Ronna Glickman
March 24, 2023

This week, we are thrilled to spotlight Ronna Glickman, M.Ed. who was born and raised in Indiana and moved to Buffalo in 1983. Upon her arrival to Western New York, Ronna immediately became a part of Jewish Buffalo contributing to the community as a Sunday school teacher at Temple Beth Am (now Congregation Shir Shalom) and becoming engaged through the synagogue’s Sisterhood.

A former Family and Consumer Science teacher in the Williamsville School District, Ronna felt teaching life skills was the most rewarding career she could have hoped for.  “The most enjoyable part was the connections I made with the kids,” Ronna said. “I have a silly sense of humor and it was important to make the kids laugh every day. You never know what a student is going through in their home life and just smiling at them as they entered the classroom, complimenting them, or making them laugh could be the difference between a good day or a bad day.”

Later in her teaching career, Ronna became passionate about teaching about internet safety and the undue effects that social media and gaming can have on kids. She noticed the behavior changes in her students over a five-year span, including depression and defiance. Those behavioral changes in her students were the impetuses for her to begin doing research about the effects of social media usage and online gaming.

Today, Ronna devotes all of her time to social media safety and serves as an ambassador for ScreenStrong Families, an organization that helps families become “screen-smart” with what they are streaming on the internet.  She also founded the organization Social Media Safety, serves as a consultant on the topic, and speaks on many important aspects including the effects excessive social media and gaming can have on the brain, online safety, and making good choices when posting.

Ronna Glickman - Ronna Glickman headshot