Frank Serafini is a literacy education scholar at Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College as well as an author, illustrator, photographer, and musician; previously, he was an elementary school teacher and literacy specialist. Before participating in a panel on Arizona’s new policy holding back third graders who can’t read, he offered shout-outs to Where the Wild Things Are, his mother’s lasagna, and the truffle capital of the world in the Zócalo green room.
Which weapon would you choose in a zombie apocalypse?
I probably would just go with some sort of bazooka so I could stay as far away from them as possible.
What keeps you up at night?
Working on the new Ph.D. program at Arizona State University: Learning, Literacies, and Technologies. I’ve been charged with being the program committee coordinator, so trying to rethink that has been a big part of what’s kept me up.
What’s the one thing you wish incoming Ph.D. students knew?
They need to decide what they want to be when they grow up before they come into the program. We’re trying to create another group of level-one researchers and teachers, and if they have that in their mind, I think the program will be very successful for them.
If you didn’t live in Phoenix, where would you be?
I’d be in a little town called Alba in the Piedmont region of Italy. It’s surrounded by wonderful vineyards, it’s the truffle capital of the world, and they make Nutella there.
What do you do to relax?
I play guitar. I go out in my garage and turn on my sound system and make noise.
What’s your favorite picture book?
Where the Wild Things Are. I’ve done research with that one in classrooms for years. I guess I relate closely to Max.
What’s your favorite plant or flower?
The Colorado columbine. I find it very photogenic.
It’s your last meal. What do you choose to eat?
My mother’s lasagna.
What do you miss most about being in an elementary school classroom?
The kids. They’re fabulous. The energy and the spirit of being around them really made teaching such a wonderful thing. Not that my college students aren’t lovely as well, but …
How did you get into trouble as a child?
My mother would say that I was a perfect child. I probably got in trouble by expressing my opinion when I should have kept quiet. It seems that talking too much was always one of my biggest challenges, but I’ve been able to parlay that into a career now.