Yolanda E. Turner

Yolanda E. Turner is an author, a motivational speaker, a coach, and a teacher. She is best known for her innovative instructional strategies and her expertise in classroom management and behavior management techniques, some of her most prevalent being the social peer groups she developed and facilitated for challenging student populations. Her book, titled Become a Kid Whisperer: 10 Strategies to Build Harmonious Relationships with Your Youngsters, is a curation of practical and effective techniques that assist adults with establishing and maintaining rapport with their youth.

During her 20 years as an educator, Yolanda empowered her colleagues to work with diverse groups of students by developing several engaging and top-quality professional development courses. She also facilitated professional development for administrators and other key stakeholders at various education conferences including the Association of Middle Level Education, The Florida League of Middle Schools Annual Conference and AVID Summer Institute.

Among her many notable achievements in education, Yolanda was selected as a Master Teacher to pilot Microsoft’s “Intel Teach to the Future” initiative in 2001. The initiative focused on pedagogical aspects of integrating technology in the classroom. In 2012, she was recruited by a team at the Florida Center for Research in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (FCR-STEM) to serve on the CPALMS Common Core Math Resource Alignment Project.

Yolanda has received numerous awards for her commitment to excellence in education including the Ida S. Baker Distinguished Educator Award, The Drum Major of the Year Award, the Exceptional Student Education Teacher of the Year Award, and the Florida Department of Education Merit Award.