Barbara R. Blackburn, a Top 30 Global Guru in Education, has taught early childhood, elementary, middle and high school students and has served as an educational consultant for three publishing companies. In addition to speaking at international, national and state conferences, she also regularly presents workshops for teachers and administrators in elementary, middle and high schools. She is the author of numerous books, including the bestseller Rigor Is Not a Four-Letter Word . Abbigail Armstrong is a professor at Winthrop University, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in the Middle Level Education Program. She supervises middle school student teachers and collaborates with area schools on special projects. She regularly presents on student motivation, rigor and high impact instructional strategies nationally.