Where to see Melanie:

Delivering the message at Grace Presbyterian Church in Corpus Feb 1 and March 1, 11:00 A.M., Contemporary Worship Service.

Presenting a full-day workshop for ELAR teachers on Thursday, Feb. 5th, at Region 3 in Victoria.

June 29 & 30 and Sept. 14 and `15. Small-group workshops in Austin, Texas with Melanie. Choose your workshop! Choose your date! Email for more information to melter215@aol.com.

Seven Habits of Highly Successful Teachers - with practical advice, examples, strategies and activities that reinforce each habit in our own classroom or on your campus.

Work Smarter, Not Harder: Integrating and Connecting the ELAR Curriculum

And…Announcing the 2026 TEACH RHYMES WITH BEACH: THE (NOT YOUR ORDINARY) CONFERENCE FOR ENGLISH TEACHERS, TEACHER-LEADERS, AND INSTRUCTIONAL COACHES, IN PORT ARANSAS OCTOBER 18-20.

Save the date for this one-of-a-kind event!

We will have several fantastic new presenters this year, as well as some regulars favorites. Gretchen Bernabei will be a featured presenter again. You’re welcome. (Were her sessions not fantastic this past year? Wow. Feedback from teachers currently using her Shakespeare session activities in their classrooms is still coming in!).

We’ll be adding sessions for EB, ELPS, and ELLS; and for the first time, including an entire strand for instructional coaches, teacher-leaders, and campus principals - -a leadership strand - with practical ways leaders can better support teachers in the classrooms, and take your campus or department to the next level.

SPED , GT, STAAR, we’ve got it all covered this year; and I can’t wait to welcome you back.

Save the dates, write the grants and budget requests, do all the things so you can come. And if you are on the fence, take a look at some of the comments and feedback from 2025:

