Consultants

Jane Felling is co-author of the award winning Box Cars and One Eyed Jacks series and has been a leader in the area of games as a teaching strategy for over 25 years. She has been a featured speaker at the National ASCD and NCTM conferences as well as the ASCD Summer Conference on Teacher Excellence, hundreds of provincial and state conferences and has worked with thousands of teachers and students during her consulting career. Her research for her masters was in the area of game instruction theory and she has taught K-8 and special education as part of her contracts. She has helped implement several school-wide adoptions of the Box Cars resources and is passionate about helping teachers with brain compatible instructional strategies. Jane is known for her high energy presentation style and her engaging, informative, practical workshops.

John Felling has been an educator and educational leader for the past 35 years. He is also a published author and consultant providing insight and expertise in the areas of Math, English Language Arts, Physical Education, Teaching and School Administration. He has presented throughout North America at many of the National conferences for the ASCD (including the ASCD Summer Conference on Teaching Excellence) and NCTM as well as many state and provincial teaching conferences. He still finds time to teach in classrooms a few days each month, staying current with the challenges facing students, teachers and administrators. John’s presentations provide insights and strategies to promote brain compatible learning along with a healthy dose of humour, helping participants to remember and apply what they learn.

Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from the University of New Mexico and is certified to teach elementary grades in both Missouri and Texas. She has taught science and mathematics to inner city children in the Walnut Park area of St. Louis, Missouri.

Stephanie’s responsibilities in her schools and districts have been numerous: including Title 1 Math tutors, the AIMS Web and Reasoning Mind programs, the Confluence Academy District’s Curriculum Writing Team for Science, the Mentor/Mentee Program for new teachers, and, of course, a group of students with unique academic needs, learning abilities and behavioral challenges. To meet these responsibilities Stephanie uses hands-on activities and other resources to give her students the motivation, opportunity and desire to hold themselves accountable for their learning. Recognizing her committment and skill, Confluence Academy Walnut Park named her their Most Professional teacher in 2009-2010 and their Most Dedicated in 2010-2011.

She has taught “At Risk” Kindergarten students, as well as students classified as ESL, OHI (ADD, ADHD), LD (formerly known as MR) and OCD.

For Box Cars, Stephanie’s workshops link our games-based approach to learning with her exceptionally diverse teaching experiences. No matter what unique challenges your classroom presents, Stephanie will help you meet them.

Allison Riddle has been an elementary educator in Northern Utah for the past 29 years.  She is currently the Elementary Mentor Supervisor for Davis School District where she leads the mentoring of over three hundred new elementary teachers. Allison is the 2014 Utah Teacher of the Year and currently represents Utah’s teachers as a member of Governor Herbert’s Education Excellence Commission. While teaching fifth grade, Allison created a mentor program which has been highlighted on the USDOE Teach to Lead web site. In addition to many traditional provisional educators, Allison has mentored teachers in Utah’s French, Spanish, and Chinese Dual Immersion schools as well as Korean and German student teaching programs. Allison is a recipient of the 2015 California Casualty Award for Teaching Excellence and the 2015 Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence. As an NEA Foundation Global Fellow, Allison studied schools in rural Peru, and she will continue her fellowship in South Africa next June. Allison also currently represents Utah as a Lowell Milken Fellow engaging in project-based learning studies.  Allison is a member of the National Network of State Teachers of the Year (NNSTOY), and serves as the Communications Officer for the Utah State Teachers of the Year (UTSTOY) chapter. Allison is a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and she has been a consultant for Box Cars and One-Eyed Jacks since 2005. Allison conducts K-9^th grade mathematics workshops and family math nights for schools, districts, community centers and universities across the country. Allison is currently researching mentoring and Teacher Leadership with her Alma Mater, Weber State University.

Carrie Brockway decided on her first day of Kindergarten that she wanted to become a teacher and her enthusiasm for teaching has never waned. In the fall of 2016, Carrie’s school at which she’s been the principal for over 5 years (Pecatonica Elementary School) was recognized nationally as a Blue Ribbon School for the United States. An accomplishment Carrie and her staff can be very proud of. In addition, Carrie was honored by the Golden Apple Foundation in 2006 as the youngest recipient of the Golden Apple Teacher award for her excellence as a third grade teacher in Illinois.

During her career as a classroom teacher, Carrie fell in love with Box Cars materials and used them daily in her classroom. She holds a Master’s degree in Reading from Rockford College, where she has been an adjunct professor in the education department for nearly 6 years, teaching reading foundation coursework for graduate students and undergraduates alike. Carrie holds an additional Master’s degree in Educational Administration from Northern Illinois University. She has been an elementary principal for a rural K-12 Unit District in Illinois for the last 5 years, where her building offers a differentiated, hands-on approach to literacy and mathematics education.

M.Ed.-Educational Administration, Texas A&M-Commerce
BS-Early Childhood, Texas Tech University

Julie Armstrong is a third-generation educator with experience as a 2^nd & 4^th grade classroom teacher and K-6 math coach.  Her educational experience includes working in Title I schools and diverse communities.  Since 2011, Julie has presented numerous teacher workshops, model lessons and family math nights across the US and Canada. Her conference appearances include:

• Conference for the Advancement of Mathematics Teaching (CAMT-TX)
• Kindergarten Teachers of Texas (KToT)
• California Kindergarten Conference (CKC)
• Southern California Kindergarten Conference (SCKC)
• Georgia Mathematics Conference (GCTM)
• North Dakota Title I/Special Education Conference
• Texas Association for the Education of Young Children (TXAEYC)
• Florida Association for the Education of Young Children (FLAEYC)

Julie’s passion for Box Cars stems from the incredible versatility of the games with such basic manipulatives. Teachers are able to immediately integrate their games into the district curriculum with little preparation and management. It’s a fun and simple way to foster number sense and mathematic maturity in the classroom that students love!

