Hello!
I'm Rachel Rothman-Perkins, an education consultant with over 20 years of experience teaching, coaching, and providing professional development in early childhood and elementary education. My commitment to providing energizing and empowering learning opportunities for educators focused on culturally and developmentally responsive practices led me to form We Grow Together, LLC in 2022.
During my seven years as a classroom teacher and school-based instructional coach, I was grounded in the work of culturally relevant pedagogy, both through the support of the Oak Grove School District in San Jose, CA and their partnership with Glenn Singleton (CourageousConversations.com) as well through coursework while earning a masters degree in equity-centered literacy education and leadership from San Jose State University.
For over a decade, I had the privilege of working alongside schools both nationally and internationally in my role as a Senior Staff Developer for Columbia University's Teachers College Reading and Writing Project (TCRWP).
In my work as founder and consultant at We Grow Together, LLC, I partner with schools and districts to bring the best of current practices from research and classrooms to educators across the country.
In Pre-K through 2nd grade classrooms my work focuses on:
play-based learning and ways to ensure that planning for work spaces, materials, and invitations are purposeful and powerful in that they nurture social-emotional development and academic skills
comprehensive literacy instruction, including a specialized focus on foundational skills, emergent literacy, and integration of play and social-emotional learning across the curriculum
approaching teaching and learning through the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the form of think tank leadership, equity team membership, and instructional practice development and coaching
Some examples of my additional contributions to the field include:
Co-Founder and Leader of the Growing Together Summer Summit professional learning experience
Founder of Grow Together Gatherings, free gathering spaces for early childhood collaboration and advocacy
TCRWP Pre-K-Institute (co-creator and leader, 2016-2022)
Blog Post: Fostering Authorship, Identity, and Agency in the Early Childhood Classroom
NCTE Presentation: Using Storytelling, Writing and Read Alouds to Amplify Students' Voices and As the Guiding Light Needed to Create Culturally Relevant Curriculum
Co-author of Small Moments, a Writing Unit of Study
Partner Learning Communities
Below are some of our partner schools and districts whose teachers, specialists, instructional coaches, and leaders have contributed to the collective growth of the We Grow Together community.
Belmont-Redwood Shores School District, CA
Caldwell-West Caldwell Public Schools - Harrison School, NJ
Edgerton School District, WI
Kingston City School District Children's House, NY
Little Brooklyn Pre-K Centers, NYC
New Bridges Elementary School, NYC
Palo Alto Unified School District, CA
The River School, NYC (Pre-K)
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Early Childhood Program, CA (Pre-K and TK)
Waterside Children's Studio School, NYC
Weekday School, NJ
We Grow Together Team Members
Aida Sanchez-Lobashov is an early childhood educator and teacher leader in New York City. Aida is passionate about integrating play, literacy and social emotional education with culturally responsive and sustaining education practices. Aida works in her school as a data specialist, special education teacher, equity leader and supports her school with family engagement. She has presented both locally and nationally, including the NCTE annual conference.
Kris McPherson has worked as a literacy coach, primary academic intervention specialist, and classroom teacher in general education and special education settings at Waterside Children’s Studio School in Rockaway Park, NY. She has been a teacher mentor, grade team leader, and an active member of her school’s Equity Leadership Team. She has also been awarded a Master Teacher fellow for Math for America in New York City. In addition, she has facilitated a wide-range of professional development opportunities, including a NCTE presentation related to furthering equity work by enhancing students’ knowledge of their identities through writing. She has been actively involved in a variety of coaching, specialty and leadership groups, and was recently accepted as a Peer Collaborative Teacher by New York City’s Department of Education. She has a passion for working with other educators to create and adapt a culturally responsive and sustainable pedagogy within early childhood education.
Sarah Rokhsar believes that children learn best when they feel nurtured and supported; when they feel seen and heard; when they believe in the team that is guiding them; and when those around them believe in their capabilities in overcoming adversities. A teacher for more than 11 years, Sarah has taught a range of grades and various learners including those with learning differences such as autism, students with speech and language difficulties and those who have dyslexia. Sarah was a teacher mentor and learning coach for other educators. Her classroom was used as a labsite to lead inquiry and advance teacher practice. She has spent the last year and half mentoring teachers virtually and designing curriculum to help students find success in literacy and mathematics. Sarah was born and raised in New York. She graduated from Long Island University's C.W Post campus with her B.A. in elementary education and her M.A. in special education. She continued her learning at Columbia University's Teachers College where she received her Masters in Education as a Literacy Specialist.