Tell Me: Episode #14 Judy Newman President of Scholastic Book Clubs:Teachers Are My Rockstars!

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Judy Newman believes, as I do, that we all have that power of one ability to create moments that can change lives for the better.   What struck me about this interview with the President of Scholastic Book Clubs is her passion for teachers, children  community and books.  She has made it her life-long mission to ensure they all remain connected through a variety of formats including distribution through Scholastic Book Clubs, her involvement and role as Board Member for the nationally acclaimed Reach Out And Read Program,in addition to facilitating and developing partnerships through grassroots community initiatives.

A big believer in community, she walks the talk.  Known as the "book lady" she has gifted books instead of candy every Halloween to thousands of children and families over the last 20 years.

Walk with us as Judy shares her journey and love of books which began as a young girl growing up in Newton, Massachussets.  It was here her appreciation for books began as her parents modelled the importance of reading always making sure her and her siblings had access to books and the freedom to choose what they read.   As a result she is steadfast in her belief that allowing children the freedom to choose what books they read is the most liberating and empowering gift we can give them..

She talks about her grandmother as being that power of one person who had a significant impact on her  life.  "My grandmother took me as I was..she just believed in me for who I was and I think that's what I've tried to do with my own children."

We talk about her belief that ALL TEACHERS ARE ROCKSTARS.  On more than one occasion during the interview she takes the time to emphasize her respect for teachers and belief that "teachers do the most important work on the planet."  She shares that if she wasn't in her current role with Scholastic, she would have wanted to teach.

Finally we get a sneak peak at her new book The New Dog In Town recently published by Scholastic on November 10th under the pen name of Pepper Springfield.   The book is the fifth in her highly successful Bobs andTweets series.

She encourages anyone who shares her passions to reach out to her at  http://www.judynewmanatscholastic.com.  You may also e-mail her at [e-mail].

See you on the path!

Thank you to our Sponsor, Hardenbergh Insurance Group.  Visit their website at https://www.hig.net or reach out to them in the Delaware Valley at 856.489.9100.  They also operate in 42 states across the country.

Finally, as Founder of Empower Kids, LLC, I love showcasing young talent.  I want to thank and recognize our musicians that take care of the musical Podcast Intro and Exit music.  Liam Graham is the guitarist, and Anna Yannessa, is a junior vocal major at the University of Missouri who plans on continuing studying voice performance at the graduate level.  She can be reached on Instagram @annyannessa19, on Twitter at @annayannessa and on FB at Anna Yannessa.

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