TeachShare Sellers Spotlight: Brittany Humphries of Lucy's Little Learners

Brittany's Journey as an Educator

Tell us about your educator journey to where you are now.

I began teaching in 2014 after moving to the Dallas area. My class was added last minute due to high enrollment, and it was a really busy and chaotic introduction to my first year. I began teaching Kindergarten, then moved to second grade for three years, then back to Kindergarten for three more. I enjoy teaching the younger grades, and teaching students to read is my absolute favorite thing to teach. This led me to get an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with a Literacy Studies focus.

After getting my Master's degree, I went on to teach third grade and first grade. After nine years of teaching, I had a son last summer, and I am now a full-time stay-at-home mom and teacher-author. I chose to start selling my resources when I missed the classroom after having my son.

I chose to name my store after my dog, Lucy. Lucy is a 9-year-old bichon-cavalier mix (also known as a Cavachon). I chose the name Lucy's Little Learners because of the alliteration and because my primary focus is grades K-2.

What inspired you to start sharing your resources with other educators?

I missed the classroom, and I felt that I had ideas that other teachers would appreciate. Plus, it was a way to make some extra income by sharing my resources.

Brittany's Featured Resource: St. Patrick's Day Diphthong Activity Set ‍

About the Resource‍

Make phonics practice fun and engaging with this St. Patrick's Day-themed diphthong activity set! Designed for K-2 learners, this resource includes interactive stations, worksheets, and center activities to help students identify, pronounce, and use diphthongs in words. Perfect for small groups, literacy centers, or independent practice, this festive set keeps early readers excited about phonics while reinforcing key literacy skills!

What Students Will Learn

• Identify and differentiate diphthongs (oi, oy, ou, ow, au, aw) through engaging activities.
• Sort and match diphthong words using themed literacy stations and hands-on centers.
• Build phonemic awareness by recognizing diphthongs in spoken and written words.
• Strengthen spelling and decoding skills through interactive worksheets and cut-and-paste activities.
• Apply diphthong knowledge in reading and writing by using targeted word lists and practice exercises.
• Increase engagement and retention with a fun St. Patrick's Day theme that makes learning enjoyable!

Perfect for Grades: Kindergarten, 2nd Grade

Subject Area: English Language Arts (ELA)

What inspired you to create this resource?

I created this resource because there were very few St. Patrick's Day-themed activities focused on diphthongs, and I wanted a fun, engaging way for students to practice this essential phonics skill. 🍀

What's one tip for teachers using this resource effectively in their classrooms?

Introduce the center games in small groups first to model gameplay and review skills, ensuring students feel confident before using them independently.

St. Patrick's Day Diphthong Activity Set Stations & Worksheets Dipthong Centers

By Lucy's Little Learners

$6.00

Add to cart

More Resources from Brittany

Looking for more engaging phonics resources? Check out these complementary materials:

St. Patrick's Day CVC Mixed Grid Mystery Puzzles Center Games & Worksheets

By Lucy's Little Learners

$3.00

Add to cart

1. St. Patrick's Day CVC Mixed Grid Mystery Puzzles

Make CVC word practice fun and engaging with these St. Patrick's Day-themed mystery puzzles, center games and worksheets! This interactive phonics set helps early readers strengthen decoding, spelling, and word recognition skills through hands-on activities.

Diphthong Word Charts for Vocabulary Writing Reading Small Group Centers & ELLs

By Lucy's Little Learners

$4.00

Add to cart

2. Diphthong Word Charts for Vocabulary, Writing, Reading

Strengthen phonics, vocabulary, and reading fluency with these diphthong word charts, perfect for small group instruction, literacy centers, and ELL support!

Brittany's Best Practices and Insights for Educators

What's your go-to teaching strategy or classroom hack that always works?

Find what students like. When kids are interested and engaged, they are much more likely to learn and have fun doing it.

How do you balance creativity and practicality when designing resources?

Sometimes I have to remind myself that just because it is cute, it isn't educational. I get inspired when I find fun clipart and think of what I can do with it, but the challenge is to make something worthwhile to educators and practical for their classroom.

What's one of your favorite ways to keep students engaged in learning?

When I was in the classroom, I liked to keep kids engaged by asking them about their interests and finding ways to incorporate them into my lessons. They love thinking that they are teaching me something, rather than the other way around.

What's one quote from a colleague, experience, student, book, movie, or TV show that surprisingly taught you a great lesson about teaching?

There is a quote from the movie Madagascar: "Smile and wave boys! Smile and wave!" Sometimes when admin or district officials would keep putting more and more on our plates, I would have to think back to this quote. Smile and wave, then close your door and teach. Do what YOU know is best for your students.

What's the funniest or most unexpected thing that has ever happened in your classroom?

I once had to call the custodian to get a snake out of my classroom.

If teaching had a blooper reel, what's one moment that would definitely make the cut?

When I was teaching Kindergarten, the number of times kids would lose their SHOES on the playground was insane! I don't know why they kept taking them off, but I once had to call a parent to bring her daughter new shoes for the day because she lost them on the playground. The whole class was looking for them too—they were gone. I still don't know what happened to them.

Bringing Engaging Phonics Resources to the Classroom

Brittany's diphthong and phonics resources provide hands-on, engaging activities that help early learners strengthen reading, spelling, and vocabulary skills. By creating versatile, classroom-ready materials, they make it easier for teachers to support phonics instruction, literacy centers, and small-group learning—all while keeping students excited about reading!

Looking for more St. Patrick's Day-themed or other teacher-created resources? TeachShare offers over 80,000 classroom-ready materials designed to enhance instruction and support student success. Explore Lucy's Little Learners' resources and more at TeachShare!