Unscripted Leadership: Stories of Adaptability, Courage, and Impact Now Available
I am honored to announce the release of Unscripted Leadership: Stories of Adaptability, Courage, and Impact, a powerful new collection featuring real stories from leaders who have navigated change, challenge, and purpose with resilience.
As a contributing author, I share reflections rooted in leadership, advocacy, and the belief that meaningful impact often happens in unscripted moments. This project is a celebration of courage, growth, and the leaders who continue to show up with heart, vision, and commitment.
Unscripted Leadership is now available for purchase via Mac Media & Publishing and Amazon!
Welcome
Greetings and welcome to my official website. Serving as both a digital collection of my work over the years as a school administrator, instructional coach, classroom educator, content area specialist, educational technology enthusiast, and advocate, I developed this portal to chronicle and showcase my experiences and expertise in a creative manner.
As a viewer of this archive, it is my hope that you walk away from this knowing more about my pedagogical and leadership beliefs and practices through its features.
📷A Life in Pictures📷
"Little Miss HAABSE"
The Texas Alliance of Black School Educators at The Dr. Deborah Wolfe Awards Banquet.
Congratulations to my principal, Twyla Hynes, on receiving the National Demonstration Schools trophy on behalf of our campus, Stafford Early Childhood Center!
Congratulations, Dr. LaTonya Goffney on your recent installation as the 24th President of the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE). May your reign be one full of great achievement and advancement for yourself and the organization as a whole.
Dr. Roni Dean Burren was the first Black woman leader in ELAR I’d ever seen in my career when we first met in 2022. Her passing is like losing the sister you always wanted to be. All I can say right now is thank you, Roni, for being all that you were. Boldly and unapologetically, Roni.
Learn all about my son's story of resilience by watching ABC's Localish.
Excited to share that Stafford Early Childhood Center has been named a 2023 National Demonstration School by the National Alliance of Black School Educators.
Stafford Early Childhood Center hosted its 2nd Annual Cancer Survivor Run. This event is done in honor of Principal Hynes' mother.
SECC PTO President, Joyce Wilkins and I accepting a donation from the Mu Kappa Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. at the conclusion of their Financial Literacy Symposium.
Data Scientist and Founder of Black Girls Do Engineer, Kara Branch, stopped by to do a read aloud with our kindergarten students and perform an ooey-gooey, slime experiment with them too.
Many thanks goes to LEGO Education for the generous donation of LEGO kits for our Spartans.
Red Ribbon Week twinning with 2023 District Elementary Teacher of the Year, Latoya Davis.
We LOVE our principal!
For World Cerebral Palsy Day, I had a chance to read Dr. Justine Green's 'Completely Emme,' a story about a little girl who has cerebral palsy and educates her classmates on what it means to be self-assured in your own gifts.
Volunteers from Eli Lilly & Company stopped by to serve our campus as part of their Global Day of Service campaign.
Behind the scenes of my interview with ABC 13 Houston chronicling the incredible journey of my son, Aries.
The HAABSE Leadership Challenge officially kicked off with Principal Twyla Hynes charging other school leaders to rock their HAABSE gear.
Recognizing our technology department.
2023 Homecoming with Dr. DuBose, Ms. Toussant, and Mrs. Hynes.
T-TESS Certified!
Many thanks goes to Dr. LJ Henderson of the Little STEM Academy for contributing these incredible STEM kits to our campus.
Official professional photos by Joyce Wilkins of J. Wilkins Photography.
Fortunate to finally meet Valentina Gonzalez of @ValentinaESL. She facilitated a Talk Read Talk Write session for our BOY district PD.
Hey, Mickey!
Convocation 2023
Officially medaled as the 71st Texas Mother of the Year honoree.
Aries and I made the front page of the Fort Bend Herald as they reported on my being announced the 71st recipient of Texas Mother of the Year.
Congratulations to Stafford Early Childhood Center PTO President, Joyce Wilkins on winning the 2023 Impact Award!
Golden Rule Grant Recipients at the 88th National Convention of American Mothers in Omaha, Nebraska.
State Mother of the Year Honorees in Omaha, Nebraska for the 88th National Convention of American Mothers.
