Season 3, Episode 6

Growing brave readers and writers, with Theresa Boyd and Ann Ingham

Host Ana Torres and Classroom Insider Eric Cross chat with two classroom teachers about what it takes to create a classroom in which every student feels safe taking risks as a reader and writer. Theresa Boyd is a teacher-leader coach and sixth grade social studies teacher at Mallard Creek STEM Academy in Charlotte, North Carolina; Ann Ingham is a third grade teacher from the Cedarsburg School District in Wisconsin and a 2025 Science of Reading Star Award winner. Theresa and Ann share what they're seeing in ELA classrooms today: students who are curious and collaborative, but also struggling with decreased reading stamina and fear of being wrong. After the roundtable, Ana and Eric reflect on key takeaways, including why sometimes you have to slow down teaching to speed up learning.

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Meet Our Guest(s):

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Theresa Boyd

Theresa Boyd, M.S.Ed., has more than 15 years of experience working with students from PreK through middle school. After years of teaching English Language Arts, Theresa is bringing her passion for literacy, student engagement, and meaningful learning experiences into the social studies classroom. As an Amplify Ambassador, she is passionate about supporting fellow educators, strengthening instructional practices, and creating classrooms in which students feel challenged, supported, and excited to learn.

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Ann Ingham

Ann Ingham is a 37-year teaching veteran. She is National Board-Certified and holds a master’s degree in Technology Integration. She has worked at Westlawn Elementary for her entire career, teaching mostly third grade. She is a 2025 Amplify Background Knowledge Science of Reading Star Award winner and a Herb Kohl Fellowship winner, and she has been recognized with the Cedarburg Educational Foundation Innovative Educator Award and the Cedarburg School District Excellence in Education Award.

Meet our host, Ana Torres.

Ana has been an educator for 30 years, working in both the K–8 and higher education sectors. She served as an administrator and instructor at various public and private colleges and universities and as a bilingual and dual language teacher, dual language math and reading interventionist, dual language instructional coach, assistant principal, and principal in K–8 schools. Ana is currently the Senior Biliteracy and Multilingual Product Specialist at Amplify, and delivers literacy and biliteracy presentations across the nation. Ana’s passion and advocacy for biliteracy and support for all students from all walks of life has led her to educate leaders, teachers, and parents about the positive impact of bilingualism and biliteracy in our world.

A woman with long dark hair and hoop earrings smiles at the camera while wearing a black blazer, standing outdoors—ready to discuss classroom challenges or share insights on her teacher podcast.

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Meet our Classroom Insider, Eric Cross.

Eric Cross is a middle school science teacher who hopes to someday be a lifelong educator, like the guests on Beyond My Years! In each episode, Eric connects with host Ana Torres to discuss her guests’ best insights, gleaned from their long and rewarding careers in the classroom. Then, Eric talks about bringing some of their wisdom into his current classroom and busy life.