meet the team:

Cailin Minor is an internationally experienced educator, literacy coach, and curriculum specialist. She has worked with schools around the world in creating customized approaches to teaching literacy and designing curriculum. Cailin holds an advanced certificate in Cognitive Coaching. She currently serves as a senior strategist for Erin Kent Consulting where she specializes in supporting schools in creating a tailored literacy vision and model that supports the specific ELL and cultural needs of a student population, the host country's language, and the time and structures of the school. Cailin also works with schools to create a dynamic coaching program and collaborative practices that foster the literacy growth and goals.

Colleen Ackford has worked as an IB classroom teacher, curriculum developer, reading specialist, literacy intervention teacher, and learning coach in Canada, Japan, Thailand, Australia, and Chile and is currently based in Singapore. She has extensive experience working alongside teachers to establish responsive literacy programs and utilize research-informed literacy practices that inspire learners to take ownership of their reading and writing lives, express curiosity, and grow their thinking with peers. Colleen has substantial experience with building and developing coaching programs and supporting coaches as they grow their practice.

Johanna Cena, D.Ed is an experienced international educator, instructional coach, and school leader. She is passionate about building inclusive educational communities that develop agency, choice, and connection for students and teachers. She is currently the Director of Teaching and Learning at the American School of Barcelona and also supports international schools in the implementation of inclusive practices for language learners, multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), and literacy instruction

Kristine Tesoriero Mizzone is an educational consultant supporting schools in the areas of organizational leadership, instructional coaching, strategic planning, and curriculum design. Additionally, Kristine works with aspiring school leaders as an adjunct professor for The College of New Jersey and for the International School Counselor Association (ISCA) as their Professional Learning Director. She has served as both a teacher and school leader for nearly two decades in US public schools and private international schools in Europe and Asia and currently lives in Bangkok, Thailand.

Abby Kasky is an experienced educator with over 20 years of teaching experience both in the United States and abroad. Abby has a deep commitment to early literacy, empowering teachers, and creating engaging and enriching literacy experiences for our youngest learners. She has developed and implemented play-based Early Years programs in India and Qatar, integrating research-based literacy practices with both inquiry and play. She has served as a classroom teacher, literacy specialist, instructional coach, and most recently an Early Years Coach and Coordinator at The American School of Doha.

Faiza (Fay) Martin has worked as an IB classroom teacher, reading specialist, literacy coach and PYP Coordinator in England, the UAE, and India. She has extensive experience in curriculum development, especially in unpacking standards and benchmarks to create tailored reading and writing units that fit the context of international schools and/or enhance their units of inquiry. As an EKC strategist, Fay coaches and mentors global groups of educators on creating inquiry-rich units and assessments that align with benchmarks and include student voice, tailoring units of study that integrate into units of inquiry, maximizing student choice and agency, and leveraging ways to lean on our many teacher roles to respond to learners.

Lindsay DeHartchuck has worked as a teacher of neurodivergent learners, an instructional coach, and an early literacy leader in the United States and Brazil. Lindsay consults with schools on adopting and strengthening evidence-based literacy practices in the areas of assessment, curriculum and instruction, and professional learning. She is motivated to ensure that all children “crack the code” and become skilled readers and writers. A lifelong learner, Lindsay earned her B.A. from the University of North Carolina, her M.A. in early childhood special education from the George Washington University, and is currently a doctoral student of curriculum & instruction at the University of Virginia.

Meredith is an experienced international early years educator and coordinator. She has a passion for creating literacy rich learning environments that encourage and prioritize play and inquiry. She is committed to working alongside educators to cultivate class communities that foster student agency and provide meaningful and authentic learning experiences. She is a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University studying the learning sciences and their application in educational contexts. Meredith is currently serving as the Early Years Coordinator at MYIS International School in Bangkok where she works closely with students, teachers and families to empower a community of life-long learners.

Amanda Bird is currently the Director of Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum at the American School of Valencia and has taught for almost two decades in both Massachusetts and Spain, as a middle school and high school English and Spanish teacher, with the past several years focused on the IB DP English A: Language and Literature course. Amanda has experience with inquiry-rich literacy frameworks and has dug extensively into expanding this into high school English to fuse the DP Curriculum to foster a classroom that values student choice, practice, and maintaining high expectations. Learning how to think critically about any text you have in front of you is a skill that goes beyond the four walls of a classroom.

