Stephanie Wallace is a credentialed teacher who specializes in literacy and writing instruction; she holds a B.A. in English from the University of California, Irvine and has been trained and certified as a K-12 educator at UC Irvine and Chapman University. She holds a California Clear Multiple Subject teaching credential with an English Learner Authorization as well as a supplementary authorization to teach high school English. Stephanie has taught and tutored preschool through 12th grade, including Harbor View School in Corona del Mar, where she was selected as Teacher of the Year. Stephanie is a UCI Writing Project Fellow and has been involved with the Writing Project since 1997. Before becoming an educator, Stephanie was an editor for several years and brings that experience with her as a writing coach. She has extensively studied emergent literacy, including coursework at UCLA and UCI, and she taught with UCI’s Young Writers’ Program where she focused on the reading-writing connection and teaching writing as a process. Her most valuable research has been in her own classroom, finding ways to best respond to students to enhance learning. Stephanie’s love of teaching and mentoring students inspired her to create Whiz Kids after the birth of her first child in 2001.