About

Connecting with Kids First Consulting offers services in both professional development and instructional coaching. We are elementary instructional coaches with 20 years each of experience in public education. Between the two of us, we have taught all grades Kindergarten through fifth grade. We both have advanced academic degrees and teaching certifications, including ESL and elementary self-contained, EC-8th grade. We created our company because we think all children should have the same instructional practices and learning environment that we want for our personal children.

As mothers and educators, we know what a privilege it is to work with and serve teachers and students. We are teachers who believe strongly in supporting other teachers. It is also our belief that the work that happens inside school walls should reflect the work adults do outside of school and that elementary school is an apprenticeship for work later in life. It is our hope that the curriculum students receive is reflective of who they are, relevant, and responsive. Our core belief is that when we Connect With Kids First the instruction teachers provide becomes the exact next step children need.

We know that professional development works best when it is embedded into the work teachers are already doing. Therefore, in addition to professional development services, we also offer coaching services so that we may support teachers in their classrooms, working right alongside students. In this way, we can provide in-the-moment feedback to teachers that will nudge their teaching forward. We look forward to partnering with your district/school to create a professional development plan that will lift the level of work that is already happening in your schools.

Our Team

Angie House

is entering her twenty-first year as an educator. Her experience in the classroom includes teaching kindergarten through 4th grades in multiple central Texas school districts. Angie has also served as an instructional coach for the last 10 years in a large suburban school district. This role has given her experience in many different classrooms and provided the opportunity to write and present professional development in all content areas. She has a Masters degree in curriculum and instruction.

Jessi Atkinson

is entering her twentieth year in education. She has taught Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th grades. For the past 4 years, she has served as an instructional coach for a large, suburban school district, serving teachers and students in grades Pre-K through 5th. She has a Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction and is a certified reading specialist. In addition, Jessi has 7 years of experience writing and delivering professional development to teachers.

Testimonials

"I truly have enjoyed learning from the both of you! Your workshops over the past years have been so relevant to our growing culture and developing the whole child. The reading and writing workshops now combined into the literacy cohorts have offered hands on experience to new and seasonal teachers. Being a more seasonal teacher (12 years) I sure do wish your courses were offered to brand new teachers starting out their first year teaching. I know I have learned so much in lesson planning, new techniques, new resources, mentor text, etc. The work you help provide us ensures our classrooms to thrive in language arts. From lesson planning, templates, research, sharing, and the opportunity to work with students during the workshops connects our true purpose as a teacher. Adding the choice workshop component has been a huge success in my classroom. I participated in the first cohort and my students are thriving in their role as a learner both in leadership skills, building communication, and developing good work/play habits that most of our students don't have the opportunity to learn at home these days."