Sandy Shacklady-White
Consultant, Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network
Coatesville, PA
How did you begin your career, and what led you to your current position?
I started my career in education as a special education teacher in 1989, working for an approved private school (APS) that is a residential facility west of Philadelphia for youth with emotional disorders and other disabilities ages 6 to 21. In my last year and a half at the APS, I was both a classroom teacher and a lead teacher. During my tenure at the APS, I completed my graduate degree as a reading specialist at West Chester University. I spent six years at the APS before obtaining a position in a public middle school, also west of Philadelphia. I was a learning support teacher for grades 6–8, teaching English language arts along with other core content areas, to students with IDEA services and periodically cotaught science and social studies with gen-ed colleagues. During that time, I earned my supervisor of special education certification from Penn State at the encouragement of the director of pupil services. After 11 years in the classroom in the district, I became a supervisor of special education in the district when the school board created a supervisor of secondary special education position as the result of a growing number of youth being in need of special education. After two years in that role, I was hired by a public school district closer to home as one of three supervisors of special education. I remained in that position for 9.5 years when I decided to apply for my current position as an educational consultant with the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network, which is part of the Bureau of Special Education in the state Department of Education. I have been in my current role since May 2017.
What are you reading (personal or professional)?
I read all sorts of texts! I thoroughly enjoy children’s literature, middle school books, and young adult books. I also read many educational and psychological type books. Currently, I am reading Dacher Keltner’s Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life (Penguin Press) and Karina Evans’ Audrey Covington Breaks the Rules (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers), a middle school book. In addition, I read educational journals, magazines, and websites such as Literacy Today, NCTE’s Council Chronical, Learning for Justice, Teaching Exceptional Children, ASCD’s Educational Leadership, and KSLA’s Pennsylvania Reads.
How long have you been a member of ILA, and how has membership influenced your career?
I first became involved in my local chapter in Pennsylvania when in graduate school, so probably in 1990, when one of my professors shared with the class information about the organization. I greatly admired her, and she was the local chapter’s president at that time. I know my membership lapsed a couple of years but then I rejoined and have remained a member ever since. I guess all together I have been a member for over 30 years. I have been on my local chapter’s board, KSLA Brandywine Valley Forge, for nine or so years. I am currently the vice president and will assume the presidency role in July 2023. I have been active the past two years on our state literacy association’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee.
By being a member, I have had the opportunity to continue to learn about current research and trends in the field. Over the years, I often attended after-school and Saturday morning workshops hosted by three of the area chapters of KSLA. It has been a fantastic way to learn about new literacy methods to apply to the classroom, to learn about new books, to meet local authors of children’s literature, and to network with fellow educators. My time on the board has allowed me to expand my network and to help bring high-quality programming to learners including current teachers, preservice teachers, retired educators, and really anyone passionate about helping kids improve their literacy skills to meet the demands of our world and future world. To me, it is all about what we can do to prepare our youth for now and beyond.
What do you like to do when you’re not wearing your educator hat?
When not working, I am frequently involved with many volunteering efforts. I am a U.S. figure skating judge and am an ice dancer. I am a member of my county’s suicide prevention task force and provide suicide prevention and awareness training. I volunteer with a county nonprofit family grief center called A Haven. I am on the board of Pennsylvania’s Council for Exceptional Children and Council of Administrators of Special Education.
Additionally, I enjoy participating in a shared reading group that has been meeting via zoom since the pandemic began. It is modeled after the United Kingdom’s shared reading approach. In a shared reading group, we gather to read anything: novels, poems, short stories. A reader leader will bring the literature to share and others in the group may make suggestions too. There is no reading in advance except by the reader leader who facilitates the sessions. It is done in real time together. Group members are encouraged to respond to the text in a personal way by sharing feelings, thoughts, or memories elicited by the text. The approach allows for a shared language to help us understand ourselves and each other better.
What advice would you give a new teacher that either you received or wish you had?
I tell new teachers that they must remember becoming a good teacher will take time and to always be on the watch for ways to gain new skills and perspectives on how to teach students. I encourage them to join organizations such as ILA and KSLA to keep up with the field, to network, to keep learning—to be a role model as lifelong learners who are constantly curious about life and the world.
What can literacy educators do to motivate kids to want to read?
Teachers need to start by making personal connections with each student and establishing an environment that is safe, inviting, and one in which the student feels that they belong, are valued, and respected. Teachers need to make what is being studied authentic and relevant to the students, and design lessons that eliminate barriers to learning while taking into consideration that each student brings a varied learning profile to the classroom community. I honestly can’t emphasize enough the need to make healthy connections with each student as a whole student. They are someone’s child, a grandchild, a sibling, a friend, involved in scouts or other clubs of interest, a kid who is good at certain sports, the arts, STEM, and so forth. Take time to know them, let them have a voice in the learning process, listen to them, and honor them.
What has changed the most in education since you first started in the field?
Oh my. So many things have changed in both positive and not-so-positive ways. I will provide my perspectives on the positives that have emerged and evolved since 1989 when I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in special education. I think the level of family engagement has increased significantly with their children’s educational experiences. And the science of making education more accessible—whether it is via design and frameworks and/or with actual devices—to many students with significant learning challenges due to their “diverse abilities” is magical. The shift in focus on helping youth become more critical readers, writers, and thinkers is a major plus and needs to continue to forge ahead so that we equip our youth with the skills they need to be productive, successful adults who contribute to their communities in positive ways. Education has finally begun to truly see students for who they are as individuals and as a collective. It’s about time.
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