Hi, I'm Michelle
Believe it or not, I was that kid in elementary school who could never remember what she just read. Many years later, now I have an MA in English and run a store full of reading resources…WHO KNEW! That feeling of falling behind, of not connecting with what was on the page, I carried it with me my whole young school life. It’s become my mission to make sure kids don’t have to feel that way. Every resource I create starts there.
I’ve had the privilege of teaching in some really different environments, ESL classrooms in South Korea, private ESL and ELA teaching and tutoring here at home, and substitute teaching across different grade levels. Every single experience shaped how I think about what makes a resource actually work in a real classroom.
Teaching in South Korea was especially eye-opening. The Korean curriculum is highly rigorous and test-focused, and students prepare for a high-stakes national college entrance exam as early as elementary school. Everything revolves around that pressure. So watching those same students light up over a topic that genuinely surprised them, something that wasn’t on a test, something they were just curious about, it stayed with me. It reminded me that underneath all that pressure, kids are still kids. They still want to be interested. They still want to care.
And honestly? Who’s to say kids here at home are any different? The pressure looks different, but the need is the same; it gives a kid something worth reading and learning about, and they’ll read. It’s why every passage, every novel study, and every activity I create starts with the same question: Will this give a kid a reason to care?
I started making my own resources because I couldn’t find what I needed. Short nonfiction passages that had an interesting twist. Novel studies that covered everything without requiring three different purchases. Phonics practice that didn’t feel like a worksheet from 1987.
When I’m not working, you’ll find me baking, planning my next escape room adventure, playing board games with friends, or watching something on the couch with my husband. And almost always with coffee or an iced tea!
Subscribe to the newsletter to get access to the Freebie Vault: free resources added every month, exclusively for subscribers. And if you’re on TPT, follow the store to stay updated on new resources, sales, and discounts!
Whether you’re a longtime follower or just finding Digital Ink Basket for the first time, I’m so glad you’re here. Feel free to reach out, say hi, or just browse around. This little corner of the internet exists because of teachers like you.
Can’t wait to be friends!