“This is my favorite and most valuable conference I have ever attended. It makes me a better teacher and person. The reading and writing integration is magical.”
Shout out to Melanie and Gretchen, who gave me permission to use one literary piece to teach multiple TEKS. I am inspired, encouraged, and ready! Thank you for including actual lessons and practice so I can take ideas back to my classroom. I will bring my team next year.
Melanie and Gretchen are the dynamic duo. I would go to any conference that had both of them.
I am thankful to spend time with Melanie and Gretchen and learn from them.
This conference is a 10 out of 10 and I would not change one thing.
I most enjoyed the marriage of old school, tried and true, best practices along with the inclusion of new, innovative approaches all rolled into one training. There is something for every teacher at this conference.
I love that we have lessons we can use tomorrow, next week, and next month. Five stars.
Perfect conference. Details excellent everywhere. Speakers grounded and solid. Friendly, smiles and laughter. A true blessing.
The attention to detail was unbelievable. Great job! My favorite was the keynote address. It was timely and relevant to my life.
Melanie, your love and passion to feed us is unequivocal to any other training I have ever received. I love that all the sessions are presented by teachers. There is not one session I would not want to go to again.
As a first-year teacher, I loved how this conference raises the bar. I love how welcoming the speakers were.
I can’t wait to go back and teach now.
Melanie is just a joy to listen to.
Everyone here is a rock star. Sessions were incredible and I left with things to implement immediately.
Please always have Gretchen. You two are the Dynamic Duo. (Done!)
Melanie, as always you have brought joy back into my teacher heart. You have shown me so much kindness.
Consider adding a leadership/teacher-leader strand next year, and more for emergent BLs. (Done!)
I would love to see Melanie teach a session on instructional coaching and coaching conversations in the classroom. (Done!)
I need a full day with Melanie, once a month.
The vocabulary activity Show and Tell was so fun. I’ll use it this week!
Melanie’s Power of Connected Classroom Lessons made me want to do more with less. I was struggling how to incorporate everything this year, and this was my answer!
I love how much I learned in Melanie’s session with Yancey’s excerpt. I can’t wait to try these strategies.
I am so glad you presented sessions, Melanie, and not just a keynote. Everything I learn from you is practical and engaging. I will use it tomorrow.
Gretchen’s Shakespeare session was epic and I can use it next week.
I will say it: I was terrified to teach Shakespeare and did not want to. This session made me excited to incorporate the strategies!
I loved the Shakespeare session with Gretchen. It’s a great way to present for my inclusion/mainstream Special Ed students since they already struggle with Shakespeare as a learner with a disability. This words for all students.
I love how Gretchen lets us write and practice the lessons. I like her structures teachers can use to get students writing.
Gretchen is everything I have always heard she is and more. Loved the Shakespeare Ears session.
I was completely immersed in Gretchen’s writing lessons.
You bring such positive energy to your breakout sessions. You show us how we make things hard that could be much easier.
My favorite activity was the deep dive into one text in Melanie’s last session.
My favorite session was “Writing Resurrection.” “Evidence, please.” I will be able to easily utilize what I learned in my classes.
“Essay Apocalypse” gave me a way to help students with ideas and think about sensory details in the writing process. We were given great tools to use in the classroom to make sure students are engaged, writing and explaining.
Shout out to Kayla Briseno’s Picture Books for STAAR. Are you kidding? A favorite.
I loved the examples in Mrs. Alambarrio’s session. I’m excited to get my kiddos talking to each other, sitting close to me, and practicing phonics.
I appreciated the inclusion of ELL discussions this year. I love Heather’s passion and knowledge.
Ms. Faith Williams challenged me to consider ways to make learning meaningful to students, especially struggling learners. She also challenged me to find ways to make my classroom more inviting and comfortable.
I enjoyed the Superhero seminar. I liked the interactive activities and how to engage our students.
I plan to use Trevor and Jackie’s stuff as new ways to teach novels or encourage self-selected reading. Their ideas are great.
Jenny’s session on synergy will be useful for my gifted learners.
Loved all the technology sessions this year, and especially the “Know Cap” session with Hannah.
Ms. Salisbury with the Roots session for elementary was excellent, and we were given several activities we can use with our own kids immediately.
“Growing Words from the Roots Up” was my favorite session. Excellent activities and folders of resources.
I loved the AI sessions. It’s such a big thing in education now, so I’m glad you included it this year. This is my third year at this conference, and every year is as good as the one before. I will be back.
The AI sessions opened my eyes to all the options out there, and how they can make my life a little easier in some areas.
Hannah Ketteman’s “Yabba Dabba Blooms” was fantastic. I appreciated hands-on lesson building time. I learned several things I can use immediately.
I loved Jenna Leal’s “Write, Rite, Rite” video and the “framing” lesson. I can’t wait to try more of these with my kids.

This is just a small sampling of over 150 feedback cards that were received. My heart is always so full. This conference is for you, about you, and works because of you; and I hope you’ll join us again in 2026.

Welcome

Where to see Melanie:

And…Announcing the 2026 TEACH RHYMES WITH BEACH: THE (NOT YOUR ORDINARY) CONFERENCE FOR ENGLISH TEACHERS, TEACHER-LEADERS, AND INSTRUCTIONAL COACHES, IN PORT ARANSAS OCTOBER 18-20.

Save the date for this one-of-a-kind event!

“This is my favorite and most valuable conference I have ever attended. It makes me a better teacher and person. The reading and writing integration is magical.”

Shout out to Melanie and Gretchen, who gave me permission to use one literary piece to teach multiple TEKS. I am inspired, encouraged, and ready! Thank you for including actual lessons and practice so I can take ideas back to my classroom. I will bring my team next year.

Melanie and Gretchen are the dynamic duo. I would go to any conference that had both of them.

I am thankful to spend time with Melanie and Gretchen and learn from them.

This conference is a 10 out of 10 and I would not change one thing.

I most enjoyed the marriage of old school, tried and true, best practices along with the inclusion of new, innovative approaches all rolled into one training. There is something for every teacher at this conference.

I love that we have lessons we can use tomorrow, next week, and next month. Five stars.

