{"id":9947,"date":"2019-11-13T10:13:22","date_gmt":"2019-11-13T18:13:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=9947"},"modified":"2019-11-13T10:13:22","modified_gmt":"2019-11-13T18:13:22","slug":"fielding-grad-mallory-price-leads-for-literacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=9947","title":{"rendered":"Fielding Grad Mallory Price Leads for Literacy"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Mallory

Mallory Price, From Schools of Thought, Santa Barbara Independent, November 7, 2019.<\/p><\/div>\n

Adams Elementary School\u2019s Literacy Coach Is New Breed of Educator<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mallory Price<\/a> is part of a new breed of educators out there, one that\u2019s not anchored to a classroom or a particular grade\u2019s curriculum but rather to skilled listening, problem solving, and relationship building.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy primary role is to support teachers,\u201d said Price, who is in her third year as the literacy coach at Adams Elementary School<\/a>. With some support from Santa Barbara Unified School District<\/a>, she received her doctorate from Fielding Graduate University<\/a>, which inspired her \u201cto see beyond the walls of my own classroom, ultimately leading to the realization that I can have a greater impact if I step out of the classroom and expand my reach in a new role.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Price worked closely with former Adams principal Amy Alzina<\/a> to become the district\u2019s first literacy coach, and she was then then supported by the new principal, Kelly Fresch<\/a>, who came from a school that had literacy coaches. \u201cThe stars were aligned for me,\u201d said Price, \u201cand she was the perfect principal for them to hire at that time!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Price works with teachers in cycles and allows them to determine which areas they want their students to focus on. \u201cIf the teachers don\u2019t trust you, it\u2019s going to be hard to have them open the door and trust you,\u201d she explained.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Price grew up in Summerland, attending Summerland School, Crane School, and Santa Barbara High, and is the daughter of retired Cold Spring superintendent\/ principal Tricia Price, also a Fielding grad. Education may be in her blood \u2014 her grandfather Jim Thorsell was a teacher at Washington School for about 30 years \u2014 but she had zero interest in teaching when she was growing up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But after graduating from the University of Washington, Price started working as an instructional aide at Summerland School. \u201cI just needed a job and wasn\u2019t going to stay long, but it\u2019s the classic story \u2014 I fell in love with teaching,\u201d laughed Price, who then got her teaching credential and master\u2019s from Antioch University in Santa Barbara.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Eight years ago, she became a kindergarten teacher at Adams. It wasn\u2019t the grade she wanted, \u201cbut I just kept surprising myself. I ended up falling in love with kindergarten too, and I did that for five years at Adams.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During that time, she also traveled to New York every summer for the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s the best professional learning experience I\u2019ve ever had; it\u2019s transformational,\u201d said Price. \u201cIt\u2019s based on some research from some of the smartest literacy experts from around the world, and it really treats teachers like professionals. You feel like you\u2019re with the best people who are really passionate about what they\u2019re doing.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now she\u2019s using that model here in Santa Barbara. \u201cKids learn and grow and fall in love with reading when they can choose their own books. I never really loved reading until I got to choose my own book and I chose to read Harry Potter <\/i>for the first time,\u201d said Price, who added that one of her favorite activities has been helping teachers set up their classroom libraries. \u201cThe district has been amazing and has purchased libraries for every single classroom.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thanks to Price\u2019s success, the district now has literacy coaches at each elementary school: Barbara Conway (Washington\/Franklin), Courtney-Firth Williams (Cleveland\/Roosevelt), Sandy Robertson (SBCA), Amy Gates (McKinley\/Monroe), and Lindsay Alker (Harding).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI love it,\u201d said Price of transitioning from traditional teacher to coach. \u201cI don\u2019t think I could ask for it to go any better with my colleagues. I wasn\u2019t sure how it would go, but they\u2019re so supportive, and I feel like all of them welcomed me and want me there.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Click here<\/a> to read this story as it originally appeared in the Santa Barbara Independent<\/em><\/a> on November 7, 2019. SB Independent Schools of Thought Insert 11.7.19<\/a><\/p>\n

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