Melissa Schaper

I taught first grade in an urban public school for years. I loved the adventure but missed my own kids. In 2011 I decided that it would be best for me and my kids if I switched to teaching part-time. I moved to teach preschool in a private Christian Preschool and very quickly fell in love with early childhood education and writing curriculum! When my kids were toddlers and preschoolers we would come home in the afternoons and try out all of my curriculum whims and ideas at home before trying them in my classroom. Eventually, we created an awesome Preschool Curriculum that we are very proud of (Check it out in my store). When I began teaching preschool, I created and tested all of my own curriculum (the beauty of a private school). It was fun to write curriculum, test it with my own kids at home, and then use the ideas and activities in my preschool classroom the following week. It was fun to have a unique perspective in both the classroom and home learning environments when starting out on this new journey creating curriculum and resources. I also took on a job as the Nursery Director and Event Child Care Coordinator at Grace Church in Overland Park, Kansas. This opportunity allowed me to lead an amazing team of about 100ish volunteers and 50ish paid child care workers! It was a fun new experience leading them as they cared for and teach our 75-100 babies and toddlers each weekend. I loved my awesome team! I enjoyed this adventure leading adults and teens to love, care for, and teach these little kiddos ages 0-35 months! Recently, I accepted a new position at Grace Church in Overland Park, Kansas. I now work on their Kid's Campus Support team. We create and develop our own curriculum (ages birth-5th grade) for weekend services as well as kids classes, events, VBS, Camps, and more. This is my absolute dream job!!! I can't believe they are paying me to do what I already do for fun as a hobby here on TpT! And of course... I am also the founder and operator of Edlah Preschool Resources at edlah.com. TeachersPayTeachers and Edlah are my favorite hobbies and side gigs!

I like to have fun and connect my fun activities to the skills and lessons my kids are learning. My goal is to teach them in a way that they are having so much fun they don't even realize how much they have learned. I love to teach them through everyday experiences. Occasionally, we do paper and pencil activities because I believe they need to know how to effectively hold a pencil before starting Kindergarten. I try to make my lessons and activities exciting, hands-on learning, and interactive experiences. I am constantly tweaking and updating my curriculum and resources as I find new exciting ways to teach. Check back each year to see if I have updated anything you have purchased from me in the past (future updates are always free). We like to do hands-on activities, get messy, and make a ton of noise!!! Kids learn best when they learn through exciting and engaging experiences in their everyday lives. "Everyday Learning" is the motto we live by!

While I have received various honors in my time teaching and writing, the best honor and reward a teacher can get is to see a kid learn. Seeing that sparkle in their eye when they finally understand a hard concept is worth so much more than any award I was given by my school district. My notebooks are full of notes and pictures from my students and their parents are my most valued awards and the only ones that really matter. Nothing a school district can give me will ever compare to a handwriting note from a student that I taught to read and write.

Formal Education: I graduated from MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, KS with a degree in Elementary Education. I have also taken several technologies in education classes with Baker University in Baldwin City, KS. I looooove to learn and currently spend a lot of my time learning design. It is my goal to always be a lifelong learner. I am currently taking several online design courses. My newest passion includes learning Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, and learning everything I can about Early Childhood Kids Ministry curriculum.

I have two wonderful kids and an absolutely amazing husband. We are extremely active in our church. We love to spend time trying new types of foods, especially food trucks. For fun, we like to try new foods and play board games with our tribe of friends. For more information about me and Edlah: Check out my website at edlah.com or shoot me an email at melissa@edlah.com.