I have spent years walking into other people's classrooms

Ask Miss Kiki was created for upper elementary teachers who need practical resources that make the school day feel more manageable.

Not more theory. Not more vague SEL language. Not one more beautiful-looking activity that falls apart the moment real students touch it.

The goal is simple: create resources that help teachers teach strong reading skills, build classroom connection, support routines, and respond to the social and emotional moments that shape everyday classroom life.

I’m Marielle, the educator behind Ask Miss Kiki. My background is in child development, school counseling, teacher education, and instructional coaching. I have spent years observing classrooms, coaching future teachers, teaching counseling lessons, supporting students, and helping educators connect what they learn in theory with what actually happens in front of a group of children.

That experience shaped the way I create resources.

I believe students need structure and warmth. They need clear expectations, meaningful practice, and adults who take both their learning and their behavior seriously. I also believe teachers need materials that respect their time, their workload, and the reality of managing a full classroom while still trying to teach well.

What I actually believe about teaching

An effective classroom is not necessarily a quiet classroom. It is a structured classroom.

Students know when class starts. They know what to do when they walk in, what to do when they are stuck, what happens when there is conflict, and what is expected when things get hard. From the smallest logistical detail to the bigger expectations around behavior, community, and learning, there is clarity. That is not boring. That is the foundation that makes real learning possible.

Here is my honest take on SEL: it is not a lesson you do once a week. Social-emotional learning happens every single day. It happens in how you respond when a student blurts out for the fourth time. It happens when a friendship falls apart and two kids cannot focus. It happens in how you handle a mistake, whether publicly or privately. It happens every time you decide whether to lower the bar or believe that child can do more.

Most upper elementary teachers already know this. They do not need another seminar about the importance of social-emotional learning. They need resources that actually fit into the school day they have.

They also need someone to say this clearly: you do not have to coddle them. You are the teacher. Your job is to teach them. That includes teaching them how to handle frustration, how to repair a conflict, how to keep going when something is hard, and how to feel genuinely proud of themselves. Support and high expectations belong together. They are not opposites.

The teacher I am building for

She had to deal with the same difficult behavior again today.

She knows she has to handle it. She knows she has to teach through it. She just wants some help.

She is not looking for a 60-minute SEL lesson she has to prep on Sunday night. She is not looking for a motivational poster. She is not looking for a resource that sounds wonderful in theory and falls apart in a classroom with 27 actual kids in front of her.

She wants to open a resource and feel: that is exactly what I need. I know what to say. I know what to do next. I can use this tomorrow.

That is what I am building.