Using the stories of my classroom experience, the insights of a reflective practice and the research accumulated as a constantly curious educator, I weave key learnings together for audiences in very accessible ways.

Whether it the 30,000 foot view, or the one from on-the-ground, I work to lessen the gap between the two in order to give way to clearer vision and actionable next steps.

With over 15 years of experience and hundreds of keynotes, I have accumulated a broad range of keynote experiences.

From the White House to rural Iowa, from commencement addresses to policy forums, from teacher educators to elementary students, I have enjoyed and learned from every audience. 

Selected Titles

• From Safe Spaces to Brave Spaces: Continuing the Journey
• Teaching as Storyholding: A Lesson in Selfhood
• Riding Mistakes Out of Mediocrity: How We Must Re-Think Getting Better
• Are We Asking the Right Questions? Creating Cultures of Learning
• The Let-Go That Gets More: Shifting Learning Agency
• The Perfect Mess: Finding Our Best Teaching Selves
• Writing the Poetry of Our Profession
• When in Doubt, Teach

Selected Topics

• Creating classroom cultures of learning
• Teacher leadership
• Productive failure
• Creating thinkers; teaching analysis
• Learning related to literacy
• Instructional coaching and administrators as instructional leaders

If you have a topic in mind that you don’t see here, don’t hesitate to ask. There’s a good chance I’ve intersected with it at some point!

I am a teacher. Above all else. I see classrooms wherever I go. Some of them are familiar, like room 506 that I’ve walked through countless mornings. Other times, my classrooms are convention centers or school gymnasiums. Sometimes I find myself in small-town media centers or classrooms in other countries.

I’ve worked with and learned from teachers in all content areas and grade levels, from pre-K to university professors. Regardless of the venue or size, whether my learners are veteran educators or brand-new to the profession, my workshops are designed to be learning experiences.

In order to meet the needs of each school or organization, I will plan ahead with you to ensure the learning design meets your needs. I offer workshops in the form of breakout sessions, half-day, full-day or multi-day experiences.

Selected Titles

• Finding Our Voices: A Workshop for Teacher Leaders
• Mindsets for Learning: Elevating Everyone to the Status of Learner
• Talking their Way to Knowing: Creating Discussions that Teach Thinking
• Webs Not Ladders: How Teacher Leadership Elevates Learning
• Teaching Not Telling: Harnessing the Power of Questions as Coaches and Leaders
• Freedom Within Form: Strategies to Help Support Struggling Writers
• Creativity Through Constraint: Creating Projects that Enliven
• Learning to Think: Empowering Students to Become Learners
• Unpacking Layers: Teaching Analysis and the Whole Class Novel

Selected Topics

• Finding and capitalizing on learning moments as part of observation
• Project-based learning
• Empowering teacher leaders
• Teaching analysis
• Enhancing student engagement through constraint
• Instructional coaching and administrators as instructional leaders

Whether you have a short-term or long-term project and need a thought partner, writer or facilitator, my experience as a consultant in many forms could be helpful.

As a consultant, I have learned to use careful listening to ask the questions and create the clarity necessary for moving forward.

I have collected a variety of experiences over the last 15 years of consulting:

• Curriculum designer and writer
• Programming developer and implementer
• Advisor for non-education organizations
• Coach and trusted resource for administrators and education service providers

Sometimes you just need a few hours to uncover what’s been sitting just below the surface.

Whether you’re looking for a long-term coach or a few focused conversations to gain clarity, I’m here to listen, ask thoughtful questions, and offer observations that help you move forward with confidence.

How I’ve partnered with educators through coaching:

• Strengthening instructional practice

• Navigating professional growth and career transitions

• Elevating teacher voice and leadership

If you are an administrator who is getting ready to give your next speech at an event and want it to be more memorable, I also offer a series of one-hour sessions to help you find your voice in a way your favorite AI platform can’t. If you’re curious about this, ask me about Finding Your Voice: Speaking for Education Leaders.