Mary Lou Datema began her teaching career at age 16, working in a local child care center after school.....for a dollar an hour. She now holds a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education (early childhood) and a Master's degree in reading as well as early childhood special education certification. Mary Lou has taught at the preschool, kindergarten and college levels in a variety of settings for 34 years. She is currently an adjunct instructor in early childhood at Ozarks Technical Community College as well as an early childhood special education teacher for Springfield Public Schools in Springfield, MO. She is trained in Project Construct and is a certified CLASS observer. She has served in a variety of advisory capacities at the local and state level. Mary Lou was awarded the Every Kid Counts Award for the Positive Development of Youth and was named Teacher of the Year for the Springfield MO school district in 2003. She has been named a Phi Theta Kappa mentor teacher three times by her community college students. Mary Lou raised three boys on a steady diet of books, and now, in her spare time, she loves being a grandma and sharing her love of reading with her grandchildren.