We are incredibly thrilled to announce that the amazing, Leslie Black will be joining us every Friday at 11:00 and 1:00 for an interactive story session involving: music, puppets, and most importantly character development!

Leslie Black was a kindergarten teacher at Bay Vista Fundamental Elementary School in St. Petersburg, Florida. In her 38 years of teaching she has had a broad range of experiences, from full year Head Start teacher, Migrant Education Program classroom teacher, then Oral Language specialist and consultant, Creative Arts teacher for a university early childhood program (focusing on integrating the arts and language skills), taught sixth grade, first grade and Montessori preschool, then, finally Kindergarten for over 20 years. For 8 years she served on a resource team of teachers in Pinellas County Schools, FL. researching, developing and presenting training in the field of character education.

Leslie was selected Alabama State Elementary Teacher of the Year in 1992, and in 1993 she was one of 5 teachers nationally to be inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame. She was a state finalist for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics Teaching (sponsored by the National Science Foundation) and received several civic awards in her community. She is a 1967 elementary education graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and received her masters degree from Utah State University in 1984 with a focus in emergent literacy and creativity.

She has also produced a CD of songs for young children titled, Connecting Hearts and Minds, words and music by Leslie Black. This CD of music intends to help young children think about important issues encompassing character development and various literacy skills. The first 12 songs are for character building, (connecting the heart). The other 8 songs are for curricular learning in the areas of reading, writing, math science and geography, (connecting the mind). The songs are full of energy, and deliver a spirited message the children delight in singing and using in their play. The simplicity of the melodies and text makes the songs easy to learn and remember.

We are so grateful to have Leslie be a part of Morningside School!