Grace Shickler is a native New Yorker with over 25 years of experience in education. She began in the New York City public school system with a high-achieving population of parents of gifted children on the Upper West Side. Within that position, Grace balanced classroom excellence with warm connections to families and personal school leadership experiences.
“I had the good fortune of an excellent cooperating teacher for my undergraduate teaching practicum. She impressed me with her diligent work ethic and high standards for all learners. She also taught me that nutrition, love and individualized attention were factors in a student’s success. Later, working with gifted children, I practiced nurturing the socio-emotional development of the learner, not just his or her academic prowess”.
As her understanding of progressive education grew, Grace left the Upper West Side to be a founding teacher at a parent-teacher collaborative serving students only steps from the apartment where Grace grew up in Inwood Heights. Collegiality, shared decision-making and continuing education were a priority in this environment as well as multi-age classrooms, bilingual learners and school cultural events. Simultaneously, Grace was able to pursue her master’s degree at the City College of New York and work with new teachers coming into the NYC board of education system.
“I felt like I was “coming home” to teach in the very neighborhood where I grew up. This was a time in my life when my Spanish fluency was at a high level as we wrote extensive narrative reports for each child in both English and Spanish. My colleagues and director at this school shaped me to be vigilant about racism, gender bias and cultural stereotypes. Additionally, we were supported and encouraged to engage in professional dialogue, institutes, organizations and conferences regularly. I learned to give back to the teaching community and practice leadership alongside my talented peers.”
After the birth of her first child, Grace moved from the elementary classroom to the graduate school level of teaching: “Teaching teachers was exhilarating because their drive to improve and solidify excellent teaching was so strong” This experience sparked a passion for working with teachers that Grace continues to fuel. Upon moving to Georgia, Grace began an exhaustive search for the right school for her own two sons. Finding an environment for them to thrive involved countless hours of web research, school visits and interviews. “I know, first hand, what parents go through to find a school where they feel that the fit matches their family values and expectations. As an educator, I know what to look for and what metrics to scrutinize”.
Eventually, Grace became the principal at her children’s school and also worked extensively in Admissions. She balanced parent volunteerism with her leadership responsibilities and built strong connections with her faculty and administrative teams. Grace placed a high value on professional development for teachers and strong relationships with parents. She also garnered a great deal of experience in the area of identifying the need for additional academic support for students by supervising the learning specialist team.
“My role as principal evolved as I matured as a parent myself. I grew to be a better listener and more empathetic leader. I learned how to come to the table with stronger action plans for student’s success. I spent an infinite amount of time in classrooms studying master teachers and modeling for teachers who were struggling. The students at my school were aware that my office was a safe space of acceptance and support and would sometimes independently ask for my help. The parents in my program grew to trust me with their hopes and fears as well as grief or anxiety. I sought to educate families about child development and build bridges of understanding about classroom practice. I have a particular affinity for literacy curriculum and community experiences like a child-led weekly town meeting for all grade levels.”
In 2016, Grace Shickler began Consult with Grace as a way to continue sharing her expertise with parents, teachers, and schools that need support.