Mr. Gould has been part-time curriculum developer for Full Optional Science System Project middle school group since 2009. From 2001 to 2013 he was Co-Investigator for Education for the NASA Kepler mission (that discovered over 2,500 exoplanets). He was Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS) Planetarium Director 1998–2009 and Director the Global Systems Science high school curriculum project 2000–2013. He is co-author of curriculum books for those projects as well as select teacher guides in the Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) project. He has over 36 years of experience developing and presenting hands-on science activities and 22 years of experience organizing and leading teacher education workshops. He has served as president of the Pacific Planetarium Association (PPA) in two terms and has served as PPA Secretary since 2017. He was webmaster for the International Planetarium Society (IPS) from 2001 to 2021. Mr. Gould has a BA in Physics from University of California, Berkeley.

Alana Trisler has taught kindergarten, first grade, and second grade, and has served as a speech therapist and as a learning specialist. These experiences, along with those of her colleague, Patrice Cardiel, have been the basis for the creation of the phenomenally successful "Words I Use" family of books. Alana lives and teaches in the Tulsa, OK area.

Alexandra Bigelow has been an Orton-Gillingham-trained reading therapist at the Brimmer and May School (Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts) for 8 years. She tutors one on one, teaches a first and second grade language arts class, and serves as a resource for the first, second, and third grade teachers in reading, writing, and spelling.

Ann Staman has taught reading, spelling, writing, math, and study skills on both the elementary and secondary levels. Currently a reading specialist in Belchertown, Massachusetts, she is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College with a degree in English. Ms. Staman has an M.Ed. in Reading and a C.A.G.S. in Special Education.

Mr. Camins is an Assessment Specialist for the Full Option Science System Project (FOSS K-8). His association with FOSS began in 1990, when he served as the New York City Trials Center Director for the initial development of the K-6 FOSS program. Later he led a similar development effort for FOSS middle school courses in Hudson, Massachusetts. He has served as Principal Investigator and collaborated with FOSS on numerous National Science Foundation (NSF) professional development and assessment projects, including Formative Assessment in Science Through Technology (FAST) in which he worked closely with the Assessing Science Knowledge Project (ASK) to develop the FOSS assessment system. In the classroom, Mr. Camins has been a preschool, kindergarten, first and fifth grade teacher, and elementary science teacher. He has served as a district math and science director in both New York and Massachusetts, as well as Executive Director of the Gheens Institute for Innovation in Louisville, Kentucky where he led a U.S. Department of Education Investing in Education project, Making Time for What Matters Most. He also served as Director of the Center for Innovation in Science and Engineering (CIESE) at Stevens Institute of Technology, where is directed and oversaw several NSF curriculum and professional development projects.

Barbara Makar (1937-1992) taught kindergarten, first grade, and fourth grade. An educational consultant with a master’s degree in reading and English, she traveled all over the United States, first for J. B. Lippincott & Co., and then for Educators Publishing Service. For many years she taught remedial reading in Bradenton, Florida.

Brian Campbell is a curriculum developer and National Coordinator of FOSS Professional Learning. Primarily, he focuses on developing resources to support teachers in authentic discourse to make sense of scientific phenomena in K-5 classrooms. He develops and leds national and international trainings for thousands of classroom teachers focusing on three-dimensional teaching and learning, using relevant phenomena, assessment, and language integration.

Carol joined the FOSS team (Full Optional Science System) as a graphic designer and publications producer in 1998. Her work as a graphic designer in the last 40 years has ranged from film titles, book design, advertising design, entertainment marketing and product design, to technical and educational design work. Ms. Sevilla holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in graphic design from the University of San Francisco.

Cheryl Dressler is a literacy consultant who has taught English in Switzerland and the United States. Dr. Dressler received an EdD from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she assisted in a longitudinal, in-depth study of vocabulary development. She has published articles in Reading Research Quarterly and Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, as well as, with coauthor Michael Kamil, “First- and second-language literacy,” in August, D. and Shanahan, T. (Eds.) Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2006.

