I have been an early childhood administrator, educator, and community leader for over 30 years. Before embarking on my encore career as a blogger, I taught high school English, was a committed school volunteer, became an early childhood educator and administrator, and founded and directed Warren W. Cherry Preschool in Evanston, Illinois. Under my leadership, Cherry Preschool became an innovative developmental early childhood program that includes and celebrates all children. I’m a passionate advocate and a strong believer in developmentally appropriate educational practices, diversity, community building, and the rights of children with special needs. My dream is to create welcoming and inclusive school communities in which all children can learn and thrive.

My writing has been featured in The Washington Post, AlterNet, and The Forward. I publish regularly on The Chicago Tribune’s blogging platform (ChicagoNow) and on Huffington Post. My personal experiences as a parent of three adult children and grandparent of eight (including children with special needs), as well as my years as an educator, school administrator, and community volunteer, have inspired me to use my voice to advocate for the rights of those who cannot speak for themselves. My topics include empowering parents and educators, restoring developmentally appropriate practices to education, and seeking justice for parents and children crushed under the heel of the educational-industrial complex. I also write about key issues for my generation: retirement, parental loss, and grandparenting among others. And sometimes, I write about whatever strikes my fancy through the lens of a woman who both battles and embraces change.

I am currently working on a collection of essays from the perspective of a Boomer woman staring down seventy and tackling life’s big themes: love, death, belonging, screwing up, surviving, finding meaning, and adapting (mostly) to change.