Sally Jo Nelson Botzler

Sally Jo Nelson Botzler was raised in working-class neighborhoods in Detroit, Michigan. Her Lutheran-Christian family upbringing and elementary education were influential in her spiritual development. Sally’s children, grandchildren, and other family relationships have been vitally important to her. She is deeply committed to her husband, Rick, who is her dearest friend. Sally has enjoyed many other personal and professional friendships both here in the United States and in Germany, Japan, and Mexico.

Attending Wayne State University in Detroit, Sally earned a Bachelor’s degree in Education in 1964. After she and her young family moved to Northern California in 1970, Sally continued her work as an educator, emphasizing multicultural children’s literature. She completed a California Reading Specialist Credential and a Master of Arts degree in Education at Humboldt State University in 1979. Her Ph.D. in International/Intercultural Education is from the University of Southern California.

Sally’s professional work at the Humboldt County Office of Education in Eureka, California, involved several years of curriculum and staff development in multicultural education and three years of teaching in the Court and Community Schools. Following her doctoral program, Sally worked in teacher preparation and in graduate education programs at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. It was especially gratifying for Sally to supervise numerous student teachers during their fieldwork placements with mentor teachers in several North Coast California schools.

Throughout Sally’s life, she has valued opportunities to work also with young children—from whom she has learned the essentials of patience, joy, and forgiveness. Interest in multicultural education has motivated Sally’s love of world languages. Although her primary language is English, Sally has become increasingly proficient in German and Spanish while also exploring Japanese, Vietnamese, and Hebrew.

Following their retirement as professors at Humboldt State University in December 2007, Sally and Rick served as Peace Corps volunteers at the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve in Jalpan, Mexico (2009 – 2011). This small book reflects Sally’s continued spiritual journey toward living an authentic life characterized by integrity, humility, and love.