David has worked for the FOSS Project since 2005. As FOSS Program Manager, he wears many hats—the biggest of which include: writer, editor, consistency specialist, and In-House Video Producer. If you've watched a FOSS produced video, chances are he helped produce it. Before finding his home with the FOSS Project, David worked on projects ranging from developing curriculum for English language learners, working with new teachers in Santa Cruz, and as an editor for the journal Developmental Psychology. He has a diverse background in writing, ranging from fiction and non-fiction to published academic work, and he's worked both sides of the camera—shooting video in hundreds of classrooms, and even making a rare appearance onscreen in one of the early FOSS Teacher Prep Videos for Middle School. David hold a bachelor's degree in psychology from University of California, Santa Cruz, and a master's degree in English from Mills College.

Ms. Vélez is a curriculum developer and professional learning provider for the Full Option Science System Project (FOSS K–8) at the Lawrence Hall of Science. She specializes in English language development and the integration of literacy in science teaching and learning. Ms. Vélez assists in the development and implementation of FOSS instructional materials and creates pedagogical resources that support access and equity. She also leads professional learning experiences for educators, administrators, families, and community members using FOSS instructional materials to develop scientific literacy, teacher capacity, and systemic change in schools and districts across the country and internationally. Before coming to the Lawrence Hall of Science, Ms. Vélez was the instructional leader for a science-centered elementary school in Oakland, California and was a founding-member and teacher in a Spanish dual-immersion program. She has two bachelor’s degrees from the University of California, Berkeley and bi-lingual teaching credentials from California State University, East Bay

Diana Hanbury King’s distinguished career includes significant service to students with specific learning disabilities. Trained in dyslexia and Orton-Gillingham methods by preeminent medical and educational scholars, King has served on the faculty at Sidwell Friends School and the Potomac School, and is the founder of the Kildonan School and Dunnebeck Camp for dyslexic students. She now writes and lectures, trains teachers, and tutors students in reading.

Dianne Tucker-LaPlount is a teacher, reading specialist, and educational therapist with over 25 years of experience in reading, writing, and specific language disabilities. Trained in the Slingerland method, she has wide experience teaching students with learning differences and ELL students. She is coauthor with Louise Skinner of Words—Writing, Reading, and Spelling (Prentice Hall) and is the author of Phonetic Fiction, a series of beginning readers for adults (Red Van Publishers).

Dorothy Grant Hennings is Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Kean University in New Jersey. She received her undergraduate degree from Barnard College; her master's degree from the University of Virginia; and her doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Hennings also taught in the public schools of Rutherford and Fair Lawn, New Jersey. She is the author of many books, including Communication in Action: Teaching Literature-based Language Arts and Reading with Meaning: Strategies for College Reading. In 1992, Dr. Hennings was the recipient of the International Reading Association’s Outstanding Educator in Reading Award. In 1993, she received the Distinguished Service Award from the New Jersey Reading Association.

Eileen Patrick is currently a member of the FOSS K-5 development team. Her work is focused largely on assessment, from providing professional learning to teachers and districts around formative assessment, analyzing and adjusting FOSS benchmark assessment items.Eileen worked in a large urban district north of Denver for 20 years. During that time she was a classroom teacher, using FOSS herself with her students as well as supporting colleagues in their use of FOSS. Additionally, she was a media specialist, technology integration specialist and instructional coach. Most of her experience was in schools with highly impacted students. Her passion is working with second language learners, having been a second language learner herself. In addition to her work with FOSS, she also provides in person and virtual professional learning opportunities to schools and districts across the country as well as abroad.She has a bachelors in East Asian Studies from Wesleyan University, a masters in Geography from the University of Colorado, Boulder as well as a teaching license from Metropolitan State College, Denver and endorsements in school media and teaching second language learners.

Eileen Perlman, M.S. began her career as a classroom teacher and reading specialist and is currently Clinical Director of the Churchill Reading Initiative, in Manhattan. For over thirty years, she was a learning disabilities specialist for the White Plains Public Schools. In addition to her private practice involving diagnosis and remediation, Ms. Perlman is a highly regarded lecturer, teacher trainer and educational consultant.

Elsie Wilmerding has a B.A. degree in English and a Language Therapist Certificate based on the Orton-Gillingham method. She has taught in middle schools in the Boston area at the Fenn School, Park School, and Brimmer and May, and has tutored for over 15 years. Recently, she has concentrated on reading, writing, and spelling in elementary grades.

