How Past Experiences Shaped Us as Creators and Educators of Craftytopia Creations

My Childhood Fun 

Freddy

My mom was a single parent with three kids and limited resources. Therefore, my sisters and I didn’t have the latest toys or gadgets. However, that didn’t stop us from using our imagination and creating our own toys using paper, magazines, boxes, fabric, or any other miscellaneous materials we could reuse. We would happily play using the puppets we made and tell stories using our imagination or the fairytales we learned at school.

Creating my own toys are some of the best memories I have growing up. I love designing for Craftytopia because it brings that same magical feeling to my students in the classroom. I often send our packets as part of students’ homework. This fun play enables opportunities for the children to have wonderful experiences with their family.  

Teaching Changed My Life 

Kim

For a long time I thought teaching was something meant for people who had abundant levels of patience and a heart of gold. Truthfully, I just stumbled into teaching due to necessity while living overseas. To my genuine surprise, I loved it! The decision to pursue teaching completely changed the trajectory of my life. 

Teaching is quite challenging! Why? It’s about you. Real life emotions impact the way you engage in teaching - which influence classroom management, providing instruction, creating a conducive learning environment, and interacting with the students.

Over the span of my teaching career, I’ve learned a lot through mentorship and my own deep reflection. Teaching has brought out so much more in me than I have previously known to exist (immense patience, ability to be flexible, acknowledging mistakes are really ok and a part of growth, thrive through experiences, etc.) Teaching is more than academics, it’s building relationships with the kids. Students become a significant part of my life, just as I do with theirs. Many school days are hard, however with a positive mindset, they can be filled with moments of celebrations, smiles, and connections.