Ohio Education Staff

Emily Puterbaugh began her work in education while studying at the University of Utah. Inspired by her coursework in International Studies, she decided to volunteer for a local non-profit teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages in 2013. She fell in love with the practice and completely changed her career trajectory. She went on to earn her B.S. in Sociology, B.A. in International Studies and a TESOL certificate. She taught ESOL at both the post-secondary level and tutored at the elementary level for several years. Afterwards, Emily became a program coordinator, writing emergent-reader curriculum and managing volunteer teachers for the same program that had inspired her to begin teaching years before. In 2020, she began working with a totally different student population, working for Davis Technical College at the Utah State Prison women’s facilities. In this role, she taught English, software and math courses and developed a more holistic instructional practice, coaching the whole student to become a lifelong learner. She went on to earn her M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction.

In 2022, Emily moved to Cleveland and worked as an ESOL teaching in a local elementary school. For her, it was an eye-opening experience about the levels of inequity in early childhood education. She is a passionate advocate for ELLs and continues to teach a handful of classes every week.  Outside of the classroom, you can find her volunteering at the animal shelter or enjoying a good workout.