Tonya Gilchrist is an internationally experienced educator, presenter, consultant, instructional coach, and curriculum specialist. She specializes in amplifying inquiry across reading and writing workshops and effectively utilizing the workshop model in host country languages.

Tonya helps schools around the world powerfully launch reading and writing workshops and create balanced literacy programs. She currently resides happily in Tokyo with her husband, a fourth-grade PYP teacher. Hope you enjoy the post below and our conversation!
Growing up
I grew up in Northern Virginia in the Shenandoah Valley which is about an hour from Washington D.C.  
Most of my family was in West Virginia as well as so I grew up around lots of cousins, aunts, and uncles. I have one sister, Tabitha who goes by Tabby and is a few years older than I am. All of my cousins and family were close, and it was wonderful to have that support growing up.
Starting at the age of seven, my sister and I were raised by my father and the one big thing that shaped me was having him be such an important presence in my life. He died when I was just about to graduate from university. That was so hard because he was my dad, my best friend, my minister, and my example of servant leadership that I strive to emulate today. My sister and I are so close and are there for each other.
What it was like when you were a student
I had incredible teachers that inspired me when I was around third grade when I was 9 to become an educator. I had excellent experiences in that sense with supportive and fantastic teachers who were caring in positive cultures. Reflecting back now, I dealt with perfectionist tendencies—a “straight A” student, but still dealing with a need to be “perfect.”  That was challenging for me then and into my adult life because I put so much pressure on myself because of the systemic nature of the school. It meant that to be “good” meant all straight As and doing things perfectly. In other areas of my life, I felt like trying to be perfect left a mark, not necessarily in a positive way. I was always feeling like I’m not quite “good” enough and not being able to embrace my imperfections. That has impacted me now because I don’t want other students to have to feel that pressure. It should be about the process, joy, and curiosity, not the mark you get at the end.
How are we helping to free ourselves and our students from this harmful expectation? The magic happens in our so-called imperfections—that’s where we learn and grow through the exploration. That’s how they are going to discover their genuine, authentic self. That’s what creates a lifelong learner.
Your journey as an educator
I went to the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, then to Shenandoah University in Winchester, VA. I started teaching in Fredrick County, VA and had a great experience there for about four years. I had an incredible administration that taught me in my first year of teaching about what it means to be an educational leader. Then I met my husband, Nathan, who was in Texas, which meant we had a long distant relationship for about a year. We realized we needed to be together so I moved to the Fort Worth area to be with him and taught there for about 4 years with wonderful colleagues and leaders.

 
 
 
 
 

Nathan and Tonya Gilchrist
It was then when the focus was on standardized tests and standardized teaching. It seemed like all the joy was sucked out and all the creativity was gone. I was really struggling with that and hitting a professional low. It wasn’t joyful anymore and I was literally googling what else I could do with my teaching degree. That’s when I discovered the world of international teaching and IB schools that are all inquiry-based.