Category Archives: professional development

May 9, 2020

Read, Write, Speak it – an introduction

So, Sara and I have been working on an iteration of this project for almost a decade. We are going to be rolling out this resource this Fall. Nearly 200 lessons ready with slides to project and teacher notes to guide instruction utilizing poetry, prose, mentor texts, language lessons, standards based, while still being fun […]


February 24, 2020

OCTELA 2020

OH – IO! Sara and I try to make the Ohio Council of Teachers of English language Arts (OCTELA) whenever we can. We’ve probably attended a just under a dozen or so times the last 20 years – international travel often takes us far away but this year we were able to make it. I […]


February 12, 2020

Reading Recovery 2020

Reading Recovery teachers are hard core. Chatting with the folks around the Scholastic booth we learned that that the reps were very impressed with the engagement, questions and expertise of the attendees at the 2020 Reading Recovery National Conference. Sara and I have been fans for years, since even before presenting at the World Literacy […]


August 18, 2019

I know what you did last Summer.

Here comes another school year. How was your summer? Sara and I kept busy paying visits to educators across the country. We worked with principals In Ohio and Utah – giving keynotes and breakout sessions at their annual conferences – we unfortunately did not visit Iowa – and were therefor unable to claim the 4-letter […]


March 12, 2019

Michigan Reading Association ’19, Grand Rapids, MI

So, Sara and I slept in the same bed as the President of France. Well maybe not the exact same bed – he did stay in the same room 38 years earlier they’ve probably replaced the mattress since then. Michigan Reading always treats us like we’re actually important, but they went out of their way […]


March 11, 2019

Zaharis Literacy Conference, Mesa, AZ

If you’re not doing things that scare you a little you’re not progressing. First off – Visiting the Zaharis Literacy Conference wasn’t scary at all – it was a delight. How do these oases of stellar learning spring up? Principal Mike Oliver has created a read read read friendly environment that made me wish I […]


March 6, 2019

Escola Americana de Campinas – Campinas, Brazil

Nobody told us the wheels were going to fall off of the plane in Amsterdam. Hopping a plane from Istanbul to Brazil is not the most direct way to get Campinas – but, it’s the route we accepted. Here’s where being a frequent flier comes in handy – we were able to rebook our flights […]


December 2, 2018

How do you do what you do, do? Cuyahoga Community College

Alternative title: Being Crackpot Poets for Fun and Profit Sara and I sort of made up our jobs. Twenty years ago, I didn’t even know that what I am doing for a living now was even an option. In fact – according to recent research by Dell and the Institute For The Future 85% of […]


November 8, 2018

East Central Ohio Educational Service Center, New Philadelphia, Ohio

And the winner in our acronym competition is… East Central Ohio Educational Service Center, New Philadelphia, Ohio supports teachers and students in – surprise, East Central Ohio. We’ve worked with their teachers and students the last couple years. As much as we enjoy our international travel we love working with our fellow buckeyes any chance […]


October 19, 2018

Bahrain Bayan School

Ever have the feeling that you’ve been somewhere before? The Bahrain Bayan School was the very first international school we ever visited over 14 years ago! It was great to complete this big crazy circle with friends old and new. Our host with the most on this iteration was a force we met in Cairo […]


Testimonials

“Sara and Michael bring infectious energy and joy leavened with deep knowledge of best practices in literacy to their work with children and teachers.” Ellin Keene – Author of Mosaic of Thought and The Teacher You Want to Be
“Sara and Michael bring magic, and a contagious love of words to both students and teachers alike!” Georgia Heard - Author of Awakening the Heart: Exploring Poetry in Elementary and Middle School More testimonials...