meet marsha
Hey There!
I’m Marsha, a kindergarten teacher and the author behind Differentiated Kindergarten. Welcome! I’m so thrilled to have you here! I love empowering and supporting fellow educators like you by sharing developmentally appropriate, engaging, and hands-on ideas that equip you with the tools and inspiration needed to craft exceptional learning experiences for your young students. By sharing my favorite tips and tricks, my hope is that every child can feel successful and develop a love for learning that lasts a lifetime.
Experience
After graduating from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN, with a BA in Anthropology and Japan Studies, I found myself immersed in the world of business. However, no matter how much I tried to fight it, I couldn’t shake the need to spend my days surrounded by little people. So, I headed back to college obtaining my teaching certificate from Grand Valley State University in Michigan, and was immediately hired by my hometown school district. A Masters degree in Early Childhood Education with a focus on Differentiated Instruction came shortly after. While I’ve had the opportunity to teach first grade and preschool, it’s in kindergarten where I’ve spent the majority of my nearly 20-year teaching career, and where my heart truly belongs. You can be assured that as a full-time teacher, I can relate to all the trials, triumphs, and realities of teaching kindergarten in today’s world.
Differentiated Kindergarten
Being a busy teacher in a bustling classroom, I was always on the lookout for materials that could truly excite my students while still being developmentally appropriate and challenging. It was quite the juggling act to find resources that were both fun and catered to each learner’s needs.
Along the way, I had a lightbulb moment: why not create engaging materials myself, tailored exactly to what my students needed? It not only made learning more enjoyable for them but also sparked my own creativity and passion. I couldn’t wait to share these awesome ideas with others, and that’s how Differentiated Kindergarten was born.
From a simple idea-sharing space, over the last 12 years, Differentiated Kindergarten has blossomed into something amazing. It’s now a go-to resource for curriculum, professional development, and lesson ideas for preschool, kindergarten, and 1st-grade classrooms all over the world—way beyond what I ever dreamed! But best of all, it has allowed me to meet and connect with some amazing teachers from across the globe.
About Me
While teaching, blogging, and creating teaching resources bring me great joy, my favorite job is being a mom and wife. I am blessed to share my very busy life with my husband, Mike, and our three sons, MacKale, McCoy, and Magill. (We’re a wee bit Irish!) We enjoy our life in the woods of Northern Michigan with the world’s sweetest dog, Putter. If we aren’t catching a soccer game or track meet, you’ll find us on the ski slopes or planning our next great adventure. It’s a noisy, busy life, but one I feel incredibly blessed by God each day to enjoy with the people who mean the most to me.
