Theresa Nellis

Theresa teaches an exceptional group of elementary students who serve as her unwitting muse. Sorry tiny humans—no extra credit!

In her free time, she likes to be taken on long walks by her dog (yes, the dog is in charge), is an avid reader and writer, and enjoys planning creative activities for her students. Naughty leprechauns have vandalized her classroom and thwarted would-be treasure hunters with their deposit of little brown nuggets. Ugh—some students even ate it!

And let’s not forget about the gingerbread cookies who like to run rampant throughout the school, teasing students with a meager trail of crumbs and notes that lead to nowhere. Well—we had to practice our map skills somehow!

She is amazed at how quickly her students perform just about anything with the slightest melody from her angelic voice. The Fat Lady from Harry Potter has nothing on her! Perhaps someone should tell her to replicate this behavior training with her dog. This brings us to another point. She often thinks she’s funny, even if she’s the only one in the room laughing.  She is a passionate supporter of animal rights, and her writing often includes animal protagonists. Her inspiration is a blend of her previous experience as a Social Worker combined with her classroom experiences—sprinkled with humor and twisted with dark, magical fantasy.

She received a Psychology Degree from the University at Albany, a Master’s Degree in Education from East Carolina University, and a Ph.D. in Education from North Central University.