shira
The mom of two children who are now in their twenties, Shira is the CEO and founder of Discovery Village, a premier childcare center and preschool in Tarrytown, N.Y. Known for her expertise in educational leadership, project based learning, and character education, Shira is co-author of the book The Coach Approach to School Leadership: Leading Teacher's to Higher Levels of Effectiveness. She served for twenty years as elementary school principal of schools throughout New Jersey, Westchester, and New York City. Shira holds a Ph.D in Education and serves as an adjunct faculty member and dissertation advisor for doctoral students at Northeastern University's graduate school of education.
Self-Care for Busy Moms on a Budget
Recently, I’ve become incredibly interested in self-care for busy moms on a budget. I’ve been reaching out to people I know, mostly busy moms on a budget. As I ask them about self-care, I’ve...
What Being Essential Means To Me: Choosing Love
Looking back at old photographs, I found a tattered, wrinkled picture that had hung above my bed in my freshman dorm in college. My heart stirred as I encountered anew what was once one...
The Top 5 Things I Have Learned in 25 Years of Being A Mom
This month I celebrate a quarter of a century of being a mom. My firstborn is turning 25!
Remembering my girl, at the various stages of her life, I approach her 25th birthday with profound...
In Celebration of Our Schools: Our Quiet (Not So Quiet) Learning Revolution
Way back in the early years of the twenty-first century, perhaps 2003 or 2004, I no longer remember precisely, a child in a school where I served as principal was diagnosed with leukemia. Doctors...
Local Holiday Shopping {With Online Options}
Find ideal, thoughtful gifts for friends and family. Show self-care by treating yourself. Support local businesses. Shop small. Enjoy local holiday shopping! #ShopWestchester
Bonus: Most of these businesses also provide an exceptional online shopping experience, offering the...
Hey, Mamas, We Are Enough and So Are Our Kids!
Sometimes motherhood feels like juggling flaming torches while riding a unicycle on a tightrope. And that was before the pandemic began.
It is beautiful, magical, precious, and joyous to be a mom. It’s also hard, really...
Halloween in the Age of COVID and Beyond
To trick or treat or not to trick or treat does not need to be the only question this year as we prepare to celebrate Halloween in the midst of a pandemic. A holiday...
Crisis and Possibility: Hope for the Future of Schools Following the Pandemic
Back in 2010, when I was serving as a lower school principal at Schechter Westchester (now the Leffell School), I participated in writing a strategic plan for what the school could become. Giving ourselves...
No Recipes: Insights From Generations Past on Teaching and Modeling Anti-Racism and Anti-Bias to...
Years ago, as a young mother and educator, I started writing a parenting book, which was far more audacious than I understood at the time. The book was tentatively titled A Recipe for Heroes:...
Ways to Help Children Understand How to Be Anti-Racist
Protests for racial justice and conversations about what it means to be anti-racist have led parents and educators throughout the world to soul search. What does it mean to be anti-racist? How can we...