Hi, I’m Sam and I’m the creator of Chomping at the Lit. If you’re here, you are probably an educator or a parent, or both… just like me! Here’s how I ended up where I am now:

In 2015, I graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education English. I was a long-term substitute for a 7th grade Language Arts class as well as a 10th grade Literature class; soon after, I was hired full time as an 8th grade ELA teacher at the same district.

My first year was pretty typical: it was filled with late evenings grading work and early mornings reviewing lesson plans… and of course as a rookie teacher, I got involved in programs at my school to pay my dues, get to know my coworkers, and improve my knowledge as an educator. 

In the summer of 2019, I gave birth to my first child, a baby girl. My life had already changed so much with a new baby at home and then Coronavirus happened.

Like many other teachers, my school closed down for two weeks, and then the remainder of the year. Working during a pandemic is no easy feat, but I must admit there was a silver lining for me… For the first time in five years, I was allowed to teach whatever I wanted; there was no standardized test to prepare for and our students were not being graded. My days weren’t consumed by meetings, lunch duty, or putting out 100 other small fires. I actually had the downtime to create engaging lessons that I was excited to use and share. The inspiration has just spiraled from there.

In the summer of 2020, my husband and I moved from Pennsylvania to New York because of his job. And SURPRISE, I’m pregnant again. This led to my decision to take a hiatus from the classroom and stay home to watch my children. In the meantime, I’m excited to contribute to the online community of teachers helping teachers through Chomping at the Lit.

What you’ll find from this blog is efficient and innovative ways to provide your students a high quality education with no BS. This includes how to provide students a positive learning environment, create student-led experiences, and teach those not-so-engaging topics.