People with Purpose: Ambyr Rios

Ambyr Rios wants students to know two things: who they are matters, and where they come from does not have to determine where they are going.

As an associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Rios helps prepare secondary literacy teachers through a combination of high expectations and unwavering support — finding her purpose in building classrooms where students feel challenged, valued and capable of leading the next generation of learners.

Q: What's a piece of advice you can give uniquely to students?

Rios: My first piece of advice would be not to worry about making a living with a humanities or social science degree. So many students worry when choosing an English, speech, theatre or journalism education major because of advice from well-meaning friends or family. But each of us makes our own journey in this world, and it's much easier to find success when we live our unique truth. I say embrace the quirkiness that is you and find a way to make that sustainable. I have an undergraduate degree in English and a few education degrees, and everything has turned out just fine for me — I even have coffee money.

My second piece of advice is that your future can be better than your past. If you believe and work toward that notion, you can create the reality you want and deserve. In my life, I had little stability as a child, due to ever-changing locations and various family dynamics beyond my control. As an adult, I have intentionally created a life that is consistent, positive and stable. You can do the same!

Q: What's one thing you do to make a difference in the lives of students?

Rios: The special part of training and mentoring aspiring teachers in their final year is the layered and cascading impact that occurs for our teacher candidates, their future students and their school communities.

Each semester, I help develop teachers who will, in turn, shape the literacy experiences of hundreds of adolescent students. Beyond that, these early-career teachers will positively influence communities and future faculty peers.

This dual-pronged work means I carry a deep responsibility to infuse my classes with relevant, real-world learning opportunities through a practice-based teacher education framework whenever possible. Each teaching methods course, grounded in modeling, practice, deconstruction and application, is meaningful for aspiring teachers, but more importantly, should translate into strong instruction for over 100 secondary students in the years ahead.

Q: What's your leadership style? How does that contribute to success in your role?

Rios: In both of my professional spaces, I employ a leadership style similar to the one I embraced as a classroom teacher: a warm-demander approach in which I hold students to high expectations while working diligently to support them in meeting those standards.

In education, "warm-demander" leaders build trust, instill self-discipline, believe deeply in students and help learners embrace failure as a natural and necessary part of growth. Similarly, I try to embody the role of a coach who recognizes the end goal while nurturing each student toward both personal and collective success.

I strongly believe in the power of a positive team environment, so I work to cultivate communities of learners in my classes and encourage students to sustain those communities as they move into field placements and professional careers. My students' success reflects my own, and I take their growth, wobbles and wins seriously.

 

Q: What's something you do to make campus a welcoming space on campus for students?

Rios: I'm a bit of a nester and very much a "more is more" person, so both my office and classroom are spaces that I've used to cultivate a sense of belonging and comfort for secondary literacy students and anyone else who stops in.

Both spaces are overflowing with books spanning children's literature, canonical works and fantasy favorites because we all need our comfort reads. Our classroom is designed like a secondary English classroom, complete with student work displays, organized materials, class supplies, grouped desks and snacks because everyone needs snacks.

We even have a papier-mache wisteria tree growing from the corner of the room, with a reading chair and two reading rugs tucked beneath it to create multiple spaces for students to engage in discussion and teaching simulations. Creating a university classroom that also functions as a classroom simulation space helps students genuinely envision what their future work might look like.

Q: What challenges are you trying to solve through your work?

Rios: It's a tough time to be a secondary literacy teacher in Kansas. Many districts are experiencing teacher shortages, budget constraints and an increasing number of students who need strategic support in reading, writing and communication. At the same time, teacher pay remains relatively stagnant despite the ever-expanding responsibilities teachers carry as curriculum creators, adapters, technologists, counselors, custodians, grant writers, performers and magicians.

My work examines how to encourage and support experienced and early-career secondary literacy educators as they navigate these realities. I aim to help new teachers feel genuinely prepared to teach reading, writing and communication through high-leverage, evidence-based literacy practices. I also work closely with teachers across the state in adolescent literacy spaces as a partner, learning with, from and alongside them. In turn, I try to disseminate those collective learnings in local, national and broader scholarly spaces so others can learn from the exceptional teaching happening across Kansas. Kansas is home to an incredible community of committed and talented secondary literacy educators, and I hope to continue finding ways to support, sustain and amplify their work.