We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Jenny Pieratt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Jenny, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
“The world doesn’t benefit from you hiding what makes you a badass”-J Sincero When I first had a dream of launching my own business I was very uncomfortable in my own (professional) skin. I had never left my lane of the classroom and I just didn’t feel like I was ready to jump into something so different. I did a ton of reading and one of my favorite books was “You are a Badass”. There were many quotes that resonated with me in Sincero’s book but that one in particular is one that I have revisited many times since I read it. Every time I feel doubtful of myself before a pitch, or need a little pep talk before a presentation I remind myself that sharing my gifts with the world can truly help others and it gives me the confidence to move forward in any endeavor.

Please share with us a challenge you have faced with your business, and how you overcame it. 
I always knew my business, CraftED Curriculum, meant a lot to me (I often introduced it as my third baby); but I didn’t realize how much it meant to me until COVID-19. Because school closures happened so suddenly, my business shut down in what felt like the blink of an eye. School contracts gone. Keynote presentations over. Author events disappeared. It’s no secret that schools have had a very difficult time adapting to virtual learning, and so the thought of Progressive teaching practices (my work) isn’t on anybody’s mind right now, or for the foreseeable future. For a goal-oriented, innovative person who is passionate about their work “stay at home orders” have been devastating. I have no doubt that the moment we are in will be the biggest challenge I have faced thus far. I want the world to know that we have a unique opportunity to rethink school right NOW-schools could actually capitalize on this crisis and rethink learning, entirely. I remain hopeful that my work will come back-for now, I’m striving to overcome the challenge one day at a time. Some days are easier than others. I workout , spend time with my family, read and write a lot. I have remained an active blogger for big organizations in my field, and continue to monitor the needs of teachers via social media. My hope is to keep a close pulse on my industry during this pandemic so that I can continue to come up with innovative and responsive ideas for making CraftED relevant again.

Any great local spots you’d like to shoutout?
I’m a Native San Diegan and love every little pocket of my hometown. When people come to visit I know they are always drawn to the Gaslamp Quarters, Balboa Park and the Zoo. But I love getting off the beaten path-little pockets of North and South Park, bars and restaurants not on India St, but in Little Italy, and of course my community of Cardiff. Our family often does “bike crawls” where we ride along the 101 for several courses of a meal-stopping for a margarita (lemonade for my kids) at Las Olas, appetizers at Pacific Coast Grille, Ceviche from Fish 101, a main course in Downtown Encinitas and dessert at Gelato 101. My absolute favorite place in San Diego is Petco Park. I have visited many stadiums in our country and I think Petco is the best. The food, drinks, location, staff-the stadium is an experience in and of itself.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
In every podcast interview I’m featured in I’m asked “how did you get started in your work?”. I take a pause, smile and think of my former student, Michael Dooley. 13 years ago as an 8th grader he believed in me, took the initiative to talk to me and ultimately gave me the innocent nudge I needed to make the most formative move I have made in my career. Since Michael’s nudge I have had some incredible mentors in my life who saw potential in me and took the time to really grow me. I have also had some wonderful colleagues who have inspired me and supported my work over the past decade. And family, of course-in particular my husband and two children. The lists are too long-it’s actually 3 pages of people that I dedicated my first two published books to!

Website: https://craftedcurriculum.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crafted_jennypieratt/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jpieratt/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JennyPieratt
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/craftedjennypieratt/
Other: Books: https://craftedcurriculum.com/project-based-learning-books/

Image Credits
Chris Nelson Photography