Angels in My Classroom: How Second Graders Saved My Life

Angels in My Classroom: How Second Graders Saved My Life is a memoir that gives readers a detailed glimpse into the human factor of teaching by using humor, healing and joy to tell the story of how one teacher coped with her husband’s untimely death from cancer. The book (set in a picturesque neighborhood school in Chicago) details how Lee-Ann’s passion for her class of second graders allowed her to not only cope with her husband’s sickness and death, but also it helped her heal students who were also dealing with loss. As the story progresses and her husband’s death becomes inevitable, Lee-Ann realizes that her journey through grief is the catalyst she needed to leave her comfort zone of the classroom and embark on the journey of a thousand steps into a world without her husband. The book Angels in My Classroom is a solid example of the love that teachers not only have for their students, but the love that students show for their teachers in times of need.

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Lao Tzu Lee-Ann Meredith is a second grade teacher, author, Department Chairperson and education advocate who has spent the duration of her time in public education at John B. Murphy Elementary School in inner city Chicago. Often characterized as funny, dynamic, and an independent innovator, Lee-Ann cites her idol as Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus. Fluent in a wide range in instructional strategies for the elementary level, Lee-Ann is dedicated to being an advocate for children everywhere by implementing 'cutting edge' strategies to increase student achievement. Some of the issues that she spearhead included: promoting literacy throughout the building, leading community meetings to advocate for full day kindergarten for all students and helping implement the Responsive Classroom strategies throughout the school. In addition to working closely with the curriculum, she also had the honor to supervise (and mentor into teaching positions) numerous student teachers and practicum students from various post-secondary institutions around the Chicago area such as: Erikson Institute, National Louis, DePaul. Northeaster Illinois, Roosevelt, and North Park Universities. Born in Gary, Indiana, Lee-Ann was the oldest of six children, Lee-Ann found herself practicing her teacher skills from an early age and with a captive audience. In 1983 Lee-Ann married her husband, Mark, a kind, gentle, smart man who helped her raise two children, Alec and Elena . When their kids were thirteen and eleven years old, Mark was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and unfortunately died three years later. While Lee-Ann was financially stable, she become emotionally homeless mourning the death of the love of her life. Marred by her husband's untimely death due to colon cancer, Lee wrote the memoir, Angels in My Classroom: How Second Graders Saved My Life, to document how her students brought her joy in her utmost time of need. Currently Lee-Ann uses her time to be a freelance writer on issues occurring in education, traveling to be with her grandchildren, being a Usui Reiki Master and promoting her book. For speaking engagements, calendars of dates and ways to book her for a visit to your school, visit her at http: //www.msmeredith203.com.