Valerie Rister is a 30 plus veteran teacher of 6th grade through college age students. She has taught such subjects as communications, digital literacy, information communication technology, Reading, Literature, and Writing, as well as preparation for high school, college and graduate school. She has attained a Bachelor’s degree in English, Sociology, and History, a Masters in Language, Literacy and Specialized Instruction and Behavioral Disorders. She is ABD in the area of Curriculum Instruction. She holds 5 certifications in areas stemming from a deep interest and concern for assisting students growth and access to meet their goals. She graduated from the University of Kentucky for Undergraduate and ABD, and from DePaul with her masters in education and diagnostics. Her philosophy in teaching is to develop critical and creative thinkers for our future.