Hello!  Welcome to my blog!

My name is Megan Riggers, I am a wife, teacher, daughter, sister, and friend!!  My husband and I grew up in North East Pa, in a little town called Shehawken!

We met on the first day of high school, and started dating a year later!  Now, well into our 11th year as a couple, we will be celebrating our 2nd wedding anniversary this July!

After graduating from Bloomsburg University with a B.S. Ed in English, a B.A in English Liberal Arts, and a Minor in Educational Technology, I began the very fun process of substitute teaching for schools all over the state (1/2 a year in Wilkes-Barre, 2 years in Pittsburgh, and 1/2 a year in Carbondale).  It was tough waiting for a job that I wasn’t sure was ever going to happen.  In the mean time, I took additional Praxis tests, hoping to make myself standout in the interviews!  I became certified in Math, History, and Social Studies 7-9, along with my original certification in English 7-12.  No luck.

I thought I’d said goodbye to traditional teaching forever when we moved to Ohio in the Winter of 2013.  Instead, I became a full time nanny and homeschooled a family with four amazing children–it was truly a dream job!  Sadly it didn’t last as long as I’d hoped!  My husband’s job relocated to Dover–which is located in Northern Ohio, where we live now!

I loved nannying so much that I found another family here to work for after we moved. They had two super cute little boys, but I missed teaching more than I realized and finally went about the process of transferring my PA licenses over last fall.  I had no expectation of anything other that the occasional substitute job, since I didn’t get my ducks in a row until after the school year had started–but was pleasantly surprised to receive a call about a position from an up and coming state-wide online school.  I accepted the position and began as a 9th grade Title 1 Reading teacher at the end of October.

As a Title 1 teacher, I work with the 9th grade English classroom teacher, and then have a select number of students that I work very closely with, in one-on-one meetings, each with specific interventions.  I work with these students for 6-12 weeks, and then, if there isn’t noticeable improvement, determine with the help of our Special Education team, the classroom teacher, and their parents–if they need an IEP.  It’s an incredibly rewarding job, I love teaching from home, and my students and co-workers are phenomenal!

Other than a huge and exciting career change!  2015 also brought us two new puppies to add to our family!  Penny (the little girl on the left) and Farley (the tanner dude on the right), joined us in April and May!  They’re about to celebrate their 1st birthdays in the next couple of weeks! They’re both Goldendoodles, and while they came from the same home, they are a month apart. It’s unknown if they share the same dad–but we still think of them as brother and sister.  =D  Hoping to add two less hairy feet to our little family in the near future as well!

I guess I would say that I use the internet professionally–all the time.  I use Blackboard, am fully integrated in Google apps, extensions, and tools in our day to day classes, and am constantly finding new tools to add to my classroom (Edulastic was a recent find that is really cool!!).  Personally, I also love exploring new technology!  My husband and I recently started using chromecasts all over our house, I use Google for just about everything (I make those spreadsheets work for me, let me tell you, and have you seen the new picture function yet!?), I love finding new apps (Duolingo is my latest find), trying new social media websites (Slack is so neat!), but Facebook still holds a special place in my heart.

In my spare time (wait…first year teacher, grad student, two puppies at home…I have spare time?!?!?!  😉 ), my husband and I are very involved with our church!  We both volunteer with the 7th graders as Small Group leaders, and are involved in a young adult Small Group as well.  It’s a lot of fun and honestly–I learn more from the 7th graders on any given week than vise versa!  I also love reading (currently reading: the Ugly Series), traveling (our most recent trip was to Charlotte, NC), and if I’m being honest–Netflix (currently watching: How I Met Your Mother).

Special Talents:  Extremely good at time management and budgeting (I never claimed they were exciting)

Currently a working on…: Um, everything??  All of thee above??  Hahaha, well sometimes it feels that way.  I love myself a good personal development book, (currently reading: “You are a Badass, How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life,” by Jen Sincero, it may just be my all time favorite pd. book–girl.can.WRITE)!  And commonly focus on one thing to improve at a time.  I recently finished the book, “Love & Respect,” it’s an excellent relationship builder!

In general, I’d love to just continue to become a better wife, a better daughter, a better teacher, and a better version of myself each and every year.

Thanks so much for reading!  I’m so excited about this class and getting to know you all as well!!