Featured Teacher: Melissa Wilcox

1.   How long have you been on Teachers Pay Teachers?  What made you decide to be a part of it?

I have been on Teachers Pay Teachers since May 2011 (so going on 5 months now).  I had been kicking around the idea of starting a web page to share my ideas and materials that I make in my 1st grade classroom when a friend told me about TPT!  It was exactly what I wanted to do, except I wouldn't have to start it from scratch!  I only wish I had known about TPT sooner.

2.   When did you know that you wanted to be in education?

I've known I wanted to be in education since middle school when I realized that my fear of sharks and other predatory animals would really hinder me from pursuing marine biology!

3. How are you currently involved in education?

I am a 1st grade teacher in the public school system, and now I share my lessons and materials on TPT and on my blog.

4.   What would be your advice to people who are considering joining Teachers Pay Teachers?

Know your audience.  Create your materials to be visually stimulating and appealing to your target audience, but don't sacrifice content for the "cute factor".  Products should be cute AND challenging at the same time!  (Differentiating materials is also highly effective for the classroom and broadens your appeal to the teacher.)

5.   What has been a highlight, thus far, about being on Teachers Pay Teachers?

I have really enjoyed receiving positive feedback from those who have downloaded my materials.  It's good to know that others appreciate what you've made and that it can be of use to others.

6. What is something fun about you that other teachers don’t know?

When the desire to become a teacher first took root in my mind, I was strongly drawn specifically to 1st grade.  I'm now going into my 10th year of teaching 1st grade; and it's the only grade I've ever taught outside of my student teaching days!

7.   Do you participate in education outside of the classroom?  In what type of role?

Yes!  I help my husband with the middle school ministry at our church.  I also used to lead a women's small group at church, and lead a coed small group with my husband when we first got married.

8.   What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?

I would love to be a chef, baker, or caterer.  I'd also love to do photography if I had the guts to put myself out there!

9.   What profession would you not like to do?

Anything you might find on the show "Dirty Jobs"!

10.                 Who is your favorite author?  Favorite educational author?  And why?

That's so hard!  There are so many amazing authors out there and it would depend on my mood!  I love Judy Schachner's Skippyjon Jones books.  Then again, every year I fight back tears reading Deborah Wiles' Freedom Summer to my class.  As for educational authors . . . I am currently really into Gail Boushey and Joan Moser's The CAFE Book.  There's are a ton of books on my reading list, though, that I'm sure will jump to the top of the list too.

Melissa Wilcox - Plug-n-Plan
Melissa's TPT store

Melissa's Prized Products

I worked really hard on my It's Owl Time! Unit on Time.  It covers time to the half hour and hour with ready to go centers, games, practice sheets, and assessments!  It's my plan to create more differentiated, ready-to-go units in the future.

It's Owl Time

I'm also really happy with my Math Assessments package!  It includes 12 units of 1st grade math assessments for the entire year!  My friend, The Lesson Plan Diva and I got together to create a year's worth of assessments to compliment each other.  (She did Language Arts.)  Each test is 10 questions long, so they are great assessments that will save you time on grading as well!

1st grade Math Assessments