End the year by celebrating students' growth as humans & learners

Vera Ahiyya (nee Corbett) was born in Germany, and raised in El Paso, Texas. Originally a pre-med student, Vera realized her calling as an educator at Austin College in Sherman, TX, a calling shared by many of her family, including her beloved Papa. Vera majored in History and Psychology and earned her MA in Education. Vera has taught Kindergarten and first grade for 16 years in Texas, Massachusetts, and Brooklyn. 

Vera’s love for children’s books has led to her becoming an Instagram book influencer where she showcases her love of children’s literature and highlights books and authors that discusses the necessity and power of diversity and voice in children’s books. Vera uses her extensive online presence to advocate for teachers to be purposeful and always inclusive with their choice of text in their classrooms.

Following a video showing Vera discussing racism with her Kindergarten class that went viral and was shown on Good Morning America, Vera was approached to write her first children’s book, You Have a Voice which will be released in December 2021. She has other titles in the works. 

Vera lives in Brooklyn with her husband Lonnell and dog Mozi. You can find her on Instagram at @thetututeacher.

After earning his undergraduate degree from Boston College in 2000, Michael began his teaching career at Braintree High School. He is passionate about his students, his school and the profession so much that he never left. 

Carol Pelletier Radford is the founder of Mentoring in Action, an organization dedicated to the success of novice teachers and their mentors. Before she established her own organization to support mentors and new teachers, she was a veteran elementary school teacher and a teacher preparation leader. Carol is the author of Corwin’s bestselling books Mentoring in Action: Guiding, Sharing, and Reflecting With Novice Teachers and The First Years Matter: Becoming an Effective Teacher.

Carol received her Education Doctorate from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, where she focused her studies on mentoring and teacher leadership. She is also a certified yoga teacher who practices meditation and shares mindfulness strategies with educators through her online courses and website. Her podcast Teaching With Light features the stories of teachers and inspirational leaders. Her next passion project is the creation of a Teacher Legacy Network, where retired teachers can share their wisdom with the next generation of teachers.

You can learn more about Carol, find free resources, videos, meditations, courses, and all of her books at mentoringinaction.com/.

Twitter: @MentorinAction
Facebook: @MentoringinAction4Teachers
Instagram: @cpradford