Poems From Quaranteens---An Anthology of Poetry From Buffy Hamilton's 8th Grade Writers During the Covid-19 Pandemic

I am an 8th grade Language Arts teacher at Chestatee Academy in Gainesville, Georgia with 27 years of experience in public education; I am passionate about creating meaningful learning experiences for learners of all ages. My interests include literacy learning experiences, participatory learning and culture, ethnographic studies, and writing literacies. I especially love writing instruction and embrace a studio/workshop approach to teaching literacy skills with young people.

In addition, I’m a 2011 Library Journal Mover and Shaker who loves dogs, shopping, running, music, and poetry. In addition to blogging here, I have previously blogged for DMLcentral.

My career path began with 20 years of service to the Cherokee County School District as an English teacher, technology specialist, and school librarian. I moved to Cleveland, Ohio in January 2013 to serve as the Learning Strategist for the Cleveland Public Library. When my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in late June 2013, I returned home to Georgia and resumed my career in Georgia public schools. Since 2013, I’ve served as a media specialist at Norcross High and Chattahoochee High, an 11th and 12th Language Arts teacher at Lanier High, and a Title I Writing teacher at Chestatee Academy. My heart truly lies in being a literacy educator and working in the classroom with students.