Student Success Planning

Elizabeth has an extensive background in communications and performance, founding both theater companies and comedy groups in NYC, producing shows for public radio, and writing for educational and cultural organizations. She has founded and worked with a wide range of non-profit organizations, including Ecomix, Sing for Hope, Storahtelling, Cherub Improv, Community Access to the Arts, Earth Celebrations, Youthbuild, AMIKids, and 13 Hands Equine Rescue.

Elizabeth has also acted as the Director of Local Programming for Hope Sings, where she and founder Beth Blatt worked in partnership with nonprofit organizations to produce musical events like Songs for a Cause and recordings that raise awareness of critical social issues facing women and children both locally and around the world. 

Growing up, I struggled with ADHD and Dyslexia, as well as a good dose of social anxiety, back when these things were seen more as weaknesses of character than actual, neurological conditions. Teachers were ever perplexed and frustrated by my seeming inability to ‘live up to my academic potential, while continually discounting my learning differences and social emotional challenges. 

As a result, I came to believe that I simply lacked the skills necessary to succeed in life, a belief that took many years to debunk and tripped me up mightily along the way. My school experience inspired me though, to seek out and create real-world relevant, readily applicable tools for promoting student success for all types of learners, both in and outside of the classroom. The culmination of this quest was the development of the ThinkBuildLive Success series.

 I am a big proponent of experiential, project-based, cooperative, and self-directed learning with a strong emphasis on social emotional support and development. I believe in doing all we can to help promote in students a sense of self and social awareness while encouraging creative, out-of-the-box engagement with subject matter. 

I am also a big fan of service learning--particularly when it aligns with a student's area of interest. I believe in helping students leverage their existing strengths in support of new skill development by continually emphasizing what is working for them over what is not. The teachers I have found most inspiring over the years are those who know how to invite students into an active investigative process, engage their curiosity, and activate their strengths. 

These teachers get to know their students in a way that allows them to discover and speak to each individual’s point of engagement. In other words, they meet the student where they are, while encouraging them to look beyond their perceived limitations.