Pixita del Prado Hill has always loved reading and the opportunities books offer to travel to other places and times. Her love of children’s literature developed further as she began reading to her daughters, Anza and Maria. As a teacher educator at Buffalo State, Pixita uses children’s literature extensively throughout her literacy and social studies methods courses. The Global Book Project has provided a wonderful opportunity for her to use children’s literature to build awareness of the world for teacher candidates and children. Dr. del Prado Hill earned her doctorate in education from Harvard University in 2003. Her areas of expertise include culturally responsive pedagogy, curriculum development, preparing teachers for high need settings, and differentiating instruction to build content area literacy. In 2011 she received a Fulbright award to promote English language learning in Chile where she started a sister Global Book Project at Escuela 25, Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna. Dr. del Prado Hill returns to Chile every other year with a cohort of students and her co-facilitators as part of IPDS-Chile, and opportunity for teacher candidates to globalize their understanding of education through teach and study abroad experiences.
Literacy has been Patty George's passion for more than 20 years. Patty began her career as a classroom teacher in the Lancaster Central School District teaching second, third and fourth grade. From her first day on the job she knew she wanted to dedicate her life to teaching children how to read and write. Patty has worked extensively as a literacy consultant, coaching classroom teachers on effective reading and writing instruction. She also educates parents and caregivers on how they can help their children become better readers and writers. Children's literature is the foundation of everything Patty does. She loves motivating teacher candidates to read to children and wants to impart a very important message to all students: that reading is the key to success in life. Patty and her teacher candidates share this message with children in the community each week at Global Book Hour. Patty received her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education at Canisius College and her Master's degree in Education at the State University of New York at Buffalo. She is a certified literacy specialist. In addition to teaching in the Elementary Education and Reading Department Patty, along with her husband Mike, are busy raising three children and nurturing their love of literature. Her children, Jim, Jack and Claire, are active participants in Global Book Hour.
Claudia Diaz Perrella was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She studied Spanish secondary education, 7-12 at Buffalo State and has 15-plus years of experience working with Spanish language instruction. Currently Ms. Diaz Perrella is teaching in the Buffalo community, giving individuals the opportunity to explore, practice, and master Spanish proficiency according to personal needs. She has developed and implemented a conversation group to enhance people’s skills for the achievement of their communication goals. As an educator Claudia is constantly seeking creative initiatives to foster a fun learning environment. She is always excited to receive new learners. Claudia is a member of the national Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society; she is in the Honors program and was nominated for several awards, including the President’s Award and the Chancellor’s Award.