Erica is a curriculum specialist with the Full Option Science System Project (FOSS K-8) and spearheaded the major Taking FOSS Outdoors initiative. In addition to developing the program, over the course of her career with FOSS, she has worked with over 50 districts and tens of thousands of educators on implementing the FOSS program. She has taught a wide variety of educators ranging from kindergarten paraprofessionals to train-the-trainer sessions in diverse settings including major urban adoptions, to very rural schools, and even international trainings in Egypt and Italy. She has served on the board of directors for the Maine Environmental Education Association, Rippleffect, and the Maine Math and Science Alliance. She holds a Master of Education degree from Lesley University. Prior to working for FOSS she taught in urban schools in Cambridge, Boston, and Portland, Maine.

Frances Bloom received her B.S. in education from Skidmore College. She served as a consultant to the Ossining Public Schools in Ossining, New York. She has also done private tutoring for dyslexic children. In addition to Recipe for Reading, Bloom is also the primary author for Recipe for Spelling, a comprehensive program with 450 varied learning activities designed to sharpen spelling, language arts, and thinking skills. She is the co-author of The Alphabet Series.

Frank Kusiak is a FOSS Multimedia Project Manager. He manages the creation, development, and maintenance of FOSS' online interactives. He also manages FOSS' archive server that allows FOSS to beta test new interactives and allows legacy interactives to remain online and available. Frank started at the Saint Louis Science Center and has worked for science museums for 20 years managing educational technology projects. He has worked at the Lawrence Hall of Science for the last 12 years, the National Informal STEM Education Network for 12 years, and FOSS for the last 5. Frank studied instructional technology design at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, and holds a bachelors degree in history and a masters in history with an emphasis on historiography and computers from Truman State University.

Gregory Hurray is the English Coordinator for grades K–8 in Newton, Massachusetts. His work as an educator has focused on teaching writing and spelling. As a writing specialist, he developed curriculum, trained teachers, and worked with students in fifteen elementary and two junior high schools. For many years he has worked closely with teachers to develop sound approaches to spelling instruction in their classrooms.

Jane Ervin works in Washington, D.C., with children with reading and learning difficulties, advises parents on educational concerns, lectures, and gives teacher trainings. Dr. Ervin has written more than 20 books for students, teachers, and parents; her workbooks have sold over 5 million copies. She received her Ed.D and postdoctoral diploma from UCLA.

Jessica Penchos is the curriculum coordinator and developer of the Full Optional Science System Project (FOSS K–8). Before joining the Lawrence Hall of Science FOSS staff, Jessica taught middle school science in Boston Public Schools was a teacher leader in the district. Through her work with FOSS, Jessica has been lead author and lead editor on a number of middle school courses, including most of the FOSS Next Generation Edition (2018) courses for grades 6-8. She develops customized professional development for districts, NSTA conferences, and summer institutes hosted at the Lawrence Hall of Science. Jessica has an undergraduate degree with honors from Dartmouth College in Cognitive Science and a master’s degree in education from Harvard Graduate School of Education where she focused on cognitive frameworks for curriculum, evaluation of educational programs, and technology for students with disabilities.

Joan Fleiss Kaplan received her undergraduate degree from Boston University. She earned a double master’s degree in Special Education and Elementary Education from Northeastern University, where she earned membership in Kappa Delta Pi, the International Honor Society in Education. Kaplan is certified in Special Education, Severe Behavioral Disorders, K–8; Elementary Education (K–8); and Learning Disabilities Special Education (K–8). She is also trained in the Orton-Gillingham reading method, the Wilson Reading System®, and Project Read®. During her twenty-seven-year career as a special educator in the Malden, Massachusetts, public schools, Joan developed curriculum for and taught in self-contained special education classrooms and learning centers, where she worked with students with learning disabilities, behavioral and emotional disorders, and physical challenges. Joan has also worked for the Children’s Protective Service, taught in the Lesley College Graduate School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and tutored adults with special needs.

