About the Author

Debbie has been a national consultant since 2000, but still has those back to school dreams in the fall. After playing school in the basement of her childhood home in Lititz, Pennsylvania, she earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in education from Millersville University and Temple University and spent the next four decades as an educator. She's worked as a classroom teacher, migrant education teacher, Title I reading teacher, and literacy coach in Pre-K through grade 10 in diverse public school settings. Her love of teaching stems from her love of learning. I have always loved learning. Becoming a teacher was a way I could share that love of learning with children and eventually, with adults. A big part of her learning is listening to teachers and their professional development needs. When I work with teachers, I try to understand their needs by finding out what they know and listening to their questions. Then I begin where they are and work with them to help them take the next steps toward where they (and/or their school systems) want (them) to be. I believe in professional reading and professional learning communities, and support teachers in their quest to best meet the needs of all students in their classrooms. Debbie's ideas for her books also come from her work with teachers. She listens for frequently asked questions, patterns, teachers' needs, and keeps a writer's notebook to collect ideas, thoughts, and notes. Often, the old joke comes to mind: how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. That's how I write: Bit by bit, on planes, in hotel rooms, in my office on a rare day. Teachers' questions and comments spur me on through my daily, ongoing work in classrooms, which sustains my craft. Debbie's family has changed and grown in recent years. Her son, Jon, and daughter, Jessica, are both married, and she now has a granddaughter, Chloe, with another on the way. Debbie's husband, Tom, passed away in 2012.

Reviews

Sharon Bartlett reviewed Growing Independent Learners for Literacy K-3, a 2016 book by Debbie Diller, published by Stenhouse. She reports that it is an easy read full of ideas and practical solutions to the question of how to incorporate new standards into a classroom in order to help all learners to become independent. The first three chapters of the book center around developing successful minilessons, organizing the classroom and materials for success, and planning by organizing the standards that need to be taught. Subsequent chapters are devoted to in-depth explanations of how to implement literacy stations to address comprehension of literature and informational text, foundational skills, writing and speaking, listening and language. Each chapter has model lessons and independent activities to reinforce the standards being addressed. Ms. Diller also devotes time to help teachers problem solve difficulties that might arise and to find ways to dig deeper into the content being presented.
A CURRICULUM OF HOPE
FOR A PEACEFUL WORLD