Meet the Presenters
Peggy Simonis (left) and Kay Zastrow (right)
Kay Zastrow is the 2009-2010 recipient of Wisconsin's Teacher of the Year for Special Services through the Department of Public Instruction. She is a Certified Conscious Discipline® Instructor (CCDI) and partner in Teaching Loving Discipline, L.L.P. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire with a double major of elementary/middle teacher certification and special education teacher certification at all age levels. She holds a Master of Science Degree from the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh in Early Childhood Special Education. Kay further holds a Professional Development Certification from the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay.
Early on in her career Kay was awarded the Outstanding Young Educators Award by the Green Bay Jaycees. She received the Outstanding Educators Award from the Green Bay Public Schools in 1988.
Kay has been a teacher in the Green Bay Public Schools for over 30 years working with children 18 months to 22 years of age. She also served as an early childhood evaluator, program support teacher, autism support teacher and birth to three transition facilitator for twelve of those years. Prior to her teaching career in Green Bay, Kay served as a special education resource teacher for the Bloomington Public Schools in Minnesota.
Currently Kay serves as an Early Childhood Community Options Teacher working with preschoolers with disabilities in their natural learning environments including their homes, preschools, Head Start settings and childcare centers.
She has served on numerous school and community committees and boards. She has taught various courses as an adjunct faculty member at St. Norbert College in DePere, Wisconsin.
Kay is married to Dr. Michael Zastrow and they reside in Green Bay. They have three married sons and daughter-in-loves, 3 single children and they are proud grandparents of Casey.
Peggy Simonis is a Certified Conscious Discipline® Instructor (CCDI) and partner in Teaching Loving Discipline L.L.P. She holds a B.A. in Communications and Journalism from the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh. She holds a Masters of Science in Early Childhood Special Education from the University at Oshkosh. Peggy further holds a Professional Development Certificate (PDC) from the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay, (UWGB) and an additional degree in assistive technology from St. Norbert College at DePere, Wisconsin.
Peggy was employed for 20 years by the Green Bay Area Public Schools as an Early Childhood (EC) Special Education Teacher. She worked in self-contained early childhood settings, collaborative kindergarten settings and the EC Community Options Program. Prior to that time Peggy was employed as a teacher with adults at the N. E. W. Curative Rehabilitation Center through Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. She has taught various courses as an adjunct faculty member at St. Norbert College in DePere, Wisconsin. She now devotes her time to teaching Conscious Discipline®.
Peggy and Kay Zastrow’s speaking credentials include, the Northeastern Wisconsin Teachers Convention, Wisconsin Early Care Association Conference, Wisconsin State Head Start Conference, Wisconsin Early Childhood Association, Wisconsin School Counselor’s Association, Oshkosh Early Childhood Conference, Whitewater Early Childhood Conference, Wisconsin Childcare Administrator’s Association and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Conference in 7 different states and Toronto, Canada.
Peggy received the Brown County Teacher of the Year Award in 1998. She was a 2004 Recipient of a Learning In Partnership Grant from UWGB along with her teaching partner Kay. This grant afforded them an opportunity to do action research in “The Effects of Conscious Discipline® on Aggressive Behavior and Academic Achievement.”
Peggy and her husband John reside in DePere, WI. They have 2 sons and daughter-in-loves who all reside in Charleston, S.C. They are also proud grandparents of Annie Grace and Luke.