This week Dr. Suri speaks with Amber Pleasant and Melissa Scheinfeld to discuss educating citizenship. Zachary Suri also reads his original poem, “With Every Breath.”

Amber Pleasant is an Austin educator. She spent nine years teaching 3rd-8th grade in local public schools. For the past four years, Amber worked for Austin ISD as a Social and Emotional Learning Specialist. She is the current Program Director for the Amala Foundation.

Melissa Scheinfeld has spent the last 14 years working in education with a particular focus on equitable access for all students and teacher sustainability.  After spending eight years as a high school social studies teacher and instructional coach, Melissa transitioned into working at the central office of a network of charter schools to build a Teacher Career Pathway.  While challenging to leave the direct work of teaching in a classroom, this opportunity allowed her to continue working towards the long-term viability of the teaching role.  Melissa is currently with IDEA Public Schools serving as the Vice President of Teacher Advancement, building pathway programs to support teacher retention and teacher development.  These programs include new teacher development programs, teacher residency to bring new teachers into the career with a robust training program, coaching programs for teacher-managers (typically assistant principals), and a teacher evaluation and recognition program.  Melissa lives in Austin, TX with her husband Dave and 2-year-old daughter Antonia.