Someone New Sunday

Happy 1st of July! I have 28 days left of vacation, which is CRAZY! Especially when I read about bloggers who are just NOW getting out of school.

Today, I would like for you to meet Mrs. Richling from

Grade you teach:
1st grade

How long have you been teaching?

I have been teaching for 7 years. All 7 years have been in 1st grade. I absolutely love teaching 1st grade and witnessing the learning strides that they make throughout the year!

What is your teaching "style"?

My teaching style is to provide a plethora of hands-on experiences for my students. I want my students to be fully involved in every aspect of our learning. There is a quote by Ben Franklin that sums up my teaching style: "Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." I am all about making learning fun. Laughter is important in my classroom. From day 1, I feel it is essential to create a nurturing environment and develop a mutual respect for each other, so we have an enjoyable and relaxed learning environment throughout the year.

What is your most memorable teaching moment?

There are so many students who have left footprints on my heart over the years, but there is one that stands out. I was only a few years into teaching and this child had a lot of emotional baggage when she came to my classroom. She would hit, throw scissors, make noises, shut down at the drop of a pin..you name it. She was that child that everyone knew and warned us about and I ended up having her in my class. It was a rough beginning for us, but slowly, I started to get through to her by being firm, but loving and nurturing. I told myself that I was not giving up on this child ever! By the middle of the year, she did a complete turn around. She wasn't shutting down when things didn't go her way. She accepted responsibility and controlled her actions. The change was incredible. I had a teacher who also interacted with her on a regular basis and one day she said to me, "I don't know what you did, but the change in her has been amazing." That is the very moment that I realized how much I had the ability to make a difference in the lives of children. I pulled that child aside at the end of the school year and told her how incredibly proud I was of her. I teared up and told her how much potential she had. I will never forget that child and still often think about her and wonder how she is doing.

Why do you blog?

There have been so many inspirational bloggers that I have come across since I entered the world of blogging a year ago that I wanted to contribute what I have and share as much as others do. I love collaborating with other bloggers and helping people so we can all be the best teachers that we can be!

Where else can we find you?

Freebie:

Racing Through the Facts

Thanks for joining me today! I only have 3 Sundays left that have been filled, so if you are a new blogger/follower and would like to be featured, please email me at laurastarnes@ymail.com (and yes that is Ymail, not Gmail!)