We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Larry Carey a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Larry, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?

First, I would change how we fund education. In Ohio it took the State legislator over 20 years to fund public education. When they did, it was for two years. Second thing I would change is how we treat and pay our educators. When I say educator, I am adding support professionals, BUs drivers, cooks, etc. In the U.S. educators should be able to make a living wage and work one job. The last thing I would change is all the testing that goes on. each child learns different so there should not be just one test.

If these three thing were to change, I believe students outcomes would change. why? Because there would be no schools that wouldn’t have Air Condition and heat. Schools would have 21 century buildings to learn in without the mold. There would not be a teacher shortage and all educators would feel supported. Students would get there teachers best because they would have one job. Lastly, testing would not determine if a student fails. We could even give students a voice, a choice on how they learn.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Larry Carey Brief Biography Mr. Larry Carey founded Larry Carey LTD, a full-service Publication and Consultant firm located in Groveport, Ohio. He has collaborated with educators across the country and has served the children of Ohio since 2011 in various roles. Larry specializes in connecting people and has a tier approach to training educators and community members alike. He has advised the Ohio Department of Education by serving on a plethora of committees.
Mr. Carey is a Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports Coordinator in the school district he serves in. Prior to this role, he was acting as a teacher on special assignment for the NEA Organizing Fellowship Academy. This exclusive fellowship selected only twelve educators across the country to learn the role of organizing and how to engage, assist, and support educators throughout the United States.
Mr. Carey’s journey began as a student in the Columbus City Schools, where he attended Indianola Elementary, Johnson Park Middle, and graduated from Eastmoor Academy in 2003. Upon receiving his bachelor’s degree in Communication, it only took him a few years to realize that he was not walking in his purpose. In 2014, after working as a Pre-Kindergarten instructional assistant and library aide, Mr. Carey enrolled back in college to obtain his teaching license to pursue his goal as an Early Childhood Educator.
During the pandemic, Mr. Carey, an admitted perfectionist, began trying to find other ways to make sure his scholars were learning. He created a YouTube channel for those students who may not have had access to a computer but had access to a tablet or phone. He also began completing the final touches to his book Alliteration Boosts Communication: The ABCs of Vocabulary.
This book was two years in the making. He got the idea to write the book from one of the Step-Up observers, who was impressed by his scholars knowing the words elated and melancholy. These words along with a plethora of other high-level vocabulary were what he frequently used in the classroom. There, he began writing down alliterations for every letter. He made sure to use vocabulary words that scholars would not regularly hear in their daily communication. To assist with comprehension of the vocabulary, he also includes the meanings of each word with a well-conceived illustration that helps to explain the meaning.
After publishing his book, Mr. Carey created companion activities that align to the National Standards for fellow educators that range from Pre-Kindergarten to 8th grade. A vast number of the activities focus on letter recognition, sounds, colors, identifying what is occurring in the illustrations, and of course, vocabulary! For the higher grade levels, vocabulary and creating their own alliteration is key to mastery. These activities along with the book can be found on his website www.larrycareyltd.com.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

While creating my book Alliteration Boosts Communication The ABCs of Vocabulary, I went through six total illustrators before I met Wheeler Lentz. The first two backed out due to conflict. The third one never completed any work, while the fourth wanted a ownership of my writing. The last one work was terrible. I almost gave up! Then came a random post on face-book and the next was magic. You never know when your blessing is coming so my advice is; keep going and never give up. your breakthrough is around the corner.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My why for writing this book was because our kids, Kids in poverty only hear about 13 million words by the age of four. Working class families children hear about 26 Million, while Professionals hear about 45 million. My goal is to close the gap. As a teacher I always used high level vocabulary words.         

Contact Info:

• Website: www,larrycareyltd.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/antwan_carey/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/larry.carey.96
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-carey-58372478/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Larry_Carey85

Image Credits
The Ohio Education association and Myself.