In this episode of The Half Hippie Honey, I share my experience as a Teach For America kindergarten teacher in Tulsa, Oklahoma: what I learned about early childhood education, the challenges of working within a one-size-fits-all system, and how those years planted the seed for my decision to homeschool my own children. A mix of heart, honesty, and thoughtful reflection on choosing the path that’s best for your kids.

Check out this episode!

Stepping Into My First Classroom

When I joined Teach For America fresh out of college, I knew I was stepping into something big, but I had no idea how much it would shape the way I think about learning today.
I started my journey in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as a kindergarten teacher, full of energy, determination, and a deep desire to make a difference.

Check out some of the photos from my first year! My room was HUGE and I needed to clean it out… so it got really messy before it came together.

What I Learned About Child Development

Teaching five-year-olds was like getting a crash course in human development every single day. Here are a few lessons that stuck with me:

• Kids learn in spurts, not on a schedule. Pushing a skill too early can cause frustration instead of progress.
• Play is powerful. Some of the best growth happened when we put down pencils and picked up blocks, paintbrushes, or puppets.
• Emotions matter as much as academics. A child who feels safe and cared for will always learn more than one who feels pressured.
• Milestones are flexible. Some kids wrote sentences in October, others struggled to form letters; both were right on track for their own pace.

The Reality of the System

While I loved my students and our little classroom community, I also saw how a one-size-fits-all system didn’t always fit the beautiful variety of learners in front of me.
There were days I had to move on from a concept even though half the class still needed time because the pacing guide said so. There were kids labeled “behind” simply because they learned differently or needed more time.

Check out these photos from year 2! I talked a lot about the Land of I Can – how I created a system for kids to master concepts. In this Land of I can, each student had a car and we would attach balloons each time they mastered a concept.

You’ll also see a photo of “Scholars on a mission.” Each kiddo had a little pocket with different “balloons” or concepts in their pocket that they needed to work to master. During centers, they could find a concept to work on and go to the shelves to pick out games that related to that concept. It was genius and helped students stay focused!

Why It Matters for My Family Today

I didn’t leave that classroom thinking, I’m going to homeschool someday. But the seeds were planted.
I knew that if I had the opportunity, I wanted my own kids to learn in a way that honored their pace, their interests, and their joy.

Today, as a homeschooling mom, I can trace so much of my approach back to those early days in Tulsa… the moments of laughter, the breakthroughs after weeks of trying, and even the frustrations with the system.

 Question for you: Have you ever had an experience that completely changed the way you think about learning? Share your story in the comment, I’d love to hear it!

Link/Resource Recommendations

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I only share products I genuinely love and use.This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I only share products I genuinely love and use.

I talked a little bit about child development, so here’s a few of the resources Janet shared with me that definitely made a huge impact:

• Conscious Discipline: I Love You Rituals are playful interactions that build loving bonds while increasing attention span, decreasing power struggles and promoting language and literacy at school or at home. These brain-building interactions facilitate optimal development for young children and create lifelong bonds between children and adults.

• Cedarmont Kids creates wholesome, faith-filled music for little ones, featuring timeless Bible songs, action songs, lullabies, and classic school songs. Their collection of CDs and DVDs makes it easy for kids to sing, dance, and learn—whether you’re in the car, at home, or on the go. With simple, joyful arrangements, Cedarmont Kids helps plant seeds of faith and fun in young hearts. My students + my boys LOVED these songs!

• Spaces & Places: Designing Classrooms for Literacy – This book written by Debbie Diller was HUGE for my classroom. She also had two other books that I LOVED for creating learning stations. While it’s great for a classroom, the knowledge is so helpful for homeschool families too!

• Literacy Work Stations: Making Centers Work by Debbie Diller

• Math Work Stations: Independent Learning You Can Count On

• The Whole-Brain Child: this book wasn’t published til after my time as a kindergarten teacher – but it’s great for parents to understand child and brain development for kids!

Finally, if you enjoyed this episode, I’d love for you to share it with a friend or mama who might be walking a similar path. You can also leave a review or message me; your words mean the world and help others find this space.

In my next homeschooling episode, I’ll be sharing resources about our curriculum, books that inspire me and more!

Thank you for being here. I’m so grateful to walk this journey with you.

-Brittany