I spent over 10 years in the classroom, but honestly, education has been part of my life for much longer than that.

I've taught multiple grade levels, worked one-on-one with teachers to build curriculum from scratch, and spent years doing the kind of behind-the-scenes work that most people never see, digging into data, building pacing guides, and figuring out what actually works when the stakes are real.

And the stakes have been very real.

Midway through one school year, I was pulled from my classroom and assigned to a group of 3rd graders who were at risk of failing their gateway test, which determined whether they moved on to 4th grade. These weren’t easy circumstances. Low test scores. Behavior challenges. Students who weren’t exactly thrilled about getting a new teacher in the middle of the year.

Every single one of them passed. First try.

I wasn’t handed a manual for that. I built a system, one rooted in intentional instruction, strategic sequencing, and a clear understanding of exactly what students needed and when. That same thinking is what eventually became the BUILD Framework.

I don’t have a certificate that says "grammar specialist" on it because those don’t exist. What I have is over a decade in classrooms, years of one-on-one curriculum work with teachers across multiple grade levels, and a deep conviction that when grammar instruction is done right, it changes everything for students and teachers.

I built The Grammar Collective because I kept seeing the same gaps over and over, teachers doing their best with no real system, no clear sequence, and no bridge between grammar instruction and student writing.

You deserve better than that, and so do your students.

I'm glad you’re here.

— Rachel, Uniquely Upper