Tell us about yourself:
I’m a coach & a consultant, so while I love working with students, my work centers on supporting adults – teachers, coaches & all kinds of leaders. I focus on the expansive view of literacy (reading, writing, thinking, talking) and engagement, always with an equity lens.
How do you support students in northeast Ohio?
Right now, I’m working with youth AND adults fighting for honesty in education – as a volunteer, working with amazing colleagues across Ohio, I co-founded an organization called Honesty for Ohio Education. We are working to oppose unjust laws, to have conversations and teach-ins, to build strong community and advocacy, and ensure all Ohio kids (and their teachers!) have the chance to “know better and do better” (as Maya Angelou pushes us to do ) in addressing necessary history, current events and hard truths (and it’s important to know: there are folks who want us to hide history, current events and hard truths, so please consider getting involved in our work!).
If you have one goal for students or teachers in northeast Ohio, what would it be and why?
Just one? What a great question!. OK, just one: that every educator and student and family has access to “texts” – in their hands & via technology; words, videos, graphic novels, poetry, podcasts, audio; all kinds of amazing content. And a commitment to every reader-writer-thinker-talker having the chance to be inspired, comforted, pushed as they experience texts. I’m excited to take a class with Literary Cleveland in 2022, renewing my own reading life with a new community – that excitement, joy, energy for words & visuals & thinking & talking about text – I want that for everyone!
What would you consider yourself an expert in and how did you gain your expertise?
My goodness, I feel like I’m a learner in most everything, not necessarily an expert. Something I love doing is cooking without a recipe. I watched my mom do this, so I think I first started learning in my childhood kitchen, and I think I’ve continue to learn by reading lots of recipes (I love reading cookbooks; Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat is my current favorite, though it’s a few years old – it’s just a visually beautiful book, along with amazing cooking content). We’re not a TV family, so I don’t watch cooking shows very often, but I do mess around in the kitchen, “having a go” at lots of different ideas (and getting honest & direct feedback from my family – feedback helps!).
What is a school, teacher, group, organization or learning community in northeast Ohio that holds a special place in your heart?
The community inside Honesty for Ohio Education is amazing. Folks who didn’t really know each other well, building relationships quickly, discussing content like racism, LGBTQ rights, the Holocaust, current events (COVID, anti-black and anti-AAPI violence, economic injustice) and other issues we know we need to lean-in and talk about – AND ensure we talk about these things in our classrooms. That educators, leaders, families and students are all better off if we do teach truthfully and honestly. And then DOING something about it – I am a DOER and H4OE is all about learning + taking action.
Why are you excited to be part of the #weteachCLE community?
Oh, how I love and appreciate the power of being connected. We aren’t alone in our work, even if we have moments of feeling deeply alone… there’s a virtual place to find community, ideas and connection (and maybe some day, a chance to do that in person!).
What is your favorite space in northeast Ohio?
Loganberry Books on Larchmere in the Larchmere neighborhood. Oh, how I love a bookstore you can wander, with comfy chairs and readerly knick knacks and a helpful staff. Then walk down to Unbar for a chai tea or coffee with your new book (uhm, books!) and your afternoon is complete.
Share with us your favorite way to combat the Sunday Scaries.
Lists help me. If I can write it down, even if don’t do it (and let’s face it: I don’t always get it done), if it’s on my list (and I use composition notebooks as my favorite list-making tool – even when I keep an electronic list, I print it out & paste it in), I feel a sense that it won’t get lost or forgotten. Also, when I see the list, I do a better job of setting priorities. I’m also learning to do more breathing (I can be so bad at de-escalating my stress… when I’m grading papers, I set a time for every 20 min to remind myself to breathe for 1 minute). So lists and breathing.
