Imagine being a third-grade student and having to incorporate the NFL into your classroom assignments and homework. That’s nothing more than a dream for most kids, but it’s the reality for Mary Crippen’s class at Pinecrest Elementary in Pinecrest, Florida.
Crippen, a big Miami Dolphins fan, has garnered a massive following on TikTok by documenting her NFL-centric curriculum for others. In 2023, she and her students went viral while tracking Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill’s quest for 2,000 receiving yards.
The journey all began when Crippen began teaching third grade a few years ago. She noticed a real interest in sports amongst her students, and that gave her an idea. Thus, “NFeLementary” was born.
“Three years ago, when I moved to third grade, I really noticed a passion for sports,” Crippen said. “And I have a passion for the Miami Dolphins. When I noticed that in the kids, that they also had a passion as well, I was like, ‘Let’s figure out how to do this.'”
In 2024, she upped the ante and had each of her students draft a different NFL team on the second day of school. From there, the students followed their respective teams all season, and Crippen spoke to CBS Sports about the unique experience.
Crippen used the NFL to make subjects like math, geography, spelling and writing more palatable for her students. In addition to the typical school subjects, students also got to learn some off-the-field lessons about perseverance and determination.
“Football is way more than the x’s and o’s,” Crippen said. “The lessons go beyond the gridiron, and that’s our favorite part.”
If that’s where the story ended, it would have been a success. Getting third-graders to engage with lessons at school is a challenge, and Crippen got them excited to learn every day. However, Crippen’s TikTok profile continued to explode, and her students got plenty of surprises throughout the season.
After drafting their teams, each student had to write a letter to that franchise as part of a writing experiment. Not only did the teams get those letters, but they started sending care packages back, and they were full of memorabilia and apparel for the class.
The surprises kept coming. Patrick Mahomes gave a shoutout to the student tasked with following the Kansas City Chiefs. The Philadelphia Eagles autographed a ball for another student. The class got a visit from Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith.
Crippen’s “NFeLementary” has been a win with her students, but she’s also gotten a lot out of the experience.
“My favorite thing about being a teacher is the kids,” Crippen said. “They bring so much life and joy, and they allow me to grow as an adult because I’m learning alongside with them.”
