Presenter+Bio+and+Contact+Information

= Dr. Megan Salemi =

Dr.Salemi has enjoyed 10 years of teaching and learning from students. She currently teaches 5th grade at New Hope Christian Academy. Prior to her tenure at New Hope, she served as a special education teacher for the Memphis City School System. She worked at Hanley Elementary, A.B. Hill Elementary, and Geeter MIddle School as a resource teacher, working in both pull-out and inclusion settings.

Dr. Salemi vehemently resisted teaching as a profession after the long hours spent in her mother's classrooms and administrative offices before school, after school, and on weekends. After graduating from Rhodes College in Memphis with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and religious studies, she worked as a case manager for homeless women and children at Whitehaven Southwest Mental Health Center. She discovered that her greatest joy came from working with the children of the families affected by mental illness and homelessness. Consequently, she earned her teaching credentials from the University of Memphis in order to make a larger impact on children. She holds a Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership from Union University in Jackson, Tennessee.

She believes firmly that children and their educations are more than products to be measured by graduation and assessments. Although these measures are necessary and important, there is more to be gained and developed through teaching and learning. Her research in creativity showed that students can be taught to be more creative, that this increased creativity can be measured, and that it affects students' brain development and learning potential. Dr. Salemi is indebted to Lori Carter for mentoring her in teaching reading to students and for always having a great book at the ready for her own reading pleasure. Their collaboration has increased her integration of technology into teaching reading and developing critical readers.

Email: msalemi@newhopememphis.org

 * Twitter**: **MeganSalemi**