Joanna is a curriculum developer for the Full Option Science Systems Project (FOSS K–8), primarily focused on Middle School. Her development expertise focuses on place-based and environmental applications, formative assessment integration, and benchmark assessment development. Joanna particularly enjoys facilitating professional learning opportunities that support general FOSS instruction, integrating formative assessment, and extending the classroom outdoors. Prior to joining the FOSS Project in 2008, Joanna taught middle school classroom science and mathematics. She also taught environmental education and was a research assistant at the Teton Science School and Sea Education Association. Joanna holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Colgate University and a master’s in education from the University of Michigan.

Ms. Totino is a FOSS specialist primarily focusing on elementary teacher professional learning in California, and instructional materials. She joined Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California at Berkeley, in 2001. She has taught, mentored and coached thousands of elementary teachers through the FOSS program. In addition, Joanna Totino is Director of Bay Area Science Project, one of the 18 California Science Projects. She is Principal Director on various initiatives and has led teams of scientists, graduate students, district staff, teachers, community partners and researchers in implementation of successful projects. She has served as a member on California Statewide Projects, such as, The NGSS Roll-out, and the Science and Literacy Professional Learning Modules, Environmental Literacy Committee and Community of Practice. She is passionate about designing STEM learning opportunities that are accessible and relevant for all students and dedicated to supporting teachers in creating classrooms that do just that.

John F. Savage, series author, is a Professor Emeritus at the Lynch School of Education, Boston College, where he taught for 33 years. Dr. Savage served as a Coordinator of the Graduate Reading/Literacy program there. He has also taught at Boston University and in Canada and Spain, and has guest-lectured at colleges and universities. Dr. Savage began his career as a classroom teacher, and throughout his tenure has returned to classroom teaching in order to better understand today's schools-and because he loves working with young learners. Dr. Savage has written several professional books, including Sound it Out: Phonics in a Comprehensive Reading Program, Third Edition (McGraw-Hill, 2006); For the Love of Literature: Children and Books in the Elementary Years (McGraw-Hill, 2000); and Teaching Reading and Writing: Combining Skills, Strategies, and Literature (McGraw-Hill, 1998). In addition, he has written many professional articles and is a popular speaker at local, regional, and national conferences. He has presented at several recent national conferences, including the International Reading Association (IRA), International Dyslexia Association (IDA), National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), and Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). Dr. Savage received his BA in English at Iona College and his MEd and EdD in Education from Boston University. He was a Senior Fulbright Scholar in Australia, as well as a People-to-People Delegation Leader to the People's Republic of China, India, and Cuba.

Ms. Jordan is currently a user experience designer and web producer for the Full Optional Science System Project (FOSS K–8). She has designed, produced, and managed FOSS’ web presence for close to 15 years at the Lawrence Hall of Science. Before joining the FOSS team, Ms. Jordan worked as a technology coordinator at an all-girls high school where she wrote and taught a semester-long computer technology course in addition to training teachers and maintaining the school’s technology. Ms. Jordan worked for Kaplan K-12 Learning Services developing their online course offerings and as an implementation consultant training and mentoring teachers. Ms. Jordan holds a bachelors degree in Spanish and Women’s Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, and a masters degree in Instructional Technology and Media from Teacher’s College, Columbia University.

Kenneth Hodkinson has taught English to elementary, junior high, and high school students in the United States, Canada, and England. A playwright who studied at the Yale School of Drama, Mr. Hodkinson has had several plays performed, and is also a poet and an inventor of games. His puzzles have appeared in newspapers and books, and he gives workshops on vocabulary development to teachers, students, and administrators.

Kristin A. Johnson, M.A., is a Consulting Teacher/Learning Specialist in Vermont. She has worked with both children and adults for 30 years, specializing in reading difficulties. Kristin works part time with the public schools, and as director of Mega-Learning Systems she offers private sessions in educational kinesiology (Brain Gym) and workshops/trainings on her reading and brain integration methodologies. She is also a consultant for the Vermont Strategic Reading Initiative.

