students AND recognize that I need boundaries.

I can be deeply committed to my craft AND need rest.

I can celebrate the beautiful moments AND acknowledge the hard ones.

This is the both/and of teaching.

And maybe we need to stop forcing educators to choose between “I love my job” and “This is hard.”
Because sometimes the most honest answer is:

I love what I do.
And I’m tired.
Both can be true. 💕

08/09/2026

Check out this blog post from The Educator Collaborative Community Blog! It’s all about the power in independent reading practice! I wonder who wrote it? 🤔 😉😜

Image Credit: Nita Creekmore by 2025-2027 Associate Member Nita Creekmore As I walk around one classroom, students with their noses deep in a book, are comfortably reading in their chosen…

08/09/2026

Happy National Book Lovers Day! 📚✨

Instilling a love of reading is essential—but let’s remember, reading joy isn’t just for children. It’s for ALL of us.

This week, I shared with my students why I love to read and the book I’m currently reading, Theo of Golden. I even shared with them the gist of the book. Then, I turned the conversation over to them.

They shared why they love reading.
Some shared why they don’t love reading.
And I listened.

Because those conversations are more than just conversation. These comments are data that fuels my teaching. When we take the time to learn who our students are as readers, their interests, experiences, confidence, and even their hesitations, we can create more intentional opportunities for them to find joy, connection, and themselves in books.

So today, I’m celebrating books, readers, and the conversations that help us grow both.

What are you reading right now?

08/08/2026

There are moments in teaching when you realize your students aren’t just learning. They’re finally feeling seen. Yesterday was one of those moments as we began writing our “I Am From” poems. 💕

I started the lesson with the beautiful book I’m From, written by Gary R. Gray Jr. and illustrated by Oge Mora.

My students listened intently as we explored the people, places, traditions, and spaces that shaped Gary Gray’s story. They connected with his words. They loved the cadence of the language as I read, almost as if they were in a trance. And they studied the illustrations with such awe.

Then I shared the poem “I Am From” by Renée Watson from her anthology Black Girl You Are Atlas, beautifully illustrated by Ekua Holmes.

Before I even began reading, my students were captivated by the artwork. But as I read, something even more powerful happened. They began making connections.

The blue water.
The beaches.
Rice as a staple food in their homes.
The people, places, foods, and experiences that make them who they are.

For a moment, our classroom became a space of openness, connection, and being seen. And then we reached the ending of Watson’s poem, where she asks the reader:

Where are you from?

And that question became our invitation. That’s where my students began their own journey of writing their “I Am From” poems with scaffolds and sentence starters to help them uncover the stories that live within them.

Because sometimes the most powerful writing begins with simply asking: Where are you from?

08/07/2026

Before I teach readers, I need to know my readers.

One of my favorite ways to begin the year in 5th grade is by inviting students to write about themselves as readers. I’m not asking their reading level, not their test score, but their reading identity. They entitled it, “My Reading Journey.” Then, they share with a partner.

Because when students talk about who they are as readers, I learn so much more than I could from a data report. I get to hear if they like reading and why. I hear their excitement and I also hear their discouragement. When they share with a partner, I listen in and note. This is part of my data collection.

Here are some questions I give my students:

📖 Do you like reading? Why or why not?
📖 What do you enjoy reading about?
📖 What is a your favorite book of all time? Why?
📖 What makes a book hard for you to put down?
📖 Where do you prefer to read?
📖 Do you prefer reading alone, with a partner, or listening to someone read? Why?
📖 What do you do when you come to a word you don’t know?
📖 What helps you understand a text when it gets difficult?
📖 What is something you wish your teacher knew about you as a reader?
📖 If you could choose ANY book to read right now, what would you choose?

I told them to write as if they were writing in a diary or journal. I didn’t really want them answering a list of questions, but rather just a flow of thoughts about themselves as readers.
And then I ask:

“What did you learn about your partner as a reader?”

That question matters.

Because literacy instruction isn’t just about teaching reading skills. It’s about knowing the reader sitting in front of us. Every reader has a story. Before we ask students to grow as readers, let’s take time to learn their story.

Read more about learning about your readers in my book, Read Outside Your Bubble: Expand Your Bookshelf, Expand Your World. 🌎

08/05/2026

Say names correctly and if you can’t, practice til you do.
It’s the first day of school in Atlanta, GA.
I, again, want to talk about names and saying them correctly.
One’s name.
It is their to own. It’s a gift from family. We should honor it. Teach them to love it. We should say names correctly and teach them to make other folks say it correctly too.

I spent so many years of my life correcting folks on how to say my name. My name is E’Manita. Tons of folks know me as Nita which is my nickname since my childhood. I was also called “E” in high school . My sisters call me Nita and friends too. But my mother has always called me by my full name. ❤️ She calls me my full name AND tells the story of creating my name to everyone. You should hear her tell it. I will capture it on video soon to have forever.

I’m named after my grandmother, our Mamá (It’s Creole~mamaw), Emma Frank. The rock of the Guillory family. And I’m proud of my name and the woman who named me and her mother who I’m named after.

Uzo Aduba Thank you, Uzoamaka, for sharing your story. 🙏🏽

08/04/2026

08/02/2026

Join the conversation!

Do you have an account with Edutopia? It’s free to join and today through Thursday I am a part of a Teacher 2 Teacher Jam Session. Which is like a Twitter chat where you chat with folks around a topic.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas, or questions on how to build classroom community at the beginning of the year and throughout the year as well. The panel that I’m on will respond to you as well as other educators doing this work.

It should be fun and a great way to collaborate around building classroom community! 🤩
I hope to see your comments there throughout this week for us to learn and grow together! It starts today!

Nita 🤟🏽💕

Edutopia Teacher2Teacher

https://www.edutopia.org/teacher2teacher/august-2026-jam-session-building-a-classroom-community-that-lasts/