THE AUTHOR
Dr. Terance Shipman is a 25-year veteran teacher. He spent much of his teaching career working with elementary aged students. In fact, he spent his first 11 years teaching kindergarten! He is proud to say that he built strong relationships over those years and has an incredible network of his students and their parents and co-workers that he has remained in contact with over these years. Dr. Shipman calls this ever-developing network “Team Shipman”. Through Team Shipman, Dr. Shipman offers continual encouragement, leadership, and mentorship to his students, their families, and his professional peers. Dr. Shipman currently teaches middle school and extends membership to Team Shipman to his current students and their families, as well.
Mr. Shipman’s Kindergarten Chronicles are the stories of teaching kindergarten that make Dr. Shipman smile the most when he thinks about his years teaching kindergarten. Each book in the series celebrates the male teacher, in particular the black male teacher. Acknowledging the under-representation of black men in education, Mr. Shipman presents a positive and strong black male image that children need. Through his first series of books, Dr. Shipman’s Kindergarten Chronicles, Dr. Shipman hopes to make kindergarten an exciting and anticipated adventure for students, parents, and teachers, while casting an even wider net for Team Shipman.
Dr. Shipman received his Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the Tuskegee University in 1992. After obtain this degree, he attended Hampton University in Virginia and obtain a Master’s degree in Elementary Education in 1994. For the next 13 years, Dr. Shipman was an elementary teacher in Atlanta Public School System. Most of his time at APS was spent as a kindergarten teacher, and in 2009 he earned his Educational Specialist degree from University of West Georgia in Administration Supervision and soon after he complete his doctoral degree at Clark Atlanta University in 2013. Since completing his final degree, Dr. Shipman has worked with middle school and high school aged students. And through it all Team Shipman is still growing!
THE ILLUSTRATOR
Milan was born, went to school, got married and has two kids in Belgrade - one town, but in four different countries. His childhood was tainted by a civil war, world record inflation (we had a 500 billion bill) and a NATO bombing. He passed a MENSA test at the age of 16.
He always had some talent for art, but started to practice it relatively late. While studying the Faculty of Mathematics, he began taking classes at one of the finest teachers and greatest living artists Zeljko Tonsic. His technique was unrivaled and precision second to none, making his pieces pure poetry. Strongly influenced by his “old master”, Milan focused on light and tonal values in his drawings, choosing pencil as his weapon of choice.
After a couple of years, Milan was accepted at the Faculty of Applied arts, illustration/book design section. Studies last for 5 years and he acquired a masters degree. After graduation, Milan started to work in a couple of local magazines and as a freelancer over the internet. On such a platform, he met Dr Shipman and joined his team to create a series of books, including the one you’re holding right now.