Perfect conference. Details excellent everywhere. Speakers grounded and solid. Friendly, smiles and laughter. A true blessing.

The attention to detail was unbelievable. Great job! My favorite was the keynote address. It was timely and relevant to my life.

Melanie, your love and passion to feed us is unequivocal to any other training I have ever received. I love that all the sessions are presented by teachers. There is not one session I would not want to go to again.

As a first-year teacher, I loved how this conference raises the bar. I love how welcoming the speakers were.

I can’t wait to go back and teach now.

Melanie is just a joy to listen to.

Everyone here is a rock star. Sessions were incredible and I left with things to implement immediately.

Please always have Gretchen. You two are the Dynamic Duo. (Done!)

Melanie, as always you have brought joy back into my teacher heart. You have shown me so much kindness.

Consider adding a leadership/teacher-leader strand next year, and more for emergent BLs. (Done!)

I would love to see Melanie teach a session on instructional coaching and coaching conversations in the classroom. (Done!)

I need a full day with Melanie, once a month.

The vocabulary activity Show and Tell was so fun. I’ll use it this week!

Melanie’s Power of Connected Classroom Lessons made me want to do more with less. I was struggling how to incorporate everything this year, and this was my answer!

I love how much I learned in Melanie’s session with Yancey’s excerpt. I can’t wait to try these strategies.

I am so glad you presented sessions, Melanie, and not just a keynote. Everything I learn from you is practical and engaging. I will use it tomorrow.

Gretchen’s Shakespeare session was epic and I can use it next week.

I will say it: I was terrified to teach Shakespeare and did not want to. This session made me excited to incorporate the strategies!

I loved the Shakespeare session with Gretchen. It’s a great way to present for my inclusion/mainstream Special Ed students since they already struggle with Shakespeare as a learner with a disability. This words for all students.

I love how Gretchen lets us write and practice the lessons. I like her structures teachers can use to get students writing.

Gretchen is everything I have always heard she is and more. Loved the Shakespeare Ears session.

I was completely immersed in Gretchen’s writing lessons.

You bring such positive energy to your breakout sessions. You show us how we make things hard that could be much easier.

My favorite activity was the deep dive into one text in Melanie’s last session.

My favorite session was “Writing Resurrection.” “Evidence, please.” I will be able to easily utilize what I learned in my classes.

“Essay Apocalypse” gave me a way to help students with ideas and think about sensory details in the writing process. We were given great tools to use in the classroom to make sure students are engaged, writing and explaining.

Shout out to Kayla Briseno’s Picture Books for STAAR. Are you kidding? A favorite.

I loved the examples in Mrs. Alambarrio’s session. I’m excited to get my kiddos talking to each other, sitting close to me, and practicing phonics.

I appreciated the inclusion of ELL discussions this year. I love Heather’s passion and knowledge.

Ms. Faith Williams challenged me to consider ways to make learning meaningful to students, especially struggling learners. She also challenged me to find ways to make my classroom more inviting and comfortable.

I enjoyed the Superhero seminar. I liked the interactive activities and how to engage our students.

I plan to use Trevor and Jackie’s stuff as new ways to teach novels or encourage self-selected reading. Their ideas are great.

Jenny’s session on synergy will be useful for my gifted learners.

Loved all the technology sessions this year, and especially the “Know Cap” session with Hannah.

Ms. Salisbury with the Roots session for elementary was excellent, and we were given several activities we can use with our own kids immediately.

“Growing Words from the Roots Up” was my favorite session. Excellent activities and folders of resources.

I loved the AI sessions. It’s such a big thing in education now, so I’m glad you included it this year. This is my third year at this conference, and every year is as good as the one before. I will be back.

The AI sessions opened my eyes to all the options out there, and how they can make my life a little easier in some areas.

Hannah Ketteman’s “Yabba Dabba Blooms” was fantastic. I appreciated hands-on lesson building time. I learned several things I can use immediately.

I loved Jenna Leal’s “Write, Rite, Rite” video and the “framing” lesson. I can’t wait to try more of these with my kids.

Thank you!!