Mr. Malone is founder and co-director of the Full Option Science System Project and has been on the staff at the Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California at Berkeley, for over 50 years in curriculum development and teacher preparation. He began as materials specialist with the Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS) project. He has been a curriculum developer and instructor for the OBIS Project (Outdoor Biology Instructional Strategies), HAP (Health Activities Project), SAVI/SELPH (Science Activities for the Visually Impaired/Science Enrichment for Learners with Physical Handicaps), and FOSS K–5 and Middle School Programs. Mr. Malone is a creative materials developer and designer of instructional activities, and served as the lead writer on the FOSS materials. Mr. Malone holds a bachelors degree in biology from the University of California and a masters in education from the California State University.

Lee Mountain is a professor of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Houston. She received her B.A. degree from George Washington University and her Ed.D. from Penn State University. She is the author of Math Connections, Grades 1-3; Early 3 Rs: How to Lead Beginners into Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic; Heritage Supplementary Readers, Grades 1-8; and Strategies for Guiding Content Reading. She is the recipient of several honors and awards including the University of Houston Teaching Excellence Award (2003), and the Freedoms Foundation Award (2000). Lee Mountain is a former public school teacher and reading specialist. Her articles have appeared in the English Journal, The Reading Teacher, and the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy.

Ms. De Lucchi is founder and co-director of the Full Optional Science System Project (FOSS K–8). She has developed instructional materials in K–8 science education (FOSS), environmental education (OBIS), health education (HAP Project), and special education (SAVI/SELPH) for 45 years at the Lawrence Hall of Science. In addition to curriculum development, Ms. De Lucchi has directed numerous teacher preparation projects, and has provided many tens of thousands of teacher-hours of science education inservice at the site level, district level, and national-leadership level throughout the country and abroad (in Israel, Slovakia, The Czech Republic, Japan, and China). She served as the co-director of the National Science Foundation funded Assessing Science Knowledge Project (ASK), as Chair of the Academic Planning Committee for the Lawrence, and was on the Board of Directors of the Center for Accessible Technology in Berkeley. Ms. De Lucchi holds a bachelors degree in zoology from Pomona College, and a masters in zoology from the University of California.

Mary Page taught English and history for 35 years in various New England independent schools (Dana Hall School, The Winsor School, The Cambridge School of Weston, St. Paul’s School in Concord, NH, and Cape Cod Academy). While at Winsor she and fellow colleagues, Peter Guthrie and Sloan Sable, wrote Rules of the Game, a 3-volume grammar series for EPS. Also with Peter Guthrie she edited Little Worlds (Wayside Press) an anthology of short stories for middle school and with fellow colleague Larry Metzger she edited Voices and Masks (Wayside Press), an anthology of primary source documents relating to 19th century female mill workers and enslaved women. Mary received a BA in history and an MA in English from Simmons College, Boston, MA.

Nancy Flowers taught English to college-bound students for more than twenty years at Castilleja School in Palo Alto, California. She has served as a consultant to the Educational Testing Service and as a reader for the Advanced Placement Examinations in English. She is the author of two books: Uprooted: Refugees and the United States and Our Human Rights: A Manual of Women’s Human Rights Education, and an editor of Prose Style.

An experienced teacher, tutor, and educational consultant, Nancy Hall has degrees from Middlebury College and Lesley College as well as Language Therapist Certification from Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. Her work has focused on both teaching and assessment, with a specialty in reading, writing, and spelling. She operates an independent testing service to evaluate private and public school students experiencing learning problems.

Ms. Yakushiji is a curriculum and professional developer for the Full Optional Science System Project (FOSS K–8) at the Lawrence Hall of Science. She has been part of the FOSS team since 2008 developing instructional materials (investigations, technology, and assessment materials) in K–5 science education, providing teacher professional learning to schools and districts nationwide and internationally, and provides customer/teacher support for the project. Prior to her work at FOSS, Ms. Yakushiji was the district science coordinator for Newark Unified School District where she facilitated work with the NSF-funded PS3 (Partnership for Student Success in Science) project. Ms. Yakushiji has also served on two NSTA (National Science Teaching Association) program committees as Program Coordinator. Ms. Yakushiji holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, Berkeley and an elementary teaching credential (with a science supplemental) from California State University, East Bay.

Norma Fifer’s teaching career includes six years as a college instructor and thirty years as a high school English teacher. She has been head of the English Department at Crystal Springs Uplands School in Hillsborough, California, where she is now a teacher consultant. She has served as a reader of Advanced Placement Examinations for the Educational Testing Service, and as a teacher consultant with the Bay Area Writing Project at the University of California in Berkeley, California.

