Terry began her career as an educator in South Jersey public schools in 1974 and taught first, second and third grades for 18 years. She went on to earn her Reading Specialist Certification from Temple University and then worked as the Reading Coordinator in her South Jersey elementary school until she and her late husband, Mark Wagenveld, adopted their 2 daughters from Honduras.  

     Terry continued her involvement in teaching by volunteering as a reading tutor at Arthur Elementary School, E.M. Stanton Elementary School, and The City School, all in Philadelphia. When her younger daughter was in second grade, she was diagnosed with dyslexia. Thanks to a program called Wilson Language Training, her daughter successfully learned how to read. Terry was so fascinated with the program's methodology that she decided to obtain the requisite training and became a Wilson Language Trainer.  

     This enabled her to work with children struggling with literacy in the Philadelphia School district. In this capacity, Terry has volunteered for the past 24 years in both public and private schools as a reading teacher and mentor.  

      She has always believed in the power of stories, and so, her favorite genre of literature is historical fiction. Terry has found that children absolutely love stories about people and that teaching them history is much easier and a lot more fun using wonderful selections of historical fiction. A few of her favorite children's books include Fever by Laurie Halse Anderson, Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan, Number the Stars by Lois Lowery and The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis.  

     When she is not reading, Terry enjoys traveling, trying new restaurants in Philadelphia, visiting local gardens (especially, Bartram’s Garden),attending plays and The Philadelphia Orchestra concerts, and spending time with her friends.