Sara, Gretchen and I are about to set off on our road trip, taking Wireman to major cities to let kids speak directly to potential publishers.  You can’t get to kids without going through their–in our case–amazingly fantastic teachers.

You have already met Caity Tully, who is an almost 10 year teaching veteran, currently at J.W. Cook on the south side of Chicago.  Being in Caity’s class was like a throwback to my school days, only she has a SmartBoard!  It was a beautiful spring day and yet the kids were so mellow and attentive, curious and thoughtful. You can tell a great teacher by the way her students interact with you. Caity ‘s students clearly adore her.

 

On Monday, we will be visiting Sherry Andrews at Detroit Palmer Park Preparatory School.  What impresses me about Sherry, who is getting her Ph.D. at Oakland University, is that she has worked for many years in the Detroit Public Schools at a Title I Reading teacher.    When she returned to get her Ph.D. she wanted to go back to the classroom as a language arts teacher to better serve potential teachers when she is a professor!  We will be visiting a group of 7th graders that Sherry works with at their request during a lunchtime study hour.

 

On Tuesday, we’ll be at Austintown Fitch High School, just west of Youngstown, Ohio.  Our teacher, April King, has been honored many times for her outstanding teaching and is a six year veteran at the high school, which prides itself on reaching at-risk students with classes that suit their interests.  Currently, April is teaching 9th and 10th grade English.  During a couple periods of the day, she’s teaching special education.  She loves teaching literature and reading.

 

On Thursday, we’ll be visiting Andrew Hendricks and his students in the South Bronx at Mott Hall III.  Andrew is a close friend of Sara’s from their days at the University of Michigan and started his teaching career as part of New York City Teaching Fellows teacher in 2009. Currently, he teaches language arts to middle schools students.  Andrew will be accompanying me to our interview with Betsy Bird at the New York Public Library.

 

On Friday, we’ll be seeing the students of Chelsea Manifold.  Chelsea is an artist-in-residence at PS 145M on the upper west side of New York City–105th Street between Amsterdam and Columbus.  Chelsea has held many roles in her career as an artist and teacher, including set design and make-up for the the movie and theater industry.  When she was younger, Chelsea was a student of Gretchen’s.

 

Finally, On Saturday, May 4, we’ll be visiting with New York Public Library librarian and SLJ blogger, Betsy Bird, at her literary salon.  Here is Betsy, looking quite formidable in her blue furry legs in honor of her brand-spanking-new picture book, Giant Dance Party.

 

 

We hope you will follow along with us!  The link at the top of this post redirects you to the video Gretchen shot and edited in Chicago.  It will show you what we are trying to accomplish.  Thank you so much! to all of our teachers and to Betsy for giving us this opportunity to let kids speak from the heart about Wireman!