About Angela

ANGELA WATSON (formerly Powell) has earned international recognition for her unique contributions to the field of education. She was first known for Ms. Powell’s Management Ideas for Teachers, a website she created in 2003 to share behavior management strategies, teaching techniques, organizational tips, and Christian devotions. The site was later expanded and renamed TheCornerstoneForTeachers.com.

Angela’s ideas have been featured in a variety of magazine articles, newsletters, and Internet resources, and are utilized in teacher preparation and support programs throughout the nation. Having earned a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction and National Board Certification as an Early Childhood Generalist, she currently works as an Educational Consultant based in New York City and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Consulting Services

As founder and owner of Due Season Press and Educational Services, Angela conducts a wide range of professional development work. She also provides ongoing instructional coaching services to teachers in New York City, working as an Instructional Technology Coach for AUSSIE/Digital School Solutions. Angela has served as both a Math Coach and Literacy Coach with teachers in grades PreK-8.

Through job-embedded professional development, she is available to model demonstration lessons, support teachers in lesson and unit planning, provide informal observations and feedback, and help teachers transform their rooms into functional spaces that support both classroom management and student learning. She frequently assists teachers in creating and utilizing centers, incorporating cooperative learning strategies, integrating technology and web 2.0 tools, and developing and implementing the use of hands-on materials.

Angela also conducts professional development workshops on math, literacy, and family outreach topics, and specializes in Cornerstone Classroom Management and Cornerstone Pro-Active Behavior Management seminars. Most recently, she has begun creating webinars on these topics for on-demand viewing. Her live presentations often include individual/grade-level consultations and classroom organizational makeovers. Please visit the Consultations page for more information.

Publishing

Angela is the owner and founder of Due Season Press and Educational Services, an independent publisher that provides professional development services correlated with educational and inspirational books.

Books

Angela published her first book The Cornerstone: Classroom Management That Makes Teaching More Effective, Efficient, and Enjoyable in July ’08. She re-released the title with her own publishing company in May ’09. Angela published her second book Awakened: Change Your Mindset to Transform Your Teaching in July ’11.

Editorial Work

Angela is the Educational Editor for BrainPOP Jr, an award-winning and internationally recognized company that creates animated, curriculum-based content. In this capacity, she outlines movie script topics and copy edits and content edits the BrainPOP Jr scripts, quizzes, and features to ensure they’re developmentally appropriate and aligned with state standards. Additionally, Angela oversees K-12 lesson plan creation and curriculum resources for BrainPOP Educators.

Website Creation

TheCornerstoneForTeachers.com was launched in July 2008, but began in 2003 as Ms. Powell’s Management Ideas for Teachers. Site stats include:

* hundreds of pages of free resources
* more than a dozen best-of-web awards
* dedicated message board forums utilized by over 900 educators
* 26,817 incoming links from other education websites
* 1,280,799 page views in 2011
* 207,099 page views for January 2012

Blogging Experience

Angela began blogging nearly eight years ago and is currently writing two well-respected edublogs. The newest (as of August 2008) is The Cornerstone Blog, which features humorous and insightful reflections on classroom life, relevant commentary on educational news, and useful reviews of both print and online teacher resources. Her second blog is The Cornerstone Devotions for Teachers, which provides spiritual encouragement for educators. Angela has also blogged collaboratively with several other influential bloggers at In Practice. In addition, she micro-blogs on Twitter (@Angela_Watson), posts frequent status updates on her Facebook page, and contributes regularly to her message board forums The Cornerstone yGroup.

Freelance Writing Articles

Weekly Ed World Column: Ms. Powell’s Organization Tips Read an entire school year’s worth of organizational advice! Fresh ideas for managing classroom materials, reducing clutter, and overcoming paperwork overload.

Teacher Resources at BrightHub.com Angela is now a regular contributor to both the K-12 Learning Channel and Special Education Channel. Visit Bright Hub to read expertly written articles, ask questions, offer opposing views, and discuss content in a variety of forums for educators.

Education Articles at eHow.com Angela has written dozens of eHow articles as a freelance writer for Demand Studios. Some of her titles include: How to Teach Math Facts, How to Make Math Games for Kids, Planning a Classroomm Party, How to Make a Homemade Pack Organizer for a School Desk, Making Japanese Fans with Children, How to Build Thermometers for Kids,Teach Kids to Use a Compass, and How to Teach Locomotor Skills to Kids.

Featured In

‘Better Teaching’ Newsletters School systems and universities across the country have featured these articles from Angela’s site on brain breaks, grading, family outreach, and more.

Teacher Feature: Token Economies Interview on the innovative ‘World’s Easiest Token Economy’, a system later referenced on the NEA‘s website.

Teachers.Net Gazette ‘Teacher Feature” Classroom Photos. Includes a photographic class tour.

Curriculum Contributions

Angela has a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction and actively seeks opportunities to create and review curricular materials in order to improve the quality of student instruction nationwide.

University of Oregon-OELP Angela’s cooperative learning and transition tip resources were utilized in the creation of an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) course for teachers, as part of a collaboration with the University of Oregon. The university also utilized those ideas for a 14 module video and paper manual in a national service project for a US State Department, Office of English Language Programs (OELP) teacher training program.

PGCPS Head Start Curriculum Angela was selected to participate in a district-wide, collaborative effort to create a standardized curriculum and align it with developmentally appropriate objectives for the HeadStart program of Prince George’s County, Maryland. This undertaking resulted in a uniform district curriculum complete with sample lesson plans and supporting resources impacting over 800 students each year.

Teaching Expertise, Training, and Certification

* Florida teaching certification (300 hours) in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), 2009
* National Board Certification, Early Childhood Generalist, 2006
* M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from Western Maryland College, 2002
* B.S. in Early Childhood Education and Art from Hood College, 1999
* 11 years classroom teaching experience (grades HeadStart/Pre-K, 2, 3) primarily in Title 1 schools
* Demonstration Teacher and Mentor for new and student teachers for 9 years
* Extensive inclusion work with students who have ADHD, LD, ED/EI, ODD, autism, and Asperger’s
* Expertise in differentiated instruction, reading/writing workshop, balanced literacy, and web 2.0 tools

Mission Statement

Angela’s primary mission is to inspire and rejuvenate educators, instilling confidence through practical suggestions for classroom management and instruction. She aspires to make each reader’s teaching life more effective, efficient, and enjoyable. Her ultimate goal is to bring glory to the Lord and turn people’s hearts and minds toward Him through her daily work.