"He has left his mark on all of our hearts. Stan is a master at making connections with students. He is a light!"
Allyson Rutherford | Media Specialist | Fairmount Elementary | Bristol, TN
WHAT SCHOOLS ARE SAYING
Stan's visit has made a lasting impact on our school community. The students are still talking about him constantly! "I wonder if Mr. Stan would like this book!" "Can Stan come to work here?" "Do you have any of Stan's books I can check out?" Among the many messages I have received from teachers, four of them went so far as to say that in their 20+ years in education, Stan's visit was one of their most memorable days of teaching. He has left his mark on all of our hearts. Stan is a master at making connections with students. He is a light!
Allyson Rutherford | Media Specialist | Fairmount Elementary | Bristol, TN
Stan Tucker spent a full day at our school recently and I really can’t say enough good things about him or his program! His enthusiasm is contagious and his authenticity was recognized and appreciated by students and staff alike. I believe Stan’s message of kindness, and being the kind of person your loved ones can be proud of, is essential for our students to hear in a post-pandemic world where healthy social and family relationships are an issue for so many of our students. As teachers, we hope to encourage our students every day to be kind and respectful, but hearing this message from a “celebrity” is priceless! Stan has not only written books that speak directly to our students, but his Very Airy Library program has captivated them as he introduces authors and the idea that they too can be authors.
While here, Stan wanted to see every single student, outside the typical assembly format. This allowed our students the opportunity to ask questions and interact with him in a much smaller setting. Watching our students' faces while he looked them in the eyes to speak with them, was truly amazing. They have continued to talk about these interactions, and it is clear that this meant so much to our students. I would highly recommend having Stan Tucker visit any school. This was more than an author visit, this was encouragement and motivation to our students as well as our staff. All of our students are living the story of their life and this is an incredible chapter we have had the opportunity to add to that story!
Krista Heres | Media Specialist | Apple Pie Ridge Elementary | Winchester, VA
I could have written a book and been on the Very Airy Library about this amazing guy who came with a book about his father and changed the lives of not only my students, but my teachers, too. They were revitalized, and at just the right time of year as we were winding down and the days were getting long. This guy is now my friend and I hope we have more opportunities to work together in the not too distant future!!
I was sitting at my computer at the end of a long day, opening email after email, when Stan Tucker’s caught my attention about a possible school visit. I know how special author visits are and what they can mean in the life of a child. Covid put a halt to our yearly author visits, but I knew it was what my school needed to get fired up about books and reading. I couldn’t have chosen a better author/presenter to kick us off…STAN is THE Man!!
I didn’t go to his website or read any testimonies from other schools…I picked up the phone and called him. From the moment he answered, as he was driving…don’t tell his mom, I knew he had to come to my school. His energy and passion for children matched my own and we became fast friends in a 40 minute phone conversation.When Stan arrived he was on ready and his presentation held the students in silent focus the entire time. He was engaging and they were hooked. He connected with the students and they just gravitated to him all day long. He visited every classroom in a Florida downpour and never once complained. Stan came back to our evening event and the students showed up with books they had created and parents eager to meet the man who got their child so fired up about writing. Students had gotten off the bus and sat right down, so they would be finished in time to bring their book back to school that evening to show Stan. Stan was energetic, patient and stayed until every picture had been taken and every book signed.
His visit is still being talked about by students, staff and parents. I can’t say enough about this incredible educator and his passion for all things student focused. We will definitely be bringing him back to Plew!!
Shawna Crist | Media Specialist | James E. Plew Elementary | Niceville, FL
We had the privilege of having Stan Tucker visit our Southern Oregon rural community school in February of 2023. What an amazing presence that Stan had on our staff and students. I can’t even say enough great things about Stan and his program. Our school had watched some of his show the Very Airy Library so to them he was a huge celebrity. His connection with the students was instantaneous. His Be Kind motto followed right along with our school rules. He visited every classroom and made even more connections with the students. His message reached every student. Our school loved getting to know Stan so much that we are planning on having him back again next school year. There are not many people who can come into a school and have such a great effect on all. Please feel free to contact me and ask any question!
Kellie Smith | Media Specialist | Allen Dale Elementary | Grants Pass, OR
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About Stan
WRITING NEW CHAPTERS
BY GARY TANNER
Stanley Tucker tells the elementary school students he works with through his Leap for Literacy nonprofit that each of them is the author of their own life story.
Tucker is known to students as the smiling, encouraging “Stan the Man” who they greet with high fives and hugs as he visits schools in metro Atlanta and elsewhere. He is writing his life story, one that involves helping children love reading and writing. It’s a story still being revised as he goes along.
Tucker graduated from Kennesaw State in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the Bagwell College of Education. Tucker has long been inspired to be a mentor to children, just as relatives and community members stepped up to mentor him after his father died when he was just 8 years old. He saw teaching as the best way to achieve that goal. But by 2016, he revised his story when he turned an idea to visit schools and give away books into Leap for Literacy.
Click here to read the entire article in KSU Magazine by Gary Tanner