Hi! I’m Elizabeth. 
I’m so happy you’re here.

Learning to read and write should be fun and exciting for kids. How wonderful is it for kids to be able to read books on their own and understand what they are reading. It’s equally as empowering for kids to be able to write to and with their friends or create lists about topics that they have an interest in. Children will love learning how to read and write when they feel supported and seen. 

The Literacy Teacher’s Life emerges from my experiences as a professor of literacy education, as an elementary teacher, and reading and writing with my own daughters. In each role, I have seen the power of connecting students’ backgrounds and interests to their reading and writing work. When kids are interested in what they are reading about and the topics that they are writing about, they are more likely to be engaged and invested in the work.

As the coordinator of the literacy graduate program and a professor at SUNY Old Westbury - a state college outside of New York City, I have the opportunity to work with and support preservice and inservice teachers who are teaching reading and writing to elementary students. By modeling how to create and teach a variety of literacy lessons that connect students’ interests and backgrounds and align with state and national standards, I have been able to help preservice and inservice teachers feel confident and prepared for the reading and writing classroom. Before I began working with teachers, I taught elementary students in Buffalo, New York and in New York City. I also had the unique experiences of being the teacher for the child actors on the 30th Anniversary Broadway Tour of Annie and working as a content Specialist at Sesame Workshop.

I am also a mom to two elementary-aged girls. I love introducing my daughters to new authors and books and see their love of books and wonderful stories grow. They love to write stories about topics that interest them - so supporting and encouraging them to write is also something that I enjoy doing with my girls. 
I hope that the content on The Literacy Teacher’s Life inspires and supports you as you are teaching children to love reading and writing.