Joanne Yatvin was a writer and educator who made a significant contribution to Portland and the country. After battling dementia, she passed away on November 17 at the age of 93.
Yatvin was an award-winning educator who devoted her life to teaching teachers how to inspire a love of reading in their children and to assisting kids in learning. In her free time, Yatvin wrote a lot of books while working as a principal, superintendent, or teacher.
Alan Yatvin, her son, stated that she loved to read and write. She authored opinion essays. She contributed to the publication of the Washington Post. She addressed letters on several topics related to education and reading to the editor of the New York Times. She contributed commentary and essays to a number of journals.
She also wrote three books, all of which dealt with education and child training.
Newark, New Jersey, was the birthplace of Joanne Yatvin in 1931. Her parents were Mary Goldberg, who ran the home, and John Goldberg, who worked as a butcher. Yatvin had a tight relationship with Helen, her younger sister. Every summer, the family took a vacation to Bradley Beach.
Archive of the Joanne Yatvin family
Yatvin’s lifelong obsession with reading began when she was a girl. She was interested in theater throughout high school. She received a full scholarship to Rutgers University’s Douglass College, where she studied theatrical arts and English. She worked as a server in the university dining hall to earn money. Blond-haired and blue-eyed, she was small, attractive, and well-liked. She met Milton Yatvin, her future husband, on campus, and he courted her. During her work breaks, he would frequently bring her her favorite food, fried clams from Howard Johnson’s.
Archive of the Joanne Yatvin family
She worked as an elementary school teacher in East Brunswick, New Jersey, after receiving her degree. Her spouse soon accepted a postdoctoral appointment in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, where he worked as a research scientist. She took her first flight ever to join her husband, several months pregnant and with two little children. For two years, the family resided in Puerto Rico. There, Yatvin became fluent in Spanish and taught English to the kids.
The family went back to New Jersey, purchased a home, and made their home there. Yatvin earned a master’s degree from Rutgers while working as an elementary school teacher. According to her son Alan Yatvin, she had a lifetime interest in education.
Archive of the Joanne Yatvin family
The family moved to Madison, Wisconsin, in 1963, where Yatvin worked as a child teacher and attended the University of Wisconsin to earn a PhD in curriculum development and applied linguistics.
During her husband’s sabbatical in 1969, the family spent a year in Belgium. According to Alan Yatvin, my mother used our time in Europe to visit schools in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and France to observe how different institutions taught foreign languages. Her doctoral dissertation, which compared foreign language instruction in North Central Europe and the United States, was based on that.
Archive of the Joanne Yatvin family
Following her doctorate, Yatvin was appointed chair of Madison Memorial High School’s English department before moving on to Crestwood Elementary School as principal. She was named the Wisconsin Principal of the Year in 1985. She made an amazing principal. She took a very active role in creating programs to assist her teachers in teaching reading to their students. She participated actively in organizations for professionals. According to Alan Yatvin, she had a keen interest in reading and how kids pick up the skill.
After all of their kids left home, Yatvin and her husband relocated to Portland in 1988 in pursuit of a milder climate. She was appointed superintendent of Boring’s Cottrell School District. She oversaw student instructors while teaching at Portland State University. She was regarded and adored by her professors. According to Alan Yatvin, she took care of them.
Archive of the Joanne Yatvin family
Yatvin promoted teaching using the entire language. According to Alan Yatvin, whole language is an approach to early reading instruction that places an emphasis on children reading what they are interested in. It is motivated by the idea that if kids are engaged, they will learn to read. Whole language places a strong emphasis on using and recognizing words in natural settings.
Archive of the Joanne Yatvin family
According to Alan Yatvin, she was a strong supporter of the idea that schools should be more than just places where students go from eight to 3:30. She believed that schools had to be like community centers, where children could go to participate in activities, particularly in underprivileged areas. She believed it was a waste of resources to close a school building on weekends and evenings.
Yatvin wrote about her opinions on education and other topics on her blog for many years. She put a lot of effort into her blog and saw it through to the end. According to her sister, Helen Kapner, she persisted in writing despite her difficulties.
Archive of the Joanne Yatvin family
Yatvin’s powerful attitude and generosity will live on in her memory. According to Alan Yatvin, she was a pistol. She was talkative and gregarious. She didn’t conceal her brilliance. She was passionate about her ideas and had strong opinions, especially in the field of education, which was her area of expertise and interest.
Three sons, Alan, Bruce, and Richard Yatvin, as well as four grandchildren, survive Yatvin, along with her sister, Helen Kapner. Both her daughter, Lillian Yatvin, and her husband, Milton, predeceased her.
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