Led by elementary educator and author Vera Ahiyya, this cohort focuses on picturebooks and elementary texts. Please see below for more information about the cohort members.
The cohort meets April 1, 2024 – August 15, 2024.
Meet the Cohort
Vera Ahiyya was raised in El Paso, Texas, with her wonderful mother and amazing grandparents. Ahiyya has taught kindergarten and first grade for the last eighteen years. Her online presence is dedicated to collaborating with other educators by spreading her vast knowledge and love of inclusive children’s books. She is the author of Rebellious Read Alouds, a professional development book for educators. She is also the author of You Have a Voice, the KINDergarten series, and the Getting Ready series. Be sure to follow Ahiyya’s journey on social media: @thetututeacher!
Dora Díaz is a current two-way dual language teacher for Hutto Independent School District in Texas, and a PhD student in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis on bilingual/bicultural education at The University of Texas-Austin. She has dedicated fourteen years to bilingual education as a teacher and a former assistant principal in the Austin area. She strongly advocates for high-quality rigorous instruction for students, while focusing on making content relevant for students and their families. She has presented at the National Association for Bilingual and Adelante conferences. Her research interests are integrating diverse funds of knowledge into the core curriculum and developing a more authentic parent involvement paradigm that values different experiences and cultures.
Gina M. Doepker is an associate professor in the School of Education at The University of Texas at Tyler. Doepker received her PhD from The Ohio State University in literacy education (2007), a master’s degree in reading education with a reading endorsement (2002) from the University of Dayton, and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Dayton (1994). She also received training as a qualified dyslexia screener and consultant (2015). Before going into higher education, Doepker taught sixth-grade English language arts, social studies, and science for six years at a private elementary school in Dayton, Ohio. She currently teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in literacy education and serves as the MEd in Reading Program Coordinator. One undergraduate course that she is particularly passionate about teaching is Children’s Literature in the Classroom. She also regularly writes and publishes children’s literature book reviews for The Social Studies Texan journal.
Susi Long is Distinguished Professor Emerita from the University of South Carolina. Her books and articles emphasize humanizing, culturally relevant, decolonizing, and linguistically plural practices and highlight the courage and expertise of teachers and administrators who challenge narrow views of what and who counts in history, literacies, languages, and curriculum. She currently teaches courses at Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina; engages in professional development with elementary school teachers; and co-conducts workshops for university leaders and other educational entities. She has served in multiple roles within NCTE, including the Executive Committee, Board of Trustees of the Research Foundation, committees on Research and on Diversity and Inclusivity, Early Childhood Education Assembly, and as co-founder of Professional Dyads and Culturally Relevant Teaching.
Molly Love is a third-grade teacher in Dublin, Ohio. She has been teaching for six years and has previously taught fifth and fourth grade. Love firmly believes that literacy is the cornerstone of education, and she is dedicated to instilling a lifelong love for learning in each child she teaches. Love remains actively involved in professional development opportunities to further enhance her teaching skills. For the past two years, she has been a proud member of NCTE, where she engages with like-minded educators and stays updated on the latest trends and practices in literacy education. In her spare time, Love can often be found curled up with a good book, exploring new worlds and adventures through the pages. She finds joy in recommending books to her students and witnessing their excitement as they embark on literary journeys of their own.
Emily Reed has been a literacy specialist for twenty-five years in the Northern York County School District in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania. She is involved in many leadership roles there such as coordinating the district’s Summer Program, Ready Freddy (a pre-school transition program), and coordinating the Peer Helper Program. She is an avid reader. She has participated in the Keystone to Reader Book Awards as a reviewer and chair. She is a part of the Notable Books for a Global Society committee. There is always a book in her hand wherever she goes.