I am a mother of four (two boys and two girls) and a certified Positive Discipline Parent Educator who helps Black parents identify and break their toxic parenting patterns.
After working as an educator and instructional coach for over 15 years, I decided to use my teaching and curriculum design skills to create programs that provide parents with the tools and support they need to show up in a more positive, purposeful and peaceful way!
In 2017 I launched Positive & Purposeful Parenting and through my parenting programs, high-energy workshops, online challenges, and 1-on-1 coaching, I have helped countless parents across the world navigate the everyday challenges of life with kids. I am passionate about building a community of Black parents who are committed to challenging popular parenting norms as they create more loving, peaceful, and respectful home environments for their families.
My Educational Bio
AKA The Nerdy Stuff
Domari Dickinson is a parenting coach who has worked with school districts, school leaders, teachers, parents and educational companies from across the country to help students be more successful.
She received her B.S. in Mathematics and B.S. in Computer Science from Spelman College in 2002 and her Master’s degree in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University in 2003. Domari has dedicated over 15 years to supporting the education of inner-city students and her passion for teaching both children and adults has been evident both inside and outside of the classroom. She was the first teacher to receive theTeacher of the Month award at the Academy for College and Career Exploration in Baltimore, MD in September of 2007, and she received this award again in September of 2010 while working at True North Rochester Prep in Rochester, NY.
Domari began her career as an educator as a founding teacher with the Academy for College and Career Exploration in Baltimore City Public Schools. Over the course of her time with the school, she taught Pre-Algebra, Algebra I and Geometry and also served as the Lead Mathematics Teacher. In this role she assisted in developing and analyzing daily lesson plans and unit assessments, organizing and delivering professional development for teachers both school- and district-wide, and supporting teachers in analyzing their assessment data.
In 2007 Domari became a Certified Implementation Specialist for Carnegie Learning, Inc. after using their curriculum with her students, and this opportunity allowed her to train and support teachers across the country in the successful implementation of the curriculum and computer software. That year she also worked for CompassLearning Inc. where she created over 50 videos to help support the Odyssey High School Algebra product, and these videos continue to help students around the country to meet with success in their Algebra classes.
In 2008 Domari relocated to Rochester, NY to take a position teaching 7th grade mathematics at True North Rochester Preparatory Charter School. In this position she developed a 7th grade mathematics curriculum that was directly aligned with NY Sate standards. During her first year she was responsible for teaching data driven lessons based on interim exam results and daily formative assessments. During this year she became the first person in the history of the school to have 100% of her students score proficient on the NY State Math Exam. In 2009 she became the Grade Level Chair at Rochester Prep which allowed her to train team members in the areas of curriculum implementation and classroom management, provide professional development support and feedback, lead grade level meetings and serve as a liaison between team members and the school administration.
While working with Uncommon Schools in New York, Domari had the opportunity to work directly with Doug Lemov and as a result she was featured in the book/DVD “Teach Like a Champion: 49 Techniques that Put Students on the Path to College” modeling exemplary instructional practices.
In 2010 Domari returned to Baltimore to take a position as an Instructional Specialist with Friendship Public Charter School. In this role she provided professional development to teachers and leadership teams to help improve student outcomes across grades Pre-K to 12. In 2013 she transitioned into the role as the Director of Mathematics with Friendship schools. Along with providing targeted and specific feedback on lesson plans and informal observations, she also had the pleasure of co-planning, co-teaching, and modeling for teachers. While working with Friendship, Domari was also able to provide Real-Time Coaching to elementary, middle and high school teachers to help them decrease off-task behaviors in their classrooms.
Over the past ten years Domari has also worked as an independent contractor with companies such as Words & Numbers, Carnegie Learning, CompassLearning, Lincoln Learning Solutions, and ChallengeU. She has also provided services for the Ready at Five organization as a coach for both their VIOLETS and mathematics programs which help ensure that young children have the skills needed to help them be successful when they enter kindergarten.
In 2017 Domari launched Positive & Purposeful Parenting and is now working to help equip parents with the knowledge, tools and support they need to ensure that they are grooming their children for success. She runs virtual challenges, live workshops, and provides 1-1 coaching programs to help break toxic parenting patterns and help parents clearly define success for their family AND come up with a plan to achieve it!
Now Let’s Have Some Fun!
Are You Ready for Some Random Facts?
If this is your first time on my page, then you’re probably wondering, “Ok. Who is Domari? Like, for real for real.” Well, to give you a little more insight into my world, I’ve decided to compile a list of 51 random facts all about me….enjoy!
