Welcome!
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I’m Tanya Wiitala, creator and author of Tanya Rae Teaches. In case we haven’t met, I want to tell you a little about my story and why I am so passionate about helping fellow educators shine their light in the classroom and beyond!
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Music loving, soul-searching, nature-inspired, owl-calling, antique collector, furniture restorer, avid audio-book and podcast consumer, passionate, proud mama of two, happy wife, and life-long-learner…that’s me! Oh, yes, I’m also a full-time second grade teacher and part-time entrepreneur!
MY WHY
One of my greatest joys as a teacher and as a human being, is seeing someone light up with new ideas or knowledge. Whether it’s something about the world or something learned within themselves. The physical change of someone’s face as they realize or connect with something for the first time and really get it. The motivation and drive to continue learning that follows – it all excites me and leaves me wanting more of that for my students, and myself. For your students, and for YOU!
When something clicks so profoundly, it feels like a lightbulb illuminating the truth. This is your awakening. It’s resonating because it’s spirit recognizing spirit.
Oprah
This beautiful quote describes something I feel to be true in my life and I can certainly relate it to my teaching. When students experience that “Aha” moment, they are recognizing that they CAN learn and that knowledge is power. It’s exciting and motivating. Knowledge feeds knowledge and leaves you craving more. I want my students to engage with their learning in a way that they are left each day craving more of it the next.
My goal for this site is to share tried and true ideas and resources that will enrich your classroom, make your life easier, engage your students, and reignite that spark inside of your teacher-heart. Along the way, I have a feeling I might just learn a thing or two as I continue to grow in my own personal and professional life.
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WHO I AM IN THE CLASSROOM
I have been an elementary teacher for fifteen years. Currently, I teach second grade in my hometown. That’s right – the same district where I spent my own elementary years. In fact, I teach with some of the same teachers who taught me thirty years ago! However, my teaching journey didn’t begin here. Here is a breakdown of my teaching career…
- 2006 – Graduated from the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire with a degree in Elementary and Theater Education.
- That same year – Hopped on an airplane for the first time at 24 years old, flew to Atlanta for my first “Big Girl” interview and was hired on the spot to teach 5th grade.
- 2008 – After teaching for two years in Georgia, my husband and I moved back to WI, where he returned to school and I taught as a substitute teacher in grades K-12, worked one-on-one providing at-home play therapy to a little boy with autism, AND worked nights and weekends at a department store in the mall.
- 2009 – Hired again as a 5th grade teacher near Madison, WI, where I taught for another three years.
- 2012 – After the birth of our first child, we moved back home to be near our support system. I taught as a substitute in grades Pre-K through 12 in my hometown and neighboring districts.
- Also 2012 – Began selling my teaching resources on Teachers Pay Teachers.
- 2013 – Hired as a second grade teacher in my current district, teaching alongside my own fifth grade teacher!
- Currently teaching 2nd grade in-person as well as running my own online business.
In my classroom, I use Responsive Classroom and Whole-Brain Teaching practices. My favorite subject to teach is Writing. I LOVE using classroom transformations to engage students in otherwise lack-luster topics. I also believe in the power of providing hands-on and real-life experiences whenever possible.
AND BEYOND!
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Outside of the classroom, I am a wife to the handsome, hard-working, creative man of my dreams, mother to two gorgeous, incredible, polar-opposite children ages 6 and 10, and Beagle mommy to our puppy, June (#junejuniejunebug). We built our home in the country just outside of our rural town, surrounded by our family and over 100 acres of Wisconsin wilderness. If I’m not outside playing with my children in my free time, I’m weeding my flower beds, tending to our vegetable garden, listening to audio books, hiking and riding ATV on our trails, giving new life to old furniture, or searching for antique treasures with my husband. In the summertime, my office is our rock garden (my happy place). In the wintertime, I am anxiously looking forward to summer!
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Sounds amazing, right? It is! But, I also want to be open and real about my life as a teacher-mom. It isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. This season of life is H A R D! Did I leave out the part about how I am constantly working on being a more patient mother, balancing my time between work and family, simplifying my self-made “busy life”, and soul-searching…always the soul-searching? It often feels like a lot. However, I am grateful for the good and the bad. It’s all a part of who I am and has lead me to where I am.
When you choose to see the world as a classroom, you understand that all experiences are here to teach you something about yourself. And that your life’s journey is becoming more of who you are. I view life as a continuous learning experience and I am excited to share with you what I’ve learned and continue to learn along the way. We all get to share this journey and I am choosing to share it in this space with you.
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My hope with this website is to create an open space for learning and for educators to not only survive, but to THRIVE in the classroom and in life. My goal is to help you shine your light. Together, we will tap into all that stored schema and passion you’ve filed away and refine your skills to re-engage your students, reignite that spark that drove you to become an educator in the first place, and develop healthy, mindful habits and systems that will drive you to living your best life in the classroom and beyond!
With love & light,
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Send an email:
tanyaraeteaches@gmail.com
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