About Cindi

Maggie Elizabeth Kennedy rode in a mule drawn wagon at the end of the nineteenth century from the Sandhills of North Carolina to attend a training school for teachers in Columbia, South Carolina. Years later, while in her nineties, she often told me the story of “The Little Match Girl” as I lay beside her, scared breathless for the little girl who would not survive the cold. Still, I listened, spellbound, to the sound of storytelling by a little lady from the country who had taught so many in her long life. It would have been altogether fitting for me to want to follow in the footsteps of my great grandmother and become an educator. However, I had no desire to be an educator.

I wanted to be a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader.

reading class with teacher Cindi Rigsbee Nonetheless, other forces prevailed in my life that led me to the honorable profession of teaching. And, like my great-grandmother, I believe it’s important to share stories – stories of the thousands of students I’ve taught since 1979.

So, yes, I am a teacher…and I am a storyteller. But I am also a cheerleader for teachers and a cheerleader for the profession that makes all other professions possible. I believe my Great Granny Maggie would be proud.

With 32 years of teaching (and teacher training) experience, Cindi retired in January of 2018…for one month. She is now back in a school serving as a K-12 Reading Coach. Cindi holds a Masters of Education in Literacy and a Bachelor of Arts in English Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition, she is certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in Early Adolescence/English Language Arts. She and her husband David have four adult children and six adorable grandchildren. They are avid sports fans who, aside from an unfortunate misunderstanding about Duke and UNC, pull for the same teams.