Julie resides in Melissa, Texas with her husband, Joseph, and boy/girl twins, Harbin and Palmer.

Julie fell in love with the Box Cars and One Eyed Jacks philosophy while attending an NCTM Regional Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. She soon had the opportunity to learn more from Box Cars and began to implement the games into her daily classroom practices. Most of all, Julie loves the enthusiasm the Box Cars games bring to mathematics and the lasting impact they make on students’ learning. When offered the chance to join the team as a consultant, Julie jumped on board! She has been consulting for Box Cars since 2011 and continues to feel the same passion for the curriculum support she felt when she was first introduced to the games.

As a consultant, Julie has led numerous teacher workshops and Family Math Nights across several states. She has also exhibited model lessons in the classroom and has been a part of the presentation team at various conferences, including the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Regional Conference and Exhibition, the Conference for the Advancement of Mathematics Teaching, the National AfterSchool Association Convention and the Magnet Schools of America National Conference.

Julie is based out of Fort Worth, Texas, where she graduated from Texas Christian University and began teaching in 2004. She taught 2nd and 3rd grade for Fort Worth Independent School District before accepting the role of Math Coach for her campus. While in Fort Worth ISD, Julie received the honor of Campus Teacher of the Year in 2010 and was also a Finalist for the Lockheed Martin Chair for Teaching Excellence in Elementary Mathematics. Julie then moved to Trinity Valley School where she taught 5th grade math and served as the Middle School Math Coordinator. She is now the Assistant Head of Middle School at Trinity Valley and serves on the Board of Visitors for the College of Education at Texas Christian University.

Julie lives in Fort Worth with her husband, son and daughter.

Nancy has presented extensively at National and Regional NCTM and state Mathematics conferences as well as the Texas and California Gifted conferences, focusing on using games as a teaching strategy for problem solving and developing fact fluency. Because she loves teaching math she acquired her single subject foundational credential for teaching mathematics and taught Pre-Algebra and Algebra for 9 years at middle school. In May of 2012 Nancy completed her Masters of Arts Degree with an emphasis in K-8 Mathematics Education at San Diego State University. She has taught in a variety of settings and continues to work with a high percentage of English Language Learners as well as gifted students, teaching grades 4-8.

Tarynne began teaching in Alberta in 2001 after graduating from the University of Alberta. In 2008 she completed a Masters in Education from the University of Portland. Though her specialty areas are in Social Studies and Special Education, her experience ranges from grade 1 to grade 12. She is currently an Instructional Coach with Black Gold Regional Division working in the areas of Beginning Teacher Mentorship and Technology Integration.

Tarynne’s excitement for Box Cars and One Eyed Jacks developed after she attended her first workshop given by founder Jane Felling, her own former first-grade teacher. From there, she became hooked and since always incorporates the math and literacy games into her daily routines. Tarynne most enjoys the opportunities she is given to show other teachers how to incorporate Box Cars into their own classrooms. She especially loves showing how each game can be easily adapted to the wide range of abilities in today’s inclusive classrooms. Tarynne provides professional development workshops and family game nights and has been a contributing author for two recently published Box Cars and One Eyed Jacks books.

Eliza has been teaching, learning, and leading for the last 22 years in Montana, Colorado, Mexico and Bangladesh. She has taught grades Nursery through Pre-service teachers and finds something to love about all grades, ages and stages. She has taught in a multigrade classroom, a dual language classroom, and in speciality classrooms such as Art and Design Technology. Additionally, Eliza served as a Math TOSA (teacher on special assignment) and a mentor teacher in a TAP (teacher advancement program) school. She has won several awards including the Gold Star Teaching Award (Flathead County), the Outstanding Educator Award (Berry Creek Middle School, Edwards CO), and Outstanding Administrator of Reading (Flathead County, Reading Council). Eliza is also a published author of three books, Math Snack, Math Play, and Times Up on Timed Tests.

Currently, Eliza is a full time Education faculty member and Director of Early Childhood at Flathead Valley Community College (FVCC). Prior to being a professor, she served  over 11,000 students and 24 districts for the Northwest Montana Educational Cooperative in Kalispell, Montana as a curriculum developer and professional development provider. Eliza travels around the United States whenever possible to present to teachers and administrators about a variety of topics. Eliza is an avid doodler, learner, laugher, and education advocate.

Lori Triplett is a native of North Carolina, where she graduated from Western Carolina University in 2000. There, she received her Bachelors of Science Degree in Elementary Education (Kindergarten – 6th Grade), with a minor in History. She has ten years classroom teaching experience. In her school district Lori was a Model Classroom Teacher and also a trained mentor to Initial License Teachers.

Lori currently resides in South Carolina with her husband, son and daughter. For the last four years Lori has been an Educational Consultant for Box Cars. When she resided in Maryland, Lori designed and conducted staff development and training for teachers throughout the East coast. She ensures quality and consistency of training and collaborates on curriculum framework, all standards and implementing training goals to meet staff needs.

Kristin incorporates over 20 years of teaching experience, with a concentration in mathematics and a background in special education, into her idea-packed trainings. She has taught special education students, elementary grades 2-5, and led her district in the successful implementation of the math standards and the adoption of a new text series. Kristin uses her classroom experience to provide practical insight to support teachers in addressing the shifts needed to transform their instruction and enhance student learning. Her breadth and depth of mathematical and instructional knowledge allows her to deliver results-driven professional development that is not only grounded in theory and best practices, but is based on what actually works in the classroom. Kristin’s passion for empowering both teachers and students drives her to share the effectiveness of developing a community of mathematical thinkers in the classroom, and leaves teachers revitalized and eager to implement her ideas.