Small Groups, Big Impact

Born to teach. That's the phrase that comes to mind when listening to Tanara Livingston's remarkable story. Speaking from the bustling ASCD, ISTE conference in San Antonio, this Title I facilitator from Mobile County Training Middle School reveals she began her teaching career at just ten years old—running a paid tutoring program for younger children in her neighborhood. Fourteen years into her professional teaching career, that same entrepreneurial spirit and natural aptitude for education continues to define her approach.

Website: spotlight4success.com

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
Welcome to Spotlight for Success by American Book
Company.
I'm Devin Pintosi, your host.
We are here at wonderful, sunnySan Antonio, texas, at the ASCD
ISTE conference.
It's the biggest conferenceK-12 in the United States and
we're so happy here to be joinedby Tanera Livingston so happy
to have her here.

(00:26):
She is with the Mobile CountyTraining Middle School in Mobile
County, so we're so happy tohave you involved here from
Mobile, Alabama.
How was your flight or drivehere?

Speaker 2 (00:40):
The flight was.
It was smooth.
We had a good flight here.

Speaker 1 (00:44):
Oh, that's wonderful and tell me a bit about what
brings you here.
Tanera to ISTE and ASCD.

Speaker 2 (00:51):
Okay, at my school I serve as the Title I facilitator
and when we did our studentsurveys, one of the things that
the kids wanted to see more ofis technology integration.
So we're here today to see whatnew programs or what new things
that we can bring to the school.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
Oh, that's wonderful, and are there certain things
that you're like, wow, I reallywant to have that in my school?

Speaker 2 (01:14):
Yes, the ABC ACAP books is the thing that I'm
pushing for.
One of my friends at aneighboring school uses those
books and it's so aligned to theAlabama curriculum and the ACAP
testing so I just really wantthose books in our school.

Speaker 1 (01:33):
Oh, that's so awesome .
Yeah, we've got a lot of greatsuccess stories of students and
teachers with the ACAP, with ourprogram.
That's wonderful to hear.
So tell me a bit, to narrow,about your journey.
What brought you into becominga teacher?

Speaker 3 (01:46):
Thank you for watching Spotlight for Success.
I am Devin Pintosi, chiefOperating Officer of American
Book Company.
We are located here in ourheadquarters in Woodstock,
georgia.
All of our materials areprinted in USA.
We have course books, e-booksand online testing in grades K

(02:09):
through 12 in mathematics, ela,science and social studies.
These materials are alldesigned to help students
achieve higher scores on theirstate-specific high-stakes
assessments.
We guarantee score improvement.
You can get free samples of ourmaterials either in print or in

(02:30):
electronic formats atabck12.com.
We look forward to hearing fromyou.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
Okay, so I always wanted to be a teacher.
I have a funny story.
When I was 10 years old, I hada tutoring program.
I would get paid to teach theyounger kids in my neighborhood.
Their parents would pay me totutor them.
Amazing, and you were how old Iwas 10 years old.
I had a working tutoring programat 10 years old and my aunt,

(02:59):
who actually lives in SanAntonio right now, she has a
story.
She worked for the governmentso she would come home and visit
me in Mobile from Korea at thattime and she had a story about
how she would come in myelementary fifth grade classroom
and I would be teaching theclassroom.
So I just always wanted to be ateacher.

Speaker 1 (03:21):
That is awesome, and how long have you been teaching?

Speaker 2 (03:23):
This is year 14.

Speaker 1 (03:25):
Wow, that is so great .
And is there anything inparticular you're hoping to get
out of the conference today?
You're like this is why I camehere.

Speaker 2 (03:34):
Yeah, I just want to find different ways to engage my
students, to build a positiveculture in the classroom, things
that I know.
You know I don't like to havejust a regular boring book paper
classroom.
I want things to be engaging.
Also, this year my school we'vegone into even though it's a
middle school, we've gone intosmall group rotations.

(03:56):
So technology has been a greatpart of those small group
rotations, part of those smallgroup rotations.
So that's one of the reasonswhy I want the ABC books,
because I wanted to use thoselessons to reinforce the
standards in my small groups.

Speaker 1 (04:11):
Oh, that's so awesome .
Yeah, because we have thee-books and the online testing
too, yes, that's so great.
Well, tanera, that's so great.
Is there anything else you'dlike to share with the ASCD ISTE
community?

Speaker 2 (04:24):
Like I said, I'm excited about this conference.
I'm excited about being hereand learning new things.

Speaker 1 (04:32):
Oh, that's so awesome .
Well, Tanera, thank you so muchfor joining us today.
Tanera Livingston is joining usfrom the Mobile County School
System in Mobile, Alabama.
Thank you.

Speaker 2 (04:42):
Thank you for having me.