State Mother of the Year Honorees in Omaha, Nebraska for the 88th National Convention of American Mothers.
Cover of the April 2023 issue of West Fort Bend Magazine.
Thank NCAA for recognizing my efforts to support Stafford Municipal School District's participation in Read to the Final Four.
Proud to share that I am the 71st mother in Texas to receive the honor of Texas Mother of the Year.
I am thrilled to share that I am serving the Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts as a Board Member in the role of Digital Coordinator.
For Read Across America Day, I had the privilege of reading "What Do You Do With a Problem" by Kobi Yamada to Mrs. K. Williams' 4th grade class.
Caught reading on Read Across America Day!
The Spartan Games is an asset-based, competitive incentive program designed in collaboration with the Fantastic Fourth Grade RLA Team of Stafford Elementary School. I am so proud of the work of our team and I cannot wait to see how our work changes the game in the years to come.
Students at Stafford Early Childhood Center reminded our community of the power of Black excellence by participating in a Black History Month program. These students presented historical facts about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Dining with Divas event at TABSE Conference.
Houston Area Alliance of Black School Educators group photo at TABSE Conference in Horseshoe Bay.
Texas Alliance of Black School Educators Awards Gala.
Volunteer life with some of my favorite members of HAABSE.
World Read Aloud Day was a massive success with third-grade students from Stafford Elementary School and Stafford STEM Magnet Academy hosting read alouds in Stafford Early Childhood Center classrooms.
Proudly standing next to my friend and newly-elected Vice President, Markesha Tisby of Tisby Education Consulting.
The 2022-2024 Rising Leaders Cohort presented at TCTELA on ways to restore and preserve educator joy.
The Spartan Games are officially underway at Stafford Elementary School!
Volunteering with some of the best of HAABSE for the Teacher Awards and Recognition Ceremony.
Stafford MSD leaders showed up and showed out at the HAABSE Teacher Awards and Recognition Ceremony.
The NCAA and Houston Local Organizing Committee brought the Literacy Tour to Stafford MSD and rocked it with a live performance by rapper, Buddie Roe and and an engaging lesson delivered by Reading With A Rapper founder, Jarren Small.
I was so proud to support my friend, Amanda Materre by attending her STEM Day event at the Stafford Early Childhood Center. Our prekindergarten and kindergarten Spartans got to be medical geniuses for the day.
I am honored to represent the Lone Star State as American Mothers, Inc.'s 2023 Texas Mother of the Year.
Congratulations to Stafford Municipal School District on making it to the Top 68 Schools Championship Bracket for Read to the Final Four.
I had the honor of serving TCTELA alongside some of the greatest champions of Texan literacy instruction at MarketScale Studios for a special project. More details to come.
The NCAA Read to the Final Four Literacy Tour is coming to Stafford MSD! So grateful to this team for making this happen for our Spartans.
Congratulations to Ms. Macklin, 4th grade Reading Language Arts teacher for having the most HB4545 interventions logged for the entire campus!
Congratulations to Ms. Williams on being named TCTELA's 2023 Elementary Teacher of the Year!
Please join me in thanking Blessing E., the student representative for Stafford Elementary School’s participation in Read to the Final Four this school year! Blessing has been a tremendous support for this challenge by encouraging her classmates AND leading by example in logging her minutes for the reading challenge. She’s a true Spartan CHAMP! Thank you Blessing for representing our Spartans with pride and excellence throughout the challenge. Please continue to read as we continue to compete in the challenge.
These elementary instructional coaches had a blast at the Staff Christmas Party for SES! Many thanks goes to our amazing PTO for sponsoring such a fun event!
Reunited with my favorite instructional leaders across the content areas at the Houston Area Alliance of Black School Educators (HAABSE) Holiday Toy Drive at the Breakfast Klub.
Today was an oh, so “sweet” day to be a Spartan! ❤️💛 Readers of the week, book giveaways, student incentives for our top performing Summit K-12 Science Mastery students, and a teacher of the week recognition for 5th grade SCI!
Thank you 5th Grade SCI for surprising me with a card and the best coffee mug ever for my birthday during PLC!
The birthday love continues this week with gifts from the Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment team and our superintendent!
My 4th grade ELAR team surprised me with a birthday gift this week full of all the best spa day treats an instructional coach needs to keep her sanity together for the next sixteen days of school.
Presenting Ms. Liu with her NCAA Read to the Final Four Teacher Representative Trophy!
When PTO President Joyce Wilkins throws a party for the SECC teachers, you know she's going to bring the magic! Her fauxritas and luau decorations were the perfect sendoff for Thanksgiving Break!
Many thanks goes to Grade Level Team Lead and 5th Grade Science Teacher, Christopher Jones for hooking our team up with matching tees! There will be many more twin days to come!
It was a great week to discover that I was Coach of the Week! Thank you to my amazing teachers for making that happen!
Proud to share that Mrs. Arjaunese Williams is the Stafford Elementary School nominee for TCTELA's Elementary Teacher of the Year! I wish her the best as she competes with other elementary educators across the state of Texas.
Celebrating National STEM Day by dressing up like a scientist with Principal Twyla Hynes and her partner-in-shine, PTO President, Joyce Wilkins!
Excited to share that I am presenting not one, but TWO sessions at #TCTELA23! I look forward to seeing you in Denton, TX.
Proudly passed the torch to the phenomenal Stacy Lee who is Stafford MSD's District Content Curriculum Specialist for PK-2 Reading Language Arts! Standing with us is the equally phenomenal Tierra Martin, District Content Curriculum Specialist for PK-5 Mathematics.
Stafford Elementary, it's time!
Rocking the jammies with STEM Integration Specialist, Amanda Materre!
Surprise-surprise! Two of my teachers stopped by the NCAA Read to the Final Four station to show their support. I'm so grateful for their love!
Hosted an NCAA Read to the Final Four station at Stafford Elementary School's 1st-3rd grade Literacy Night. I truly had a blast getting the community excited about the challenge.
Collaborated with STEM Specialist, Tiffany Fondal and high school science educator, Kayla Maus to facilitate Stafford MSD's Science Vertical Alignment PD.
Collaborated with STEM Specialist, Tiffany Fondal and high school science educator, Kayla Maus to facilitate Stafford MSD's Science Vertical Alignment PD.
We are tackling the short constructed response (SCR) using the RATE strategy.
My final duty as the Interim Curriculum Specialist for PK-2 Reading Language Arts was to help sort and distribute Amplify instructional materials for Stafford Early Childhood Center.
Thanks to Mrs. Prince, our Parent, Family & Community Engagement Coordinator, we have learned to create and laminate poster sized anchor charts for our teachers.
Appreciating the hard work of the adults within the building is always a "moment that matters." Thank you Principal Hynes and Instructional Leader Ms. Lange for inviting me to help pass out donuts to the amazing teachers and staff of Stafford Early Childhood Center.
Grateful for the coaching development tools shared with us by Bridgette and Sabine of EdDirection.
Grateful for the coaching development tools shared with us by Bridgette and Sabine of EdDirection.
Selfie time with Stafford MSD Principal of the Year, Mrs. Twyla Hynes at the Spartan Homecoming Parade
Selfie with my Chief Academic Officer at the NCAA Read to the Final Four Launch Event at the Houston Public Library.
Being nominated for Texas Mother of the Year is an opportunity that I don’t take for granted, as it brings so much visibility to moms of disabled dependents. Our stories of triumph deserve to be amplified not only for the sake of our own representation, but for those who hold very limited exposure to the realities of special needs parenting.
Having too much fun at the HAABSE Back to School Cookout with some of the best education leaders around.
Selfie with Daryl Michel during Day 1 of Student Focused Coaching (SFC).
Thank you, Cactus Jack Foundation, Lakeshore Learning, and BurgerIM for hosting such a lovely event for Houston educators!
This summer, I set out to prove that Houston is home to ALL of us. Inspired by my own struggles to find support services for my son and I, HTX4ALL is a gift to all of the amazing moms, dads, and all other caregivers of persons with Autism and multiple disabilities. HTX4ALL is a directory of resources within the Greater Houston community for neurodivergent youth and those who love them.
SMSD's Party on the Plaza was a great deal of fun for everyone. Very fortunate to have gotten a photo with our Supe.
This school year the leadership team of SES is soaring to new heights. Photo is from our leadership teambuilder at iFly.
Check out the S3 launch episode of the Advocate for Me podcast featuring yours truly and special needs advocate, L'Vonne McMillan. Available for streaming on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Introducing TCTELA's Rising Leader Cohort for 2022-2024! To learn more about this leadership development program, tap the photo.
I had an amazing time at the inaugural Houston Area Alliance of Black School Educators (HAABSE) Summer Conference in Galveston. To learn more about the amazing work we are doing, visit www.haabse.org.
Attending the All-White Networking Party at the HAABSE Summer Conference with my sisters-in-excellence.
Proud to share that I am a Rising Leader for the Texas Council for Teachers of English Language Arts (2022)!
Please join me, Ciji, Rae, and the crew behind Teacher2Teacher for a special #T2Tchat!
Check out the piece I wrote for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's #PrincipalProject Blog on ways to show appreciation to teachers all year long.
New op-ed on advice to administrators published on Education Week.
New op-ed on the future of multilingual learner instruction published by Education Week.
Final Staff Appreciation Day for our ASTROnomical staff!
Attending April's Senior Citizens/Community Breakfast with the lovely ladies of the district CIA team.
Distributing sweet treats to the deserving teachers of SES with our ELAR Academic Interventionist and Math Instructional Coach.
Hat Day at S.E.S.!
Coming Soon: Teacher2Teacher collab.
Honored to have been invited to chat with Lorena German, Kate Roberts, Heather Lippert, and Vanee Smith-Matsalia about 'Textured Teaching.' You can check out the recording by clicking here, or by visiting Heinemann's Facebook page.
This year, I transformed into Arthur Reed for Read Across America Day at Stafford Elementary School.
Calling all educators of English Language Arts (and especially our Elementary folx), TCTELA needs you!
'Absolute Equality' mural in Galveston, Texas
Presenting at my first state-level conference for #TCTELA22.
Ussie with Diverse Literacy Advocate and Educator, Julia E. Torres at #TCTELA22. Julia is the founding proponent of many movements and organizations within the reimagining of K-12 literacy, but most notably, the #disrupttexts movement.
Ussie with Channelview ISD's very own, Monique Boone. Monique was the winner of this year's Mercedes Bonner Leadership Award at #TCTELA22.
Uplifting words from one of the greatest to ever do it.
Selfie with the one and only, Kelly Gallagher.
Aesthetic Reveal for TCTELA 67th Annual Conference
Facilitating my first PLC as an instructional coach.
A glimpse of my office space the new hub of joy and light for my teachers.
First day on the job!
Excited to announce that I will be serving as the first Elementary Instructional Coach for Stafford Municipal School District in Stafford, Texas.
Celebrated greatness with some amazing students who completed approximately 1,068 activities in Achieve 3000 in sixteen weeks.
A Send-Off to Remember! Thank you to the ESOL and ELA departments of Seven Lakes High School for a touching farewell party.
Happy New Year!
My legacy.
Celebrated greatness with some amazing students who completed approximately 1,068 activities in Achieve 3000 in sixteen weeks.
Aries and I wish you and your family a "Perfectly Imperfect" Christmas.
Many thanks goes to Texas A&M International University for including this excerpt on me in the November 2021 edition of 'The Trailblazer.'
Holding four of my “other” babies from the University of Mount Olive. *Outstanding Teacher Education Student, ‘13 *Outstanding Department of Language and Literature Student, ‘13 *Lorelle F. Martin Award for Highest GPA, ‘13 *Young Alumni Achievement Award, ‘21
In November 2021, I was honored to receive the Young Alumni Achievement Award from the University of Mount Olive. Click here for access to the official press release.
Many thanks goes to my Adopt-a-Teacher sponsor for surprising me with the gift of literacy, engagement, and fashion for my birthday this year.
With my younger brother, "L.J.," at the University of Mount Olive's 2021 Alumni Awards Brunch.
With my parents at the University of Mount Olive's 2021 Alumni Awards Brunch.
Beyond honored and humbled to accept an opportunity to present at the Texas Council for Teachers of English Language Arts' 57th Annual Conference and Exhibition. See you in February!
My son, Aries, supported FairPlay Libraries’ mission of providing accessible toys and adapted toy workshops across the country by designing a holiday greeting card for their annual fundraiser. Click here for more info on FairPlay.
In November 2021, I was honored to receive the Young Alumni Achievement Award from the University of Mount Olive. Click here for access to the official press release.
Flipgrid blessed my MLL students and I with ten voice pods so that they can practice their pronunciations and film their videos in private!
Flipgrid blessed my MLL students and I with ten voice pods so that they can practice their pronunciations and film their videos in private!
Our book club read of the year!
Students working on their T.SWIFT analysis of "what a poem can do" by Darius V. Daughtry.
One of the ideas I took from Lorena Escoto Germán and Felicia Rose Chavez was to be very intentional with the diversification of literature studied in my classes. This year, I built an anthology of poetry featuring the works of many BIPOC poets that my students could identify with.
Spirit Week is always the best week of school. I had so much fun representing the 80s with the ESL Department.
Candid photo captured by one of my multilingual learners.
Classroom decor for the 2021-2022 school year.
Click here to read my review of Lorena Escoto Germán's latest pedagogy release, "Textured Teaching A Framework for Culturally Sustaining Practices."
Classroom decor for the 2021-2022 school year.
Classroom decor for the 2021-2022 school year.
Headshot for 2021.
In May 2021, my son and I were on the cover of UT Health's 'Out In Front' Magazine.
Breaking News
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Breaking News 📰
📆Updates📆
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Updated Welcome, Credentials, Awards & Honors, Press, Presentations & Publications, and Bio sections.
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Updated Welcome, Credentials, Awards & Honors, Press, Presentations & Publications, The Lit Sensei Advocates, and Bio sections.
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Updated What Am I Reading? , Presentations & Publications, and Awards & Honors
📖What I’m Reading📖
Data-driven instruction is the philosophy that schools should focus on two simple questions: how do you know if are students learning? And when they are not, what do you do about it? Driven by Data 2.0 is a practical guide that answers these questions to empower schools to achieve significant gains in student achievement. Rooted in a proven framework that has been implemented in thousands of schools, the book presents what makes schools successful along with tools to put the framework into place to make data work for your schools: (1) Assess―set the roadmap for learning; (2) Analyze―identify why students struggle; (3) Act―teach more effectively what students need; (4) Build the culture―train and develop your staff so that data-driven instruction can thrive; If you’re a K – 12 leader, coach, or teacher looking to implement data-driven instruction in your school district, Driven by Data 2.0 has the tools to train your staff: PD materials, videos of exemplar practice and all the resources you need to achieve remarkable results.
We live in a world that’s obsessed with talent. We celebrate gifted students in school, natural athletes in sports, and child prodigies in music. But admiring people who start out with innate advantages leads us to overlook the distance we ourselves can travel. We underestimate the range of skills that we can learn and how good we can become. We can all improve at improving. And when opportunity doesn’t knock, there are ways to build a door. Hidden Potential offers a new framework for raising aspirations and exceeding expectations. Adam Grant weaves together groundbreaking evidence, surprising insights, and vivid storytelling that takes us from the classroom to the boardroom, the playground to the Olympics, and underground to outer space. He shows that progress depends less on how hard you work than how well you learn. Growth is not about the genius you possess—it’s about the character you develop. Grant explores how to build the character skills and motivational structures to realize our own potential, and how to design systems that create opportunities for those who have been underrated and overlooked.
Over the past six years, Brené Brown, along with a global community of coaches and facilitators, has taken more than 150,000 leaders in 45 countries through her Dare to Lead courage-building work. In Strong Ground, Brown shares the lessons from these experiences along with wisdom from other thinkers. This is a vital playbook for everyone from senior leaders developing and executing complex strategies to Gen Z-ers entering and navigating turbulent work environments. It is also an unflinching assessment of what happens when we continue to perpetuate the falsehood that performance and wholeheartedness are mutually exclusive.
Teachers today have a window of opportunity to shape education in a way that will impact the profession for generations. In this compelling and comprehensive book, educator and best-selling author Anthony Muhammad explores the educational hurdles of the past in the context of present-day concerns and envisions an education system where all schools energetically embrace the PLC at Work® process.