Mary Angelo is a former teacher and our staff go-to for all the ins and outs of what makes teachers tick! Check out the Q&A below to hear more about what she loved most about teaching, her all-time favorite school supply, and her teacher tip of the month!

What did you love most about being a teacher?

I loved my students. They were my reason, as I think they are for most teachers. As a K-5 Librarian, I was able to teach and watch my students grow throughout their entire elementary career. We were family, which made it even more bittersweet when they were ready to move on to middle school.

How do you feel your teaching experience helps in your creation of classroom activities for the TeacherLists blog?

Teachers don’t have the funds (for a multitude of reasons), so they find themselves making and creating their own resources to use in their classroom—which is exactly what I did as a teacher. I created resources for K-5 in a variety of areas. As the librarian, I taught ELA, and I partnered with the computer teacher to teach STEAM. In addition, I made resources for teachers to use as alternate assignments for gifted students. This experience allows me to make resources for teachers to use in their own classrooms, which is so exciting. I cannot wait to create these resources because I know that not only is money lacking for teachers, but time is as well!

What is your favorite classroom activity in the TeacherLists Learning Library?

My favorite activity in the Learning Library is “Look at Me Inside and Out” because it really focuses on students and their social-emotional awareness. Teaching before, during and after a pandemic, I saw firsthand how their needs for social-emotional learning expanded. This is a great way to work on those skills.

What was your must-have school supply when you were working in the school setting?

Pencils, pencils, and more pencils! Honestly, I could have listed so many fun school supplies here, but my immediate response was pencils. I still have no idea what happened to my pencils throughout the year each year (literally, every year).

What do you feel is the biggest back-to-school challenge that TeacherLists can help with?

I think the biggest back-to-school challenge that TeacherLists can help with is being prepared, both for teachers and students. TeacherLists already does an amazing job helping to make back-to-school shopping a breeze, which also helps teachers ensure their students arrive prepared. The giveaways and sweepstakes that TeacherLists runs are also fantastic and highlight just how much TeacherLists wants to help teachers. I love being a part of a company that genuinely wants to help teachers and values them because, honestly, I’m not sure teachers feel valued—even though they more than deserve to be.

Mary’s teacher tip of the month:

Teaching is tough, especially now. As this new year starts, and you feel all the feels, remember this—you might be the only reason a student comes to school every day.