Fostering the Young, Imaginative Mind

I debuted my new presentation for educators and parents at the Shenandoah Literature Conference on Monday and it was a hit! The best compliment came from a teacher who thanked me for validating what she does every day. "Even when I think the day was a tough one, I need to remember that I'm making a difference," she told me.

This is not me giving my presentation, this is an actress playing Lunch Lady introducing me.

This is me giving my presentation. Picture taken from a Twitter pal.

I'm now offering presentations for grown-ups that can happen at conferences, after school for teachers, in the evening for parents—or really, any time for interested adults.  In "Fostering the Young, Creative Mind," I detail what my grandparents and teachers did for me growing up to support my creative endeavors. Not only did everyone's encouragement bring me to where I am today, it really helped me through difficult moments of my childhood. 


Today, our educational landscape is so focused on data and test results, the creative kids are often lost in the shuffle. But there's plenty that educators can do within the parameters they are given and I aim to arm them with the tools that they can use to help those imaginative kids.


In part of my presentation, I talk about how my grandparents gave me a videocamera (after much prodding on my end). And now, I am a legitimate movie producer with two feature films in development. I dug up some old VHS tapes of my teenage theatrical efforts and digitized them for the slideshow. 


Here are a few videos that I made at 14.


Enjoy!

For more info on my presentations, please click here.