September 2015 - STