A Proud Relaunching

Dear LFIC readers,

I am so happy to share that Lead from IN the Classroom [LFIC] is relaunching with fabulous new authors. You had the pleasure of meeting our first new author, Susan Collins, in her blog earlier this week! I’d like to take a moment to introduce you to the talented new LFIC team, encourage you to check back regularly, and suggest that you might subscribe through our RSS feed or email updates to keep up with new content.

Susan Collins is a K-5 general music teacher in the rural town of Kingman, AZ. She started teaching in 1991, achieved National Board Certification in 2016, and serves as a 2017 Arizona Hope Street Group Teacher Fellow. Susan is passionate about education advocacy and helping others share their story.

Dr. Petra Schmid-Riggins has been a Special Educator/Reading Specialist for more than 17 years, teaching and advocating for a diverse student population. As an English Second Language speaker, she represents a vast number of students and believes empowering educators leads to empowering students. She earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership, serves as a 2017 Arizona Hope Street Group Teacher Fellow, and proudly advocates for public education and teacher leadership in the community.

Kristin Roberts teaches high school English in Phoenix, Arizona. Since beginning her career in 2007, she has been passionate about empowering students and now seeks to empower other educators as well. Kristin is a National Board Certified Teacher, a 2017 Arizona Hope Street Group Teacher Fellow, and a proud advocate for public education.

Cara Cosentino teaches special education in Surprise, Arizona. Since beginning her journey as an educator, she has been a mentor and coach to fellow educators as well as empowering her students to own their learning. Cara is a National Board Certified Teacher and passionate about advocating for education.

Nicole Wolff is a K-8 Instructional Coach/Reading Specialist in Goodyear, AZ. She has spent her career teaching in diverse communities, serves as a 2017 Hope Street Group Teacher Fellow, and is a National Board Candidate. Nicole is dedicated to student and teacher empowerment and is a passionate advocate for public education.

Jen Martin is an elementary special education teacher in Phoenix. AZ. She has been teaching in various special education settings 7+ years since receiving her Master’s in Special Education and Elementary Education. Jen is as passionate advocate for her students, public education, and collaboration between parents and educators.

Sarah Sohn has taught middle school in Phoenix, Arizona for the past six years in both special education and regular education classrooms. This coming year, she will co-teach special education in a high school setting. Sarah has her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and serves as a 2017 Arizona Hope Street Group Teacher Fellow.

Dr. Jess Ledbetter has taught early childhood special education in Phoenix, Arizona for the past twelve years. She is a National Board Certified Teacher (ENS-ECYA), earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership & Innovation in 2016, and serves as a 2017 Hope Street Group Teacher Fellow. Jess founded LFIC in 2014, contributes as an author on Stories from School AZ, and supports fellow teachers as a Candidate Support Provider for National Board Certification in her district and state.

We look forward to your comments on our future blogs! Please consider sharing our posts through social media to increase the dialogue about teacher leadership in Arizona. Also, if you are an AZ teacher looking for a place to share your thoughts, LFIC is open to new contributors!

Warm regards,

Jess Ledbetter & your LFIC team