Hi, I’m Tamara Black. (Please feel free to call me Tammy.) Welcome to Use Your Noodle, the blog where I share my thoughts on thinking, learning, and leading. I am currently an elementary associate principal at the American School of Dubai, so I think about these things quite a bit.

For more than 25 years I’ve been involved with education in some shape or form. I began my career as a first grade classroom teacher in a small public school district in Texas, and after a few years I transitioned to teaching fifth grade in that same district. Before my current role as associate principal, I held leadership positions in communications at Singapore American School and in technology and communications at an independent K-8 school in the United States. I’ve also worked in university, non-profit, and corporate educational environments. Common across all of my experiences has been my passion for learning how children learn and understanding what it takes to prepare them for the future.

Why am I writing this blog?

I hope to…

• Create a place to process, stretch and learn
• Reflect on what it means to be a leader in a school
• Push myself professionally
• Engage with other educators about how we can continuously improve our craft
• Ensure that my students are supported and encouraged to achieve their very best

Roundup of trivia about me

While I am a…

• passionate educator
• inquisitive learner
• geeky tech addict
• intrepid world traveler

more important, I’m a…

• staunch supporter of an adoring, intellectual, and positively geeky husband
• devoted mother to a creative, strong, and compassionate daughter
• steadfast friend to the many people who I learn from, laugh with, and just enjoy being around
• born and bred Texan. And yes, it’s a whole ‘nother country.