About

Penny Silvers is a professor of teacher education and literacy at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois. A former elementary teacher and reading specialist, she has written numerous articles and book chapters about language arts and reading. Her research interests include multiliteracies, critical literacy, authentic assessment, and professional development.

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In her long career as a teacher, Penny taught elementary grades for many years in Chicago, Evanston (Illinois), Cincinnati, Dallas, and New Orleans. She worked as a reading specialist in Buffalo Grove, Illinois for much of her career and upon retiring from public school teaching, became the director of elementary education at Barat College (Lake Forest, Illinois).  She also served as assistant professor at DePaul University in Chicago and associate professor at Dominican University. She is now a professor of literacy and teaches courses in children's literature, language arts, and reading.  For a number of years, Penny directed the Dominican Reading Academy for children from underserved urban communities in the Chicago area.

 

Penny says that becoming a teacher was an easy decision for her. "My mother was a teacher, and it was just something that came naturally to me. I was always telling others what to do and learned as a teacher that it's not about telling but rather about engaging students in exciting, meaningful, relevant learning experiences."

 

She is involved in professional organizations including National Council of Teachers of English and the International Literacy Association, and is passionate about advocacy for children and excellence in schools.  Penny has given many national and international professional presentations. She has two grown sons and nine grandchildren and has had the privilege of being able to read books with each and every one of them and currently resides in the the suburbs of Chicago.

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Penny is an active senior, passionate about bringing the love of reading into the lives of children and to their families, and creating a more positive view of busy, involved grandmothers who still find a way to spend quality time with their grandchildren.