Tony Stead

Tony Stead became a teacher because he wanted to make a difference in children's lives. And he is certainly doing that through his publications, teaching, and work with teachers all over the world.

A native of Melbourne, Australia, Tony earned his master of education degree from the University of Melbourne and worked for fourteen years as a K-6 teacher in five different school settings in Melbourne. He visits the United States and Canada at least four times a year to consult in literacy education with school districts.

When in Australia, he does some consulting, but spends most of his time with children and writing new publications and teacher resource materials. He believes that professional development should be "hands-on, relevant, reflective, engaging, empowering." He encourages teachers to "take off the teacher hat and replace it with that of the learner," and to celebrate success, no matter how small.

Tony is the author of Reality Checks, Is That a Fact? and the videos Bridges to Independence and Time for Nonfiction. Before sitting down to write, he likes to spend at least one year researching. "I like to write in large blocks of time so that I can totally fall into the writing and let it become part of my everyday thinking. I like to talk extensively with teachers and children prior to writing."