Larry Ferlazzo is proactive in being a positive influence in education Larry Ferlazzo is a highly influential educator and author of nine books on teaching and education. He teaches English and Social Studies, and he specializes in teaching English Language Learners. Larry is known for sharing resources with other education professionals to help them improve their instruction techniques.
“I came to teaching after a 19-year career in community organizing, so I’m very interested in trying to influence social change,” he says. “As I became more familiar with how I could connect with educators online, I began to think about how I can use that to influence folks on education policy issues. My teaching style is a combination of both practical teaching and bringing a political perspective to the work.
“From the very beginning, one of the reasons I was attracted to teaching was I saw how people had dramatically improved their lives through organizing. I saw what they learned through organizing and how they could work with different people on common concerns, the value of diversity, and the power that people actually had. People were learning this in their twenties, thirties, forties, fifties, and sixties dramatically improving their lives.
“I thought that if people learn these skills a little earlier, they could improve their lives sooner. So that’s one of the reasons I originally got into teaching. And from the very beginning, I applied those skills to work in the classroom with students.”
I appreciate Larry’s thought leadership in education, and his willingness to speak up and share ideas with other professionals to make education better for all stakeholders involved.
Further Reading
- Education Week – Response: Underused Teaching and Learning Strategies
- The New York Times – Enriching Academic Vocabulary: Strategies for Teaching Tier Two Words to E.L.L. Students
- People – North Carolina Teacher Is Changing the Lives of Her ESL Students — and Their Families
Related reading
More on K-12 Teachers
