Books | AMERICA
-Do you have a favorite author and/or educator yourself?
I love the works of: Amy Bloom, Jodi Picoult, Jonathan Frazen, Christopher Buckley, Alice Hoffman, James Joyce, John Updike, Joy Carol Oates, Joan Didion, Tennessee Williams, Sylvia Plath, William Carlos Williams, Stephen King, and many others. I love to read. Education writers who inspire me include: Howard Gardner, Grant Wiggins, Lisa Delpit, Lucy Calkins, Kenneth Koch, Pat Mora, James Banks, Daniel Goleman, Allen Say, Jon Sczieska, Eric Jensen, Reggie Routman, Nancie Atwell, and Ralph Fletcher.
-Are you ever afraid you will run out of inspiration and creativity in your job?
As long as there are places to meet students and teachers eager to find ways of reaching them, I will never run out of inspiration and creativity. I believe if any teacher opens himself or herself to teachers and students – really opens to them – creativity flows through!!
-What is the most difficult thing in your job?
The biggest challenge facing educators today globally is managing to address test mandates and accountability with allowing for creativity. I believe that in allowing for creativity, teachers can infuse rigorous, in-depth academic learning – fueled by passionate student skills acquisition and citizenship engagement.
-What is the most fun part of your job?
Students and listening to them are the fun aspect of what I do, [and that enjoyment] ensures that I will never age as long as I keep up with their interests.
-Do you expect your way of creating books and education tactics to change in the future?
Being creative means going with the flow and not having expectations – truly “flowing.”
-Do you like art? Do you have any preferences for an artist? And/or for creators of artistic work? (Creators can also be chefs, designers, photographers, fashion designers or inventors.)
I like irreverent artists whose work is accessible to students including: MC Escher, Sol LeWitt, Salvador Dali, Roy Lichtenstein, and Picasso. I am personally big
on fashion as another field in which patterns, fabric, texture and drape make fashion statements. I included organic materials and a fashion show in my last year’s Museum of Biodiversity project with students.
-In which way do you think writing, education, art and design are different and/or similar?
Ultimately, writing and education parallel art and design in that openness to the unforeseen and unanticipated new combinations of students, topics, and products can parallel the rich fabric and artistic exhibits of the arts, [which is] possible when creativity can run rampant.
-How do you see the future of education?
I hope the future of education is one in which, inspired by students, an aspect of project-based learning can be included on every level. I believe the writing component of my poetry workshop and this year’s dual language cultural identity via poetry books I have students do can be a model for fostering multicultural, cross ethnic conversations.
-In which way do you think your innovation in book writing and education can contribute in a better cultural diplomacy debate and solve multicultural problems among children?
Museums in schools can be a cost-effective way to effortlessly connect students to cultural institutions. Through this personalization, by creating learning on display of their own classroom topics/themes, students become cultural insiders. As such, they will joyously enter museums as visitors and participants plus become perhaps curators/professionals at museums. Most importantly, they work as a school-based curatorial community toward developing an exhibit, modeling most desired adult think-tank and office project models.
-Is there anything else you would like to add to this interview?
I celebrate a magazine that honors creators in various fields. The educational landscape, our cookie-cutter general society, and economic fears have often conspired to tamper this recognition. For students and adults with the spark of inner uniqueness and desire to ignite that spark, your magazine can kindle and stoke this proactive fire!! To ongoing Eyes in-inspiration!!
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