Allison is an educator, consultant, and writer focused on creating ethical and effective learning spaces in the arts, through her company The Critical Good. She has presented at several state music educator’s conferences and colleges on topics including classroom culture, trauma-informed care, and gender equity in jazz education. She also serves on the board of Keys 2 Success, a non-profit working to remove systemic barriers to music education for the children of Newark, NJ. Also, she is "obsessed with searching for the truth" as she put it. She wants to know how things work, why they work that way, and what she and others can do differently to be better. 

In so many ways as Allison started the show, I felt like she was reading from the script of my own mind. The constant questioning, the searching, the desire to find ways to be "better" all resonates with me so much. What makes people and these conversations so interesting though, is understanding the unique circumstances that got them this approach to life and how they actually make it real every day. As we started to work through it, it made for some really interesting discussion about what the "truth" actually is, how dependent we should be on others for our own fulfillment in life, and if we actually believe searching for the truth is worth it (among other things).

What was cool too about this convo is that for much of it, we used the framing of children/students to explore these points. As a teacher (and teacher of teachers) Allison has a lot of experience with kids and how they try and navigate the impossible maze that is life. So we used that for our scenarios to explore how Allison's value and approach to life can play out. She really made me think a lot and there is nothing more I appreciate than that.