ALL ABOUT ME!

Welcome to Taryn’s Unique Learning.  My name is Taryn, which rhymes with Karen, and for years people have butchered the pronunciation of my name.  And just by the way I explain my name, it should give you a clue as to what I did for a living!  I am a newly retired elementary/ intervention teacher who taught for 33 years (gulp!) in the Buckeye State of Ohio. I had planned on retiring at the end of the school year in 2021, but my career was cut short due to unforseen circumstances during the pandemic, and I actually retired early in February of 2021!  

I was told in the summer of 2020, that I would be leaving my reading intervention position and teaching a remote 2nd grade classroom, which was an amazing opportunity (after the initial shock wore off) although a source of amazing growth, new technology blunders, and the academic challenges of learning new curriculum. I was really enjoying my position, finally settled in, and was told about six weeks into the year school year that I would be moving back to reading intervention.  At that point, I decided it was best to part ways with my district, went on leave and was officially retired by the end of February. 

Over the course of my careeer, I  had the opportunity to work in an inner-city school setting, having taught Kindergarten and a K-1 multiage class for eleven of my years.  And after eleven years, I moved on, and I landed in  a more suburban setting, where I remained until my retirement.  I began as an intervention teacher for the first few years, followed by teaching first grade for six years. I went back to intervention for many years after my stint in first grade.  And finally, my grand finale was having my own classroom of second grade loves, realizing how much I enjoyed having my own kiddos again. 

My teaching passion is early literacy- specifically motivating students, creating engaging resources so students are unaware that they are learning while "playing", and of course, the nuts and bolts of teaching students to read. The constant from the beginning of my career to the end, has been my love of creating resources for my students, which has led me to my dream job of Curriculum Designer at Taryn's Unique Learning. Here I create elementary resources, primarily focusing on early literacy, that are fun and engaging for young learners. In addition, I have a line of Staff Morale Booster products, as I loved working in and creating an environment where others love coming to work, are invested in their community, collaborating with colleagues, and enjoying what they do! 

 

Outside of work, I am married to my husband and we have a WEST HIGHLAND TERROR...I mean TERRIER.  He is our second Westie and is 4 years old.  He's an absolute nut but we adore him!  These days as I navigate the pandemic, my retirement, and a husband working mostly from home, you can find me on long walks with the dog, resisting the urge to run to Target and cruise through "The Dollar Spot" and the Starbuck's line,  dreaming of my next beach vacation, figuring out a plan to "snowbird" so I can get out of the cold Ohio winters yearly, shopping for and cooking healthy foods, reading some good books, and creating curriculum just right for your young learners. 

You can find me here on my blog, on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. I'd love for you to follow me on your favorite platform. And of course, I do hope you connect with me on any of those platforms.

I'm exhausted just reading that!  Please stop back and see me again soon.

Taryn