Meet Dr. Marquita S. Blades | Creator, POWARRful Teaching Strategies

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Marquita S. Blades and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Marquita S., can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
One of my favorite quotes is: “I’m not passive aggressive. I’m aggressive aggressive.” by Tabatha Coffey from the Bravo reality show: Tabitha’s Salon Takeover. I love this quote because it represents the way I carry myself. I am an upfront person who says what she means and means what she says.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I officially created the POWARRful Teaching Strategies framework in 2018 to help students build their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, based on my doctoral research and recurring themes in my own teaching practices. My business, Dr. Blades Consulting, LLC was started in 2016 when I had the leave traditional teaching to focus on my health.

I’m most excited about the fact that POWARRful Teaching is starting to be more widely recognized by teachers across the country. What sets me apart from others in my field is my presentation style – which mirrors classroom teaching. I treat my professional development sessions like I treated classroom instruction – there is plenty of modeling and participant engagement throughout the day. I provide my participants with all of the resources they need to replicate my strategies with their own students. (I used to hate attending PDs and not having access to the materials and resources necessary to actually implement the strategies that were presented. I vowed I would never be that presenter if I ever became a consultant!)

Getting to this point was certainly not easy. Due to having a chronic illness (lupus) and fighting through many complications throughout the six years that I’ve been consulting, the hardest part has been remaining consistent. There have been times when I’ve had to cancel bookings the day before or the morning of, and other times, I have to shut my schedule down for months on end. You can’t effectively build a name and reputation for yourself, under those circumstances, but regardless, I’ve always tried to do my best to keep my business going and my name relevant in the education community.

The main lesson I’ve learned is the value of taking care of yourself and making your health your number one priority. I was always an active and fit person prior to my diagnosis, but when my symptoms started to exacerbate, I eliminated a lot of physical activity from my daily life in an attempt to avoid being in as much pain. This was a huge mistake! Now, I know that if, heaven forbid, my health took a turn backward again, my fitness will be the thing I cling to tightest, and work will be placed on the back burner.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Being that I divide my time between Powder Springs, GA, and Panama City, Panama, I going to assume my friend is visiting me in Panama. To show my friend a really time in Panama City, I’d have to take them to eat at two places: Bendiciones and The Peach Fuzz International. You won’t find better fried fish anywhere. Another great place to eat is Carib, which of course, features a full menu of Caribbean cuisine.

I don’t do a lot of hanging out in terms of the party scene, so I can’t speak about that!

I would definitely want them to check out the Cinta Costera where they can walk, run, bike, or shop with local vendors for street food and fresh juices.

There are also some nice malls – Albrook, Multiplaza, and Somo (Somo features several high-end retailers), although I am not much of a shopper so I don’t care for any of the malls.

For culture, of course, they’d need to visit the Panama Canal. Seeing the ships pass through is truly incredible to witness and the museum is full of the rich history of the canal and the people who built it. In a part of the city called Amador, there are several restaurants, bike rentals, ice cream shops, and other family activities. For natural history, I’d have to take them to the Biomuseo, and to learn about Panama’s indigenous, a day trip to Rio Chagres is a must!

If you’re looking for the beach, there’s Tobago Island or San Blas Island – both of which are fairly easy to access from the city.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My mother, Gloria S. Parks deserves a whole lot of recognition. From a very young age, she was my first teacher and had me reading and writing well before starting school.

Website: www.drmarquitablades.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/powarrfulteaching/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmarquitasmithblades/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/powarrfulteach

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/POWARRfulTeaching

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa-YI4A_YStkzYNYHikeRWA

Image Credits
Vincent Vassall Nova Southeastern University