Hello, I’m Marva Hinton, and I’m so excited to be joining Christina A. Samuels as your newest Early Years blogger. I’ll be coming to you from South Florida.
Prior to this assignment, I wrote for Education Week‘s Time and Learning blog, which covered after-school and summer programs as well as new ways to expand time for learning during the school day. Before that, I was a general assignment radio news reporter for more than 15 years covering everything from health policy, to transportation and the arts. My last stop before Education Week was WLRN, the NPR member station in Miami.
I received my bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where I was a double major in journalism and political science. I also hold a master’s of fine arts degree in creative writing from Antioch University Los Angeles. In my spare time, I host the ReadMore podcast, an interview show that primarily features writers of color such as Edwidge Danticat, Jacqueline Woodson, and Richard Blanco.
My interest in issues surrounding education goes all the way back to childhood. My mother and two of my aunts were all middle school English teachers, so I grew up hearing about the joys and frustrations of life in the classroom.
Now I’m a mom with a 3-year-old daughter who’s about to start preschool in the fall, so my interest in early-childhood education is personal, too. Through this position, I look forward to exploring subjects such as what makes a high-quality preschool, the conflict between more academic-based programs and play-based programs, and the implications of the vast inequality found in state-funded programs.
Since this is a new beat for me, I’m going to need your help. I don’t want this to be a one-sided conversation. Please email me tips, comment on the blogs I write, or look for me on Twitter. You can find me @MarvaAHinton.