Christie Bassett, Ph.D.
Dr. Christie Bassett is an enthusiastic, inspirational, highly engaged teacher-leader with over 20 years of experience providing cross-curricular education to students and interactive professional development to educators. During her career, Christie has been honored to have served in many roles. Christie has worked in English Language Arts, literacy acquisition, early learning, visual and performing arts, teacher support and retention, and professional learning. Christie now works as an educational consultant, assisting districts in developing and supporting research-based instructional practices. Christie believes that helping teachers hone their instructional skills, share their knowledge, grow their collaborative efforts, and use peer support strategies can further our profession in reaching the audacious goal of having an excellent teacher in every classroom every day for every child.
Christie began her career in education in 2002 as a preschool teacher in Lakeland, Florida. In 2007, she was hired as an art teacher at Highlands Grove Elementary, a Title 1 school in Polk County, Florida. Christie used mathematics, science, literature, and writing in her art classroom to support her students’ artistic growth with cross-curricular instruction. Her innovative approach to art education was highlighted when she was selected as the 2015 Florida Teacher of the Year. Serving as the Christa McAuliffe Ambassador of Education through Florida’s Teacher of the Year program gave Christie numerous teacher leadership opportunities. These experiences have inspired her to help create and facilitate teacher leadership professional learning opportunities for other educators. Christie believes professional learning should be engaging, hands-on, ongoing, and systematic. She has helped districts develop teacher leadership initiatives, retention programs, and induction curriculums to support educators at various career stages. Christie also enjoys facilitating sessions to prepare pre-service teachers for the field of education with the understanding that encouraging excellence can begin before entering the classroom.
After her time as the Florida Teacher of the Year, Christie returned to the classroom as a second-grade English language arts educator. This role helped her to gain experience and insight into the science of reading and foundational literacy. In late 2018, Christie embraced a new challenge as a military spouse when her husband entered the Air Force’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Her time in Germany helped develop her drive to support language learners and deepen her understanding of second language acquisition, which inspired her dissertation research. In 2023, Christie completed her Ph.D. with areas of study focused on the science of reading, literacy acquisition, and language learners. Christie appreciates using her varied experiences in education to elevate standards-based learning, focus on student-centered approaches, and recognize excellence in instruction.