The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an afternoon with award-winning educator and Red Cedar Elementary School principal Dr. Kathleen Corley, author of The Magical Place We Call School: Creating a Safe Space for Learning and Happiness in a Challenging World. Free and open to the public, this author event will be held on Saturday, March 9, at 2:00 p.m., at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St., Beaufort). Free and open to the public. Books will be available for sale and signing. Seating is limited. Please call to reserve: 843-379-7025.

ABOUT THE BOOK
“Someday, a techie will invent a chip that can pre-install 40 years of classroom wisdom into every new teacher or principal. Until then, we’ve got Dr. Kathleen Corley’s book.”–Lenore Skenazy, president of Let Grow, author of Free-Range Kids

At a time when public discourse rages on about what students should or should not be taught, when books are being banned, when school shootings fill the news, and when families are still reeling from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic—here comes The Magical Place We Call School. With its fresh focus on the power and perils of education, it’s an intentional way of thinking that will intrigue readers everywhere.

In her literary debut, school principal Dr. Kathleen Corley, a forty-year veteran in elementary education, writes knowingly and with unique humor and insight about the value of education, how kids think and learn, what they need to succeed in and out of school, and how their home life affects their performance. Plus, she tackles some of the most daunting societal issues impacting children today, from bullying to gun violence and beyond.

Dr. Corley reminds us that something extraordinary still occurs in classrooms across America—not just miraculously, but by

Kathleen Corley

design and with tenacity.

In The Magical Place We Call School, Corley shares human interest stories that shed light on what is and isn’t working and provides a calm hand and a much-needed perspective from the front lines of learning. Her deep caring for the children, educators, and parents in her midst shines through, providing a true sense of what she calls “the magic of schools.” It’s a book not to be missed.

Dr. Kathleen Corley is an award-winning educator, an authority on school culture, and the charismatic principal at Red Cedar Elementary School in Bluffton. Renowned for her unique communication and management skills, Corley has a bachelor’s in music education from the University of Illinois, a master’s in music administration from Chicago Musical College, Roosevelt University, and a Doctorate in Educational Administration from the University of Illinois.

To learn more about the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, please visit www.patconroyliterarycenter.org.