Who's Ms. Williams?

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I'm an educator (that seems like the best place to begin). 

I have an extensive background tutoring, teaching and working with children. In addition to working for the New York City Department of Education as a 4th and 5th grade Special Education Teacher in the Bronx, I have served as a mentor/tutor for various after school and summer school  programs in New York City, Upstate New York, Southern Illinois and The Dominican Republic. I have also held several childcare positions in private homes, daycare centers and tutoring companies since my early teens. 

I started The Teacher Treasury in early 2011. Initially, I set out to sell and give away some of the resources I made for my students. Again, I'm an educator. I'm not a website developer. I have limited coding skills and blogging is currently only reserved for after my full time job. Over the years, I've tried various layouts, web hosting services and platforms. Not too long ago, The Teacher Treasury was even converted to a social network. However, after several months of trial and error, I think I've finally found a platform to build and grow my business. 

There are countless free and affordable educational resources scattered throughout the internet and finding that perfect printable to accompany your lesson plan is easily comparable to an online scavenger hunt. TheTeacherTreasury.com is where I plan to store what I consider to be valuable, relevant and fun resources, links, quotes and merchandise. Some of the products featured on this site are my original creations, but many materials will link back to other educational blogs, stores and websites. 

"I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way" - Whitney Houston. Keep in mind that I'm a QUOTES FANATIC, which explains the Inspirational Quotes page and why I'm also going to share, "If a child can't learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn” -Ignacio Estrada. These are just a couple of the statements I keep running through my mind when I'm working with my students or preparing a lesson plan. 

Check out a few of the other conclusions I've reached as an educator.

• No two students think exactly alike. Therefore, I can't assume they will learn with the same instruction methods. I think differentiated instruction and one-on-one attention is highly important for effective learning. Is this a difficult task to achieve? Absolutely! But it's possible and it's worth it in the end. 
• Getting to know my students is a must! What are their likes/dislikes? What's their learning style? What is their home environment like? What goals do they have for themselves? Do they have high/low self-esteem? What extracurricular activities are they involved in? What tv shows do they watch? What video games do they play? What types of books do they like to read on their own time? What's their favorite food/color? Have they ever traveled outside of their neighborhood/city/country? etc. Once I take the time to get to know my students, it's as if they've shined a light on how to better instruct them. I found that by incorporating their interests into the lessons, conversations and activities, the students would be much more engaged and eager to participate and tackle the task at hand. 
• An organized classroom and daily routine will save your life!
• Teachers are among the most underpaid and under-appreciated members of society. 
• The emphasis on standardized testing is excessive. 
• Incentives are my best friends. 
• I love teaching.

Well, I think that should give you a better idea of who's behind The Teacher Treasury. Feel free to leave comments or ask me any questions. 

Stay tuned...I'll be blogging more thoughts in the near future!

Best wishes, 

- Ms. Williams

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