Here’s Jo AKA Tiny Toes, above, with two of her children.
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We are thrilled to ask 5 Questions with Tiny Toes. Jo is a technology-loving PreK teacher from Texas. Are you curious about her store name? “I teach the sweetest tiny toes in PreK now after nine years in 2nd Grade. I am honored to be a child’s very first teacher (that is, after their parents). ” Here’s more about Tiny Toes:
1. How did you first become involved on TpT and what do you get out of being a TpT Teacher-Author?
Hearing how many teachers were selling successfully on TpT helped me make my decision to jump on board. I have four children, two barely out of college and two more to put through in the near future. Little did I know that this would be much more than about the extra income; it’s become an ongoing professional development for me. It’s made me look more closely at lessons I develop and, in turn, has helped the way I present things in the classroom.
2. What’s surprised you about being a part of TpT?
The biggest and most surprising part of TpT is the helpfulness and camaraderie of the sellers. Their openness, encouragement, and willingness to help with another seller’s product are amazing. But then, that sums up what teachers do in the first place!
3. You teach PreK. What do you keep in mind when you’re making a resource specifically for little kids?
This is my second year in PreK and I love it! Although Texas does not follow the Common Core standards that most states do, I do try to make sure my products for PreK and Kindergarten are based on those standards. I also include simple, colorful graphics, animations, and songs to get my little guys up off their feet, active and involved.
4. What are your favorite kinds of resources to make, why?
My favorites would have to be anything for the Interactive Whiteboard! Whether it is for a Smartboard, Mimio, or my new interactive PowerPoints, if it’s techie… I love to create it! I love how the interactivity of the whiteboard encourages students to be active and engaged in their learning.
5. What’s your classroom like? What about it makes you particularly proud?
My classroom has all types of hands-on manipulatives, but it’s also full of technology! I have an eBeam to make my whiteboard interactive, iPads, and, thanks to Donor’s Choose, several iPods filled with educational apps. I am very proud to introduce such a variety of tech devices at this early age. One of my PreK students even won 1st place last year in a PreK – 6th grade division with her iPad submission (re-telling a story using PuppetPals.)
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We hope you’ve enjoyed learning more about Jo from Tiny Toes. If you liked this blog post, be sure to check out our other 5 Questions posts with TpT Teacher-Authors Deedee Wills, Hope King, and Tracee Orman.
