Cindy Aitken May

Providing learning and support through professional development, demonstration lessons and coaching for PreK-8th grade teachers:

  • Balanced Literacy
  • Curriculum Development and Alignment
  • Reader’s Workshop
  • Guided Reading and Running Record Analysis
  • Interactive Read Aloud and Reading Mini-lessons
  • Reader’s Notebooks and Responding to Reading
  • Managing the ELAR Block
  • Literacy Workstations and Genre Studies
  • Writer’s Workshop
  • Analysis of Student Writing, Planning and Goal Setting
  • Effective Conferences and Teacher Toolkits
  • Word Walls and Word Study
  • Book Clubs

Cindy is an experienced literacy consultant with over thirty years of work in public schools and in higher education. She is passionate about learning and helping teachers implement balanced literacy models in Prek-8th grade classrooms. Understanding the unique needs of each school and organization, Cindy works diligently to create targeted professional development to meet the needs of her audience. Basing her work on research and proven best practices, she would never ask a teacher to do something that she had not done herself; thus building relationships and trust. This genuine approach, backed by years of experience, cultivates a climate for change. 

Always a teacher at heart, Cindy has been recognized as outstanding elementary teacher and as a teacher of gifted children. She has her Master’s Degree in Educational Administration and Supervision; served her district in Staff Development; mentored and supervised the New Teacher Training Program; authored a spelling / word wall program, bilingual best practices handbook and co-authored a literacy based character education program. Cindy continues to work side-by-side with teachers nationwide-demonstrating, coaching and being an advocate for collaboration and student achievement.