Teach With Me

I started teaching when I was 5-years-old playing school. By third grade I was positive I wanted to be a teacher, and launched my career in Wisconsin in 1976, where I taught 9th, 10th &12th grade English a month after I graduated, which made me just a few years older than some of my students! I “officially retired” from teaching elementary in Michigan public schools in 2009. However, my family believes I'll only truly "retire" from education when I'm in my coffin. Still passionate, I threw my hat in the cyber-ring with a teacher blog and website, as well as teaching English at Grand Rapids Community College. Doing workshops, presenting at conferences & teaching Sunday school rounds out my bag of tricks.

My teaching style is high-energy, creative, innovative, and hands-on. When people ask me what I do for a living I say I’m a multi-tasking "edu-tainer". My motto has always been: "Be the kind of teacher you always wanted to have." I like to think I've accomplished that. On any given day, with any age group, I count it as a wonderful blessing to learn as much from my students as I hope they have learned from me, either by what I teach, or how I live.

My shining teacher moments: Elementary: When the light bulbs go on and my students are over the moon with excitement. High school: My students often groaned when the bell rang because they didn’t want to leave. College: Bringing diversified, multi-age levels and ethnicities together to truly make a difference. I’ve been a freelance writer for Mailbox Magazine and an editor for Gift & Decorative Accessories Magazine, as well as designed teacher-themed giftware for Russ Berrie and Wangs International.

I graduated from college with a BA in English-Secondary Education from The University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire; did graduate work at the University of Wisconsin, Madison; received an Elementary Endorsement from Grand Valley State University in Michigan, where I also received my Masters in Elementary Education.

I enjoy nature, crafts, cooking, hiking and spending time with my husband and our 6-adult children, their spouses and thus far 16 grandchildren. Our standard poodle Bailey, rounds out our love-filled menagerie. "Organized chaos" reigns at the Henderson household, where there's always room for one more. I’m passionate about sharing God’s gifts on my blog: http://bit.ly/IMLhVd & website: http://www.teachwithme.com/ I'm thrilled to have a shop on TpT and absolutely addicted to designing "fun stuff"-- hoping to make life easier for teachers, at the same time earning some extra income for the "I'd really like to haves..." in life.