Patrice Cardiel has taught kindergarten, first grade, second grade, and third grade. These educational experiences, along with those of her colleague, Alana Trisler, have been the basis for the creation of the phenomenally successful "Words I Use" family of books. Patrice lives and teaches in the Tulsa, OK area.

Although he has worked for many years as a psychotherapist, Peter Guthrie once taught English at the Winsor School in Boston for six years. He also worked for several years as an editor in educational publishing. While teaching, he co-edited a popular short story anthology for middle school students with Mary Page (Little Worlds: Wayside Publishing). A few years later, he teamed up with Mary Page and Sloan Sable to co-author a three-volume grammar series for EPS, Rules of the Game. Peter has a B.A. in English and history from Grinnell College, an M.A. in American Studies from the University of Minnesota, and an M.S.W from Simmons College.

Phyllis Bertin, M.S., a noted lecturer, teacher trainer, and school consultant is the Director of Reading at the Windward Teacher Training Institute, in White Plains, New York. After teaching mainstream and special education classes, she went on to become the Director of Special Education for Winward School in White Plains. Mrs. Bertin has been a Board Member of the New York State Branch of the International Dyslexia Association and received the Branch Award from the International Dyslexia Association in 1999.

Polly Bayrd has taught students with learning disabilities and emotional/behavioral problems at the elementary and junior high level. She has been a teacher-trainer at the University of Minnesota. She is currently a psychologist at Washburn Child Guidance Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota and consults at a local learning disabilities clinic. She has consulted and presented at conferences in India, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and England. Polly Bayrd received her undergraduate degree at Wellesley College and her graduate degrees at the University of Minnesota.

Rebecca Sitton began her career as a teacher in Oregon and was involved with regular education, special education, and curriculum and staff development. In support of her spelling program, she has traveled around the country giving seminars on spelling instruction. During her travels, she talks with classroom practitioners, keeping current on classroom issues and the needs of teachers and students. She has developed a stellar reputation as a spelling authority and was the spelling instructor for the Bureau of Education and Research for many years. Rebecca Sitton has also published language arts and spelling materials for preschool to adult students, covering both regular and special education needs. She holds degrees in Speech Pathology-Audiology and Education, an M.A. in Special Education, and certificates in Extreme Learning Problems, Early Childhood Education, and School Administration. She continues to give generously of her time to educators who have questions or comments via scheduled conference calls and often presents sessions at national conferences.

Ridgewood Analogies, Primary Analogies, and Ridgewood Grammar were developed by teachers in the Ridgewood, New Jersey, Public Schools, and are based on the curriculum they have been using with their elementary and middle-school students.

S.P.I.R.E.’s success is a result of the deliberate, reflective teaching and writing of Sheila Clark-Edmands, M.S. Ed. Clark-Edmands has more than 35 years of educational experience, ranging from classroom teaching and school administration to undergraduate and graduate college instruction. She has received teaching awards and honors from several school systems, and her work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and many other general interest and industry publications.

Susan is the Technology Project Manager of the Full Option Science System. She has worked with FOSS for over 20 years—developing multimedia, websites, online assessment systems, and other technology programs. Susan has a bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. in biochemistry from the Ohio State University.

Susan Stanley is Senior Illustrator for the FOSS Curriculum. She creates original drawings for pre K though high school for teacher guides as well as student material. Susan has a bachelors degree in art from Humboldt State University and has taken coursework at UC Berkeley in Scientific Illustration. She won a scholarship to study digital art at Art Academy in San Francisco. She has worked as an illustrator for various educational/game companies and as drafter and cartographer for geological and map making firms. Susan has an elementary teaching credential and has taught kindergarten and grades 1, 2, 4, and 5. Her interest in drawing nature has led to ongoing outings, workshops and classes.

A veteran teacher, Vera Schneider has a B.A. in English and a master’s degree in early childhood education. She holds teaching certifications in nursery school, elementary education, and English. She has taught first grade and is presently teaching kindergarten in the Ridgewood, New Jersey public schools. She is a member of the SCBWI.