Influential Educators

The educators and thinkers whose work continues to challenge and inspire me...

Bev Bos 
Every word this woman writes in a pearl of wisdom and a lesson in patience and understanding. I especially appreciate her approach to conflict resolution, which encourages teachers to act as facilitators and not to put their words into the mouths of children.

John R. Gunnarson
Mr. Gunnarson came in as a consultant to work with our staff on designing and maintaining a successful classroom environment. In a nutshell, he advocated 'quality over quantity' and 'a place for everything and everything in its place' (to distill his thoughtful and evocative workshop into the pithy epigraphs of the Berenstain Bears).

Lucy Calkins
I am a willing and eager worshipper at the Calkins alter. I was taken with her approach to education when assigned The Art of Teaching Writing (1994) back in my credential program. But it wasn't until I stumbled across her Raising Lifelong Learners: A Parent's Guide (1998) that I found my Bible. This is an engaging, readable, and invaluable text not only for parents but for educators and childcare providers as well. If Child Mind-er accomplishes nothing else, let it compel you to drop everything and read this book. 

Betsy Fox
Ms. Fox has worked with our staff on the importance of designing curriculum in order to fully explore a topic and to create a classroom space that reflects and promotes that exploration. She reminds us to think carefully about how to speak to children, to ask open-ended questions and to make objective observations rather than judgments.