About the Author

Ayesha Edwards earned both her B.A. in Journalism and M.A. in Educational Psychology from New York University. She began her career in Education as a tutor with the City University of New York and later became a Teaching Assistant and Instructor there. Her strong desire to be a part of influencing change at the childhood level propelled her to become a teacher with the New York City Department of Education where she served for 10 years. 

Ayesha Edwards

Mother - Educator - Author - Entrepreneur 

During this time, she obtained a Post-Graduate Certificate in Research Methods from the University of Surrey in England as well her School Building Leader and School District Leader Certificates from the College of Saint Rose in New York. Ms. Edwards transitioned to the Charter model where she served at Cultural Arts Academy Charter School as an Instructional Support Supervisor and Math Specialist over four years before resigning in an effort to temporarily take care of her two youngest children who were both challenged with autism. Thereafter, she served on Long Island and then more recently at a large charter network in New York City.

Rising Above the Face of Racism 

Since her migration to New York in 1994, Ayesha recalls more than too many bouts with racism in her educational pursuits, her community, the workplace, daily life and her international travel. The worst & most recent, she expresses, was when her white immediate supervisor asked her a highly inappropriate personal question and claimed that she asked because Ayesha is “black" among other things. Although Ayesha tried to approach the situation with love and forgiveness in hopes of working through the issue peacefully, she was met with a domino effect of retaliative encounters that forced her to resign from her fulfilling career of over 18 years in public education. Such encounters occur more frequently than they are publicized and are often ignored or not taken seriously. However, it's time to put a stop to these flagrant implicit biases because they are just simply wrong. They must be stopped now so that our children and all future generations won't have to deal with what are, essentially, unnecessary man-made issues that do not contribute to anyone's well-being...even the perpetrators (i.e., people who commit illegal, criminal or evil acts - dictionary.com). These experiences inspire her all the more to be active not only in changing her story, but that of others.
Ayesha Edwards  firmly believes that every child has the potential to flourish in an environment that promotes academic success simultaneously with character development. She is unwaveringly committed to being a part of the national change that is necessary to boost students’ growth while understanding the importance of parents’ self-efficacy and educators’ development especially in light of the current state of our country. Her vision is to see all people positively contribute to humanity and develop a deeper appreciation for global awareness as we move forward in this advancing technological world. Ayesha also enjoys spending quality time with her four children, traveling, going to theme parks, playing board, card & trivia games, and...eating any kind of chocolate and chocolate flavored food. :-)