Meet Yvette Manns of The Lit Teacher in Buckhead

Today we’d like to introduce you to Yvette Manns.

Yvette, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve been a bookworm as long as I can remember. My fondest childhood memories include visits to library in Jamaica, Queens, reading with my family and excelling in school. My classroom was my safe haven. Regardless of what unpredictable events occurred in my childhood, one thing was for certain: My books were my passport to new places that my only my wildest imagination could fathom.

At the age of 17, I packed my worldly possessions into two suitcases and ventured to Atlanta with a one-way ticket and a dream: I would change the world for children like me. I graduated with a degree in Early Childhood Education from Clark Atlanta University and secured my first teaching job the very next day. I always wanted to teach in the inner city because that reflected my personal experience. My goal was to dispel the myth that kids in “certain neighborhoods” weren’t as smart or as well-behaved as their counterparts in other zip codes. I fueled my passion for out-of-the-box teaching at this school. The students flourished, as did I. I am forever grateful for that experience.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I climbed the ladder through my professional career rather quickly. Opportunities embraced me the same way I embraced my students each morning. Life was good. For a while. Then it came to a halt on January 31, 2017. My mother suddenly died and I lost my zest for life. I had never experienced death and for my first encounter to be the closest person to me was a hard blow to the heart. With support from immediate family, a few close friends and my very understanding colleagues at the non-profit where I work, I was able to build again. They reminded me I had a purpose and people who believed in me. I experienced two more loved ones dying in the months that followed. I pressed pause on life to rediscover my goals. Rediscover my new life. Rediscover…ME.

Please tell us about The Lit Teacher.
My business was the brainchild of my experiences while I was a classroom teacher. I remember teaching a Social Studies lesson and reading aloud to my students about “a group of brave explorers who ventured to a new land and got help from friends”. The words swirled in my head… “Brave explorers?” “A new land?” “Got help from friends?” Did they mean SLAVERY?! I crumpled the passage into a ball and instructed my students to do the same. At that moment, I realized: We need to tell our own stories.

Through my teaching blog, I began creating content about Black experiences for elementary students in our OWN words, from our OWN point of view. After a few name changes, I landed on “The Lit Teacher”. Lit is a play on words, short for literacy, and capturing the feeling of being excited about education. My content teaches kids about moments in history, trailblazers and Black culture. My best selling resource is entitled “The ABCs of HBCUs”. This activity includes reading passages, puzzles, math activities, research projects, and more engaging activities that kids love.

This year, many Black educators featured my resources in those trendy Black History Month door decorations, with a few of them going viral and directing more teachers my way. Another popular activity I created is called “Afros, Braids, Low Cut Fades & More: The Relevance of Black Hairstyles”. Teachers love incorporating high-interest reading activities in the classrooms, especially when it meets the guidelines of the curriculum and students see a reflection of themselves in their classwork. It touches my heart when teachers send me photographs and videos of their students engaging with activities that began as an idea in my head.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over, I would have strategically hired a team to do certain tasks for me. Most educational entrepreneurs or “edupreneurs” have a whole team behind them: researchers, writers, web designers, graphic artists, editors, product photographers, social media marketers and more. Right now, I am wearing all of those hats, so my process, albeit deliberate, is not as fast as I would like it to be. I dedicate my free time during the evenings and on weekends focused on “The Lit Teacher”. I also teach seminars to young educators at Historically Black Colleges to show them how to write their own stories and begin their professional careers.

Right now, my sister, Rhonda, shares her passion for photography and branding skills to making my dream come true. My father, Daniel, constantly reminds me of my limitless possibilities. Two of my dear friends, Kyna and Makini, keep me inspired with advice on how to master the platform to sell my content. Many of my close friends (Tessia, Kevin, Empress, Erica, Quintin, Rosa, Shadrach & Asia), help fact-check, edit and provide brutally honest feedback to my work. The kids whose lives are changed motivate me the most.

Also, if I could go back, I would have gotten started earlier, instead of letting so many ideas brew in my head. Everyone has ideas, but what makes the difference is those individuals who choose to act on them. My advice to anyone who is thinking of starting a new venture is to just go for it. Allow yourself to learn along the way. When you hit the rough patches, just remind yourself: This will be a really juicy chapter if someone chose to write a book about my life. But you’ll never know how your actions can change a life until you try.

Modern education is a revolution that we are witnessing firsthand. How amazing is it that we exist in a day and age where we can tell our own stories. If I do say so myself, that’s pretty LIT.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.TheLitTeacher.com, www.teacherspayteachers.com/The-Lit-Teacher
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @The_Lit_Teacher
• Other: www.TheLitTeacher.com

Image Credit:
Rhonda Joy.

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