Since 2004, Erika Olson has been working in international schools around the world assuming various roles such as elementary classroom teacher, IB PYP coordinator, assistant principal, and instructional literacy coach. She brings extensive experience with curriculum development and instruction in a variety of global contexts. Currently residing in Thailand, Erika finds inspiration in the power of inquiry-based literacy learning that blends research-informed methodology, curriculum goals, and student interests and backgrounds. Erika holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a Master's Degree in Advanced Education.

Hannah Fernweh is a lifelong learner specializing in best practices for multilingual learners, translanguaging, culturally relevant pedagogy, and students with exceptionalities. She has worked in public and international schools as a teacher, coach, and department head and has a particular passion for meeting the literacy needs of linguistically, culturally, and neurologically diverse learners. Currently, she is delving into how different writing systems can impact literacy development within the brain and how exceptionalities can influence how one acquires languages and literacies. When supporting schools, Hannah guides educators to understand how the brain learns to speak and read in order to develop clear, practical plans to support diverse learners.

Jenny Killion is an experienced teacher, K–12 instructional coach, and literacy consultant. She has worked at the American School of Barcelona for over a decade as an elementary, middle school, and most recently as an IB DP teacher and HS Instructional Coach. She has extensive experience working with teachers from a variety of international schools on implementing inquiry-rich literacy frameworks, developing integrated curriculum, connecting instruction across languages, and literacy coaching.

Justine Otte has spent over 16 years working in schools as a teacher, literacy specialist, school leader, accreditation panelist, and educational consultant. She has worked extensively to intersect the PYP and the MYP with a literacy approach that honors inquiry, agency, building conceptual understandings, and the unique needs of multilingual learners. She believes that cultivating a learning environment that empowers both students and teachers on their reading and writing inquiry journey is essential for growth and motivation.

Kalley Hoke has worked for over 15 years as a classroom teacher, literacy leader and literacy coach in the United States, China, Switzerland, and Mozambique. Kalley has experience supporting teachers and schools as they implement student-centered, flexible literacy frameworks and support them as they take the next steps to refine and revise literacy practices. Steeped in the PYP, project- based learning and other inquiry pedagogies, Kalley is dedicated to agentic, transdisciplinary approaches to reading and writing.

Lindsey grew up in Billings, Montana. She completed her B.S. degree in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education at Montana State University. Lindsey began teaching second grade at a bilingual elementary school in Colorado. During that time, she became interested in how to best support the needs of young bilinguals acquiring English. She received her M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies: ESL, Multicultural, Bilingual Education from the University of Northern Colorado. Lindsey received her doctorate from the University of Northern Colorado in Educational Studies with a dual cognate of Reading and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education.

Miles Madison brings a personal, transformative and collaborative approach to coaching and professional development using evidence-based strategies to support the range of languages, cultures, and regional needs within international schools. Miles’s training in Applied Positive Psychology and transformational coaching–as well as 25 years of international teaching experience–enable him to support teachers in integrating proven literacy approaches to a broad spectrum of local contexts and challenges. He supports teams to achieve this by focusing on maximizing student choice and agency in literacy learning, specializing in reading development and word study instruction. Miles is an experienced early childhood and primary classroom teacher, instructional coach, and curriculum designer and mentor.

Molly Ball has worked as an IB PYP classroom teacher, curriculum developer, and literacy coach in the United States, Korea, and Singapore. She has led teachers in curriculum development with a specific focus on unpacking standards and benchmarks to create tailored reading and writing units that align with and/or enhance units of inquiry. She has extensive experience in inquiry-based literacy frameworks, word study, Student-Centered Coaching and in supporting multilingual learners. Molly is always eager to learn about each schools’ unique context, needs and the demographics of learners and loves to collaborate with educators around the world. Currently, Molly is a Literacy Coach at Stamford American International School in Singapore.

Natashya Hays has spent much of her 22 years in education as a classroom teacher, putting children at the center of teaching, learning, and decision making. Natashya has worked as a literacy intervention teacher, ELL support teacher, PYP/curriculum coordinator, and literacy coach. She has led out on international conferences about word study, training teachers in how to make phonics, grammar, and spelling efficient and joyful. Natashya excels at helping teachers establish inquiry-rich, research-informed, responsive literacy practice in schools around the world.

Rossie Apt grew up in La Paz, Bolivia, and later attended university in the United States. Her experiences as a bilingual international student have informed and inspired her professional interests. Rossie has worked as a classroom teacher, curriculum developer, and learning coach in the United States and Chile. She has extensive experience with the inquiry-based literacy practices and working with teams of teachers to develop standards-aligned units to meet the unique needs of their learners. Currently, Rossie is a Learning Coach at the International School Nido de Aguilas in Chile.

