Ms. J

Educator • Mom • STEM Enthusiast • Founder of Builders & Books

Hi! I’m Ms. J, and teaching has been part of my life for a very long time.

My first teaching experience was giving swim lessons as a teenager. I later worked as a lifeguard, built a career in hotel management, and eventually followed the calling I couldn’t ignore—becoming a teacher. I earned my master’s degree through an alternative certification program and went on to spend more than 15 years teaching children in Chicago and Texas, including third and fourth grade classrooms and K–5 STEM.

Somewhere along the way, I learned that teaching is teaching—whether you're helping a nervous child learn to swim, encouraging a student through a challenging lesson, or convincing a room full of excited kids that, yes, we really do have to listen to the directions before touching all the supplies. 

I also spent two years homeschooling my own children, which gave me an even greater appreciation for interest-led, hands-on learning and the homeschool families who make it happen every day.

WHY BUILDERS & BOOKS?

When I stepped away from the traditional classroom to have more flexibility for my family, I quickly realized something:

I still wanted to teach.

I missed the questions, the creativity, the funny conversations and especially those incredible “I DID IT!” moments.

So I created Builders & Books to combine two things I love—great children's literature and hands-on STEAM experiences.

I want children to read a great story, get their hands on real materials, build, experiment, make mistakes, try again and discover just how capable they are.

They may leave with a bridge, an invention or a science experiment—but I hope they also leave with something much bigger:

Curiosity. Confidence. And the belief that they can do hard things.

That’s the heart behind Builders & Books.

READ • BUILD • GROW