Welcome

Author, Speaker, Educator

Marsha Arons is available for speaking engagements for diverse audiences. Marsha Arons is a professional writer and speaker with over thirty years of experience. Her topics include her experiences as a Jewish woman, wife, mother, grandmother, teacher, and author. She focuses specifically on stories that depict the best attributes of human beings and inspire others to reach their own highest potential. A frequent contributor to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series as well as the author of Teen Miracles, Marsha has published hundreds of stories and articles. Her work has appeared in Reader’s Digest, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, Woman’s Day, and Woman’s World, as well as several Jewish publications including JUF News, Chicago Jewish News, The Intermountain Jewish News, and Jewish Image magazine.

Books and Book Series Affiliations: Marsha Arons is the author of Teen Miracles (Adams Media). This collection, part of the Small Miracles series, showcases the best attributes of today’s teenagers, young adults who are capable of making an important positive impact on the world of tomorrow. This inspirational book sold out its first printing of 25,000 copies. Marsha Arons has been a contributing author to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series since 1993 when her popular story, “One White Gardenia,” was published in Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul. “One White Gardenia,” the first story in the book, continues to enjoy wide acclaim and has been reprinted world-wide many times. Since the success of that story and “The Electric Candlesticks,” also in Woman’s Soul, Marsha has contributed to--and has cover recognition--on fifteen other books in the series including Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul II, A Fifth Portion of Chicken Soup for the Soul, Chicken Soup for the Soul VI, Chicken Soup for the Teacher’s Soul, Chicken Soup for the Jewish Soul, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul, Chicken Soup for the Soul of America, Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul II, Chicken Soup for the Sister’s Soul, Chicken Soup for the Christian Teen Soul and Chicken Soup for the Mother’s Soul II.

Here are some of Marsha’s stories and essay titles:

• One White Gardenia
• The Electric Candlesticks
• One Small Stone Unforgotten
• The Cheerleader
• The Porcelain Bride Doll 
• Just Whisper
• Real Vision
• Long Distance Call 
• Chance Encounter
• No Words
• One Real Lady
• The Thing about Goldfish
• The Funeral
• Two For One Coupon
• Duck Summer
• First Night
• Lost and Found
• Couple of Teachers
• Mavis
• I Called Him Rabbi
• How to Watch Your Daughter Become a Mother

Educator

Marsha is available for professional development presentations to educators from kindergarten through high school on a wide range of curricular topics ranging from demystifying the writing process to creating student collaborative communities. Marsha Arons has been a high school English teacher since 2001. She enjoys sharing her expertise with other educators, helping them implement and adapt her curricula to fit their needs. Teachers from kindergarten through high school are currently using Marsha’s methods to bring the joy of writing into their own classrooms.

Teaching Credentials

• National Board Certified Teacher
• Member, National Council of Teachers of English
• Illinois Master Teacher Certification with Endorsement in Adolescence and Young Adulthood/English Language Arts
• Winner of the Hartman Award, Outstanding Educator of the Year 2010, Associated Talmud Torahs
• Developed and implemented a memoir writing curriculum at the Ida Crown Jewish Academy resulting in students exploring over 50 different memoir writing formats and being published in a variety of student publications both in and outside of school. As a direct result of this aspect of the curriculum, the school literary magazine has achieved a rating of Excellent each year that the magazine competed in the National Council of Teachers of English Program to Recognize Excellence in Student Literary Magazines.
• Presented memoir curriculum at the AdvanceEd Fall Practitioners’ Conference 2009 earning a standing ovation from participants and an invitation to present at the National level.
• Developed a unique kinesthetic approach to teaching grammar and mechanics resulted in a surge in student test scores. (EXPLORE and PLAN).
• Integrated Judaic and secular curricula by developing methods for teaching poetry analysis applicable to the teaching of Jewish t’filot, chumash, and navi.
• Awarded the Keshet Outstanding Educator award for not only bringing students with special needs into her classroom, but for creating an environment where they genuinely contribute and feel valued.

Here are some of Marsha’s Teaching Publications and Presentations

•  “Finding Voice and Identity: The Teaching of Memoir Writing”
• “The Process: How to Demystify Essay Writing”
• “Playing Basketball or Ping-Pong in the Classroom?”
• Role of English Teachers Beyond the Classroom
• Knowing When to Shut Up 
• Just Whisper
• In Defense of the Thesis-Driven Essay: Structure, not Stricture in Writing
• How to Teach Poetry so Students Won't Hate It
• Getting the Story--Someone' Else's ( The Interview Process:  Listening, Questioning, Writing)

For Students and Teachers: "How to. . . A Structure for various essay formats--Getting Started and Owning the Product" ( literary analysis, poetry analysis, interview essay, comparison/contrast)

Marsha has been thrilled to bring her writing expertise into the high school classroom where the curriculum she developed has helped young adults find their own best writing voices. She currently teaches writing and English literature at The Ida Crown Jewish Academy in Chicago.