1. I was born and raised in Rochester, NY….lived in the DMV for about 20 years….and now I’m living in the ATL
2. I love to sing and dance even though I’m not really good at either
3. I have a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University….but I’ve NEVER used it (and never plan on using it)
4. Most of my closest friends are people that I’ve known since elementary or middle school
5. I gained over 50 pounds carrying my first 3 kids, and decided to go BIG with #4 so I gained over 75 (I know….I’m such an overachiever)
6. I lied about my age from the time I was 13 until….well…..depending on who I’m talking to I might still lie about it
7. I rate my burps and farts – the longer and louder they are, the higher the score
8. I love, love, LOVE Raheem DeVaughn and I am a card-carrying member of the Love Queen Nation. I know all of his songs, and my kids do too since I listen to his music all the time
9. I can only wink with my right eye
10. I strategically unload my groceries from the cart based on where they will get put away in the house….and I get very upset when the person bagging my groceries takes it about him/herself to mess up my plan
11. I paid off over $10,000 worth of debt in 6 months
12. I absolutely HATE brussels sprouts and refuse to eat them
13. I also hate when the time on the microwave isn’t actually the time but the amount of time remaining from the last person’s attempt to re-heat some food. It drives me NUTS!!!
14. All four of my kids were born via c-section (and after #3 the doctors weren’t able to reconnect my abs)
15. When I was younger I wanted to be a pharmacist…..but then I took Chemistry and realized that it wasn’t in the cards for me
16. My favorite color changes depending on my mood
17. My mother died of cancer when I was 13 and I was raised by my dad and my older brother (this explains a lot about me)
18. I graduated from Spelman College in 2002 with a BS in Mathematics and a BS in Computer Science
19. I can sing the alphabet song backwards
20. I’ve never seen any of the Star Wars movies
21. I don’t mind pumping my own gas because I secretly love the way that it smells
22. When I was 6 years old I named my favorite doll “Lotion”
23. I’ve seen a UFO….more than once
24. My celebrity crushes are Jason Statham, Idris Elba, LaRoyce Hawkins and Jennifer Lopez. I will watch ANYTHING with them in it…..and I’ll watch it like 100 times….in a row
25. Star Trek: The Next Generation was one of my favorite shows growing up
26. People in my family don’t call me Domari – most of them know me as “Deeloe” (a name that I made up for myself in high school)
27. I didn’t get my driver’s license until I was pregnant with my first child
28. Everyone says that my oldest daughter looks just like me, but I don’t see it (I just smile and nod when people say that she’s my twin)
29. I still have one of my baby teeth (and two fake teeth as the result of a fight I got into with this guy when I was in college….and yes….alcohol was involved)
30. I’m an introvert. No….for real. Nobody ever believes me, but being around a lot of people is draining to me
31. I’m afraid of driving over large bridges because of a reoccurring nightmare I had as a child. In the dream I was driving over a bridge and when I got to the top it ended and all of the cars were falling into the water
32. Almost all of my tattoos were done in different states (Virginia, Georgia, New York, Oregon, New Hampshire, DC, Florida, and Maryland)
33. I love all of the Chicago shows (Chicago PD, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire) and my daughter and I binge watch them each weekend
34. I watched the entire series of Flashpoint on Netflix in under 2 weeks…..that show is sooooo freaking good!!
35. I have signed up for over 10 half marathons but never actually run in any of them
36. My arms and legs are NEVER the same shade of brown (no matter how purposefully I try to tan)
37. I am very sensitive to smells (so being trapped in an elevator with an old lady is another fear of mine)
38. I stopped eating beef for 5 years on a dare
39. I am my grandmother’s favorite grandchild (I hope none of my cousins are reading this)
40. I have over 10 body piercings (and no, I’m not going to name them all)
41. When I was in high school, Casino was one of my favorite movies and I totally wanted to grow up to be a casino ho because Ginger made it look like so much fun
42. I was voted best dressed in high school and most of my clothes came from my older brother’s closet (so, technically HE deserved the award)
43. I had corrective eye surgery when I was 6 years old
44. I almost died the first time I did hot yoga (but like a trooper I went back again and it was pretty amazing the second time around)
45. I love drinking water….unless it has fruit it in….then I think it’s gross
46. I used to suck my middle and ring fingers when I was little
47. I spent New Year’s Eve of 1999 in Puerto Rico and was fully prepared for the world to end (or at least for all of the computers to stop working) and was kinda upset that January 1, 2000 ended up being a regular day
48. I talk to my older brother at least once a day (because he calls me at least 50 times a day…..sometimes back to back to back to back….and he’s been known to leave me 5 minute long voicemail messages when I don’t answer after the 10th or 11th call)
49. I know all of the words to every single song from The Little Mermaid
50. I thought that I was done having kids after #2 was born…..clearly God had other plans for our family
51. I played volleyball in middle school, high school, and college but had to stop due to a shoulder injury….10 years later I tore my ACL playing volleyball at a church picnic. Although I really love it, clearly volleyball is not good for my health.