• “Early in my career I realized that as a teacher I had the ability to transform lives and that I wanted to do that in the most positive way possible. I want my students to believe that they have the power to make a difference; I want them to realize that through their education they will have options and opportunities to make their world a more fair and just place in which we live.”
• “Often when I tell people that I teach middle school, and have in fact been doing so for 25 years, I can predict their reaction: they reply with a sympathetic comment or a shudder of horror. When I go on to tell them how much I enjoy what I do, they go from sympathy to disbelief. What they don’t understand is the pleasure and gratification of making all of those human connections every day, of the delight in helping students laugh, become confident, find their own strengths and envision their own futures, and knowing that they can and will make a difference in our world.”
• “It is a monumental task we take on and it is not one that teachers can do in isolation. We must all be champions of reading. We must all work together to create knowledgeable citizens of empathy and passion for change. Ultimately, our children, the ones whose lives we touch each and every day in classrooms all across America, will make a difference and create a more kind, fair and just world for all of us.”
• “Cindy uses literature, technology, personal interests, problem based learning, and research to entice, pursue and help students find the triggers to ignite their love of learning, creativity and inquisitiveness. I’ve seen Cindy spearhead the development and implementation of a comprehensive reading program at La Cima Middle School because she knew students couldn’t be successful without being good readers. In doing so, non-readers became good readers; disenfranchised and disinterested students became students that had a renewed desire to learn and grow.” Gail Gault, Principal (retired) at La Cima Middle School in Tucson, Arizona.

Ms. Rolewski graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Arizona and a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from ASU. She has been a teacher for 28 years, 19 of which have been at La Cima Middle School.