Sybil Hall is a passionate student-centered leader and lifelong learner. She has 23 years of experience as an instructional coach, literacy specialist, and homeroom educator in PK-Grade 6 classrooms around the world. Through curiosity and close observation and collaboration with students and teachers in Italy, US, China, UAE, and most recently Belgium, she has created a deep understanding of similarities and differences amongst learners in International Schools. This unique lens allows her to customize for each teacher, leader, and student, meeting them right where they are. She has extensive experience in Reading and Writing Workshop, Word Study, meaningful technology integration and innovation, and she is an advanced cognitive coach.

Tom Harper brings over two decades of experience in education and curriculum leadership to his role as a K12 Curriculum Coordinator in the Middle East. With an MAE in English Education and an MA in Teacher Leadership, Tom has made profound contributions in various roles, including curriculum coordinator, student services coordinator, instructional coach, middle school Humanities teacher, and high school English teacher, in both the United States and the Middle East. His application of best practices in backward design, readers and writers workshops, and literacy speaks to his uncompromising commitment to innovation and quality. He is currently transforming the K12 Curriculum at the American International School in Abu Dhabi.

Emily is an international educator and teacher leader with experience in diverse cultural and linguistic settings in both the United States and in England. Emily's expertise in social and emotional learning helps her create safe and inclusive learning spaces for both student and adult learners to build and strengthen their cognitive and metacognitive skills. Emily is passionate about the power of writing and strengthening students' identities as authors in the classroom and in the community. She has extensive experience in curricular planning and development and multilingual writing practices. Her teaching and literacy coaching practices are rooted in the science of reading, multilingualism, culturally responsive pedagogy, and equity. She currently teaches upper primary and is the PYP Literacy Lead at the International School of London.

Elizabeth Beatty is an international educator with 26 years of experience as a teacher, instructional coach, and administrator. She spent 13 years at the American School of Milan as Elementary and Middle School Principal, and 7 years at the International School in Genoa as the Director of Teaching and Learning. She is currently the Director of Teaching and Learning at Suzhou Singapore International School in Suzhou, China. During her years in education, Elizabeth has facilitated K-12 literacy reviews for three schools, and delving into how to teach reading and writing in a student-centered, responsive way across subject areas and grades has become her passion. Having completed studies on both differentiation as well as Universal Design for Learning through Harvard University, Elizabeth also focuses on differentiation and inclusion practices to serve a wide range of learning abilities and languages in the international classroom.

Jessica is a dedicated international education consultant with a diverse background in teaching, curriculum writing, principalship, and university lecturing. With a strong focus on literacy, Jessica is deeply engaged in the science of reading and structured literacy. Her passion lies in analyzing curriculum, understanding student needs, and researching best practices. This passion drives her to customize experiences and coaching cycles, empowering teachers to implement meaningful changes in their classrooms, ultimately ensuring the success of each student. Jessica focuses on engaging students in learning and fostering a love and appreciation for investigating ideas and the world, encouraging them to become lifelong learners.

Aiqin Li is passionate about harnessing inquiry and agency in the Chinese reading/writing classroom. She has worked at IB schools in China and abroad as a homeroom teacher, specialist teacher, Early Years coordinator and Kindergarten PYP Curriculum Director. In 2013, she became an IB PYP workshop leader. Aiqin leads workshops for EKC around Asia on Chinese program development, curriculum articulation, and responsive reading/writing instruction in the Chinese literacy classroom both for K-G5. Aiqin is currently working as a Chinese teacher, Home Language coordinator. Aiqin holds a master’s degree in Science from State University of New York at Buffalo and a bachelor’s degree in education from Beijing Normal University.

Barbara is an Elementary Associate Principal at the International School of Curitiba. With a background as both a homeroom teacher in primary education and a Portuguese teacher in the international school context, Barbara brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her current role. These experiences have given her valuable insights into the diverse needs of students and the significance of cultural competence in education, shaping her deep understanding of effective pedagogical approaches and her ability to foster inclusive learning environments.

Farrah Karroum has been an educator in international schools in Dubai for over 12 years working as an elementary, middle and high school teacher. During her role as an Arabic teacher and Team Lead, she planned and led frequent department/grade level meetings that focus on ensuring that student learning is in line with the planned curriculum in the elementary school and meeting the needs of students. Farrah is a certified Literacy Coach who has attended the Arabic Readers and Writers Workshop. After her experience in teaching Arabic to Pre-K students in a Dual Language program, she is convinced that Arabic is more fun to teach through play and stories and results showed students acquired it faster.

Beth Puma is an MLL specialist, Coach, consultant, writer, and radical dreamer.. She has a broad range of experience as a classroom teacher, EAL specialist, curriculum coordinator and coach in K-12 schools. She has worked with linguistically diverse students in New York City, Tucson, Guangzhou, and Tokyo. She specializes in working with teachers in unit and lesson design that strategically meets multilingual students’ needs through inquiry, standards aligned-instruction, differentiation, and progressive scaffolding. Beth is dedicated to building a more transformative educational landscape that honors linguistic diversity and challenges societal paradigms.

Eman Al Ashqar has taught Elementary through High School for many years in schools in Dubai and Jordan. Eman has developed an Arabic Teacher’s Guide and curriculum (Grade 1&2) based on Moroccan standards and facilitated trainings on Reader’s & Writer’s Workshops adapted for the Arabic classroom. Eman teaches at the American School of Dubai. She is a certified Rater in the Oral Proficiency Interview & Writing Proficiency Test of Arabic from ACTFL, and a certified Literacy Coach. Eman holds a post-graduate in Education and a certificate in Educational Administration & Management from the college of Birmingham (UK). Eman is based in Dubai.

María Patricia Mesa has been teaching reading and writing in both English and Spanish for over 20 years, as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, and consultant. María Patricia holds an MA in New Technologies Applied to Education from Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, a BA in Literature and Journalism from Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia, and is a certified Student-Centered Coach from Madison-Wisconsin University. She currently works as a bilingual literacy coach at Colegio Nueva Granada in Bogotá, Colombia, where she supports ES/MS bilingual curriculum development, Readers’ and Writers’ Workshop methodology, and balanced literacy practices across languages.

Marta Luján is an experienced international educator, with a broad experience teaching Secondary and IB Spanish Language and Literature, Humanities and History at the American School of Barcelona and Frankfurt International School. Marta is also a literacy strategist and consultant in the international education world. She holds a degree in Spanish Language and Literature from the University of Salamanca, a Master’s Degree in Teaching Spanish as a Second Language from the University of Barcelona and a Postgraduate Certificate on Coaching and Mentoring for Education Practitioners from Leeds Beckett University. She was also a Fulbright scholar at Dillard University, in New Orleans.

Yuri Liu has worked in the USA, China, and Singapore as a researcher, teacher, instructional coach, and program director in PreK - G16 since 2006. She also speaks at international conferences and consults with schools around Asia and the U.S. on implementing engaging, responsive reading and writing instruction. Yuri holds a Bachelor of Arts in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language from East China Normal University, and two Masters from the University of Oregon - a master of Science in Educational Methodology, Policy, and Leadership and a Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics. Yuri Liu received her Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California, with an explicit research concentration in culturally relevant pedagogy in Chinese immersion education. She is a Shanghai native and calls both Shanghai and Portland home indefinitely.

Sheila Waromby has been a Portuguese language and literacy teacher for over 20 years. With extensive experience in curriculum development and a graduate diploma in Psychopedagogy, Sheila is an expert in responsive reading and writing instruction in the Portuguese elementary classroom. She is a proponent of multilingual teachers working together towards shared literacy pursuits. When schools can say “Two Languages; One Literacy Team”, our multilingual learners benefit tremendously. Over the years, Sheila has become a Department leader in the implementation of the Workshop approach in the Portuguese classroom and has led several teacher development sessions at conferences, promoting new approaches to Portuguese literacy engagement and development.

Vanessa Gilchrist has over 20 years of experience as a bilingual educator, literacy specialist, coach, and consultant in international schools. She specializes in PreK–2 reading and writing in the bilingual classroom. With her PreK–2 background, Vanessa brings a strategic lens to developing students’ foundational skills for reading and writing in a dual language environment. In her role as PreK–2 biliteracy coach at Colegio Nueva Granada in Bogotá, Colombia, she has supported bilingual teams of teachers in Readers’ and Writers’ Workshop and the implementation of critical balanced literacy components across languages. Vanessa holds an MA in Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language from Saint Michael’s College in Vermont, USA, a BA in Educational Sciences from Universidad de Las Americas in Puebla, Mexico, and is a certified literacy coach and reading specialist from Iowa State university.