Melissa Schaper

First Grade Teacher: In 2006 I began teaching first grade in an urban public school for years. My favorite part was teaching kids to read! Knowing that their are fully functional adults walking around that I taught how to read still blows my mind. I loved the adventure but missed my own little babies. (Before teaching 1st grade I also student taught in Kindergarten as well as worked at an after school program for years.) Preschool Teacher: In 2011 I decided that it would be best for me and my kids if I switched to teaching part-time. I moved to teach preschool in a private Christian Preschool and very quickly fell in love with early childhood education and writing curriculum! When my kids were toddlers and preschoolers we would come home in the afternoons and try out all of my curriculum whims and ideas at home before trying them in my classroom. Eventually, we created an awesome Preschool Curriculum that we are very proud of (Check it out in my store). Preschool Curriculum Developer: When I began teaching preschool in 2011, I created and tested all of my own curriculum (the beauty of a private school). It was fun to write curriculum, test it with my own kids at home, and then use the ideas and activities in my preschool classroom the following week. It was fun to have a unique perspective in both the classroom and home learning environments when starting out on this new journey creating curriculum and resources. Nursery Director & Event Childcare Coordinator: I also took on a job as the Nursery Director and Event Child Care Coordinator at Grace Church in Overland Park, Kansas. This opportunity allowed me to lead an amazing team of about 100ish volunteers and 50ish paid child care workers! It was a fun new experience leading them as they cared for and teach our 75-100 babies and toddlers each weekend. I loved my awesome team! I enjoyed this adventure leading adults and teens to love, care for, and teach these little kiddos ages 0-35 months! Early Childhood Specialist: I then moved to a position at Grace Church in Overland Park, Kansas working as the Early Childhood Specialist for their Kid's Campus Support team. In this role I got to oversee the development of curriculum for ages 0-Kindergarten. Campus Support Director: My current position is the new Director of that amazing team! My team develops and creates our own curriculum (ages birth-4th grade) for weekend services as well as kids classes, events, VBS, Summer Camps, and more. This is my absolute dream job!!! I can't believe they are paying me to do what I already was doing for fun as a hobby here on TpT! Founder & Author of Edlah.com: And of course I am also the founder and operator of Edlah Preschool Resources at edlah.com since 2012. TeachersPayTeachers and Edlah are my favorite hobbies and side hustles!

I like to have fun and connect my fun activities to the skills and lessons my kids are learning. My goal is to teach them in a way that they are having so much fun they don't even realize how much they have learned. I love to teach them through everyday experiences. Occasionally, we do paper and pencil activities because I believe they need to know how to effectively hold a pencil before starting Kindergarten. I try to make my lessons and activities exciting, hands-on learning, and interactive experiences. I am constantly tweaking and updating my curriculum and resources as I find new exciting ways to teach. Check back each year to see if I have updated anything you have purchased from me in the past (future updates are always free). We like to do hands-on activities, get messy, and make a ton of noise!!! Kids learn best when they learn through exciting and engaging experiences in their everyday lives. "Everyday Learning" is the motto we live by!

My perspective has changed over the years. While I have received various honors in my time teaching and writing, the best honor and reward a teacher can get is to see a kid learn. Seeing that sparkle in their eye when they finally understand a hard concept is worth so much more than any award I was given by a school district. My notebooks are full of notes and pictures from my students and their parents. These are my most valued awards and the only ones that really matter. Nothing a school district can give me will ever compare to a handwriting note from a kid or a chat from an young adult that I taught to read and write.

Formal Education: I graduated from MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, KS with a degree in Elementary Education. I have also taken several technologies in education classes with Baker University in Baldwin City, KS. I looooove to learn and currently spend a lot of my time learning design. It is my goal to always be a lifelong learner. I am currently taking several online design courses. My newest passion includes learning Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Procreate Illustration, and learning everything I can about developing Kids Ministry curriculum.

I have two wonderful kids and an absolutely amazing husband. We are extremely active in our church. We love to spend time trying new types of foods with friends. Lately we've really been big fans of food trucks! For fun, we like to try new foods and play board games with our tribe of amazing friends. For more information about me and Edlah: Check out my website at edlah.com