Behind the Scenes with Upper Elementary Snapshots

Many believe that two heads are better than one. But here at Upper Elementary Snapshots, we believe that 13 heads are better than one!! So who are we? We are a group of 13 teachers, bloggers, and curriculum developers, who have come together to share, collaborate, and work to bring quality ideas, lessons, resources, and inspiration to upper elementary teachers throughout the world.

Today we would like to share with you the inspiration behind our collaborative blog, how we connect, communicate, and collaborate, and how we have come together to explore new ideas.

At Upper Elementary Snapshots, we feel that we have created a community of teachers, who are working together toward one common goal: Inspiring teachers and enriching  the educational experience for all of our students. When we refer to the Upper Elementary Snapshots community, that doesn’t just include us as bloggers, but also includes each and everyone of you who read, share, and inspire each of our posts.

Click HERE to take a closer look, and learn more about each of the collaborators!!

In order to connect and collaborate as teachers and bloggers, communication is key!! Luckily, social media allows 13 teachers from all over the country to come together in a common place: FACEBOOK!! To keep our blog up and running, we use a Facebook group to share ideas, ask questions, and develop new resources! However, our group goes far beyond our blog and teaching resources, and has become a place where we can offer support as FRIENDS. We come to each other to ask for parenting advice, offer support when life gets tough, share warm wishes when something exciting happens, or just to blow of steam when we are frustrated with ANYTHING!! For most of us, we have only known each other for just under two years. However, the connections we have made have led to wonderful friendships!!

When like-minded people come together to collaborate, the next logical step is to meet up and get together in person!! We recently planned a trip for most of our group to meet up in NEW YORK CITY!! Our plan was to meet and get to know each other better, visit the headquarters of Teachers Pay Teachers, and fit in a little bit of time to see a show and do some sightseeing!!

Many on our team had met before at conferences or meet-ups. But for me personally, this was the first time I was meeting anyone from our collaborative blog. I was a bit nervous, but found that we were like old friends who already knew each other so well!!

While we roamed the streets of New York, we mastered the art of group selfie, and took one on almost every corner (clearly tourists)!!!

One of the highlights our our trip was visiting TpT Headquarters TWICE!! We went once to meet the wonderful team that makes TpT possible, and then again the next day to celebrate TpT's 10th anniversary.

While in New York, our team couldn't pass up the chance to make it on television. Six from our group woke up bright and early to visit The Today Show!! They had the pleasure of meeting and taking selfies with the hosts of the show, and of course wound up on TV!!

To make it even better, the I Love 90's Tour was visiting the show that day!! Clearly, the highlight of the morning was meeting Vanilla Ice!!
  

Overall, it was an amazing trip, and we are already thinking about where to meet-up next!!

One of our goals as a group is to continue to come up with ideas to inspire upper elementary teachers and students alike!! We are constantly bouncing new ideas back and forth that will benefit and inspire our readers. One of our latest ideas is our Monthly Collection of FREEsources!! Each month, we choose a theme, and each contribute a resource to the collection. Below are our first three editions...

Click HERE to visit our store and download the first three of our Monthly Collection of FREEsources!!!

We are so proud of the community that has grown from Upper Elementary Snapshots, and we are looking forward to watching this community continue to grow!!

We love to connect with our readers!! Follow us on the platforms below so that you never miss a new idea, resource, or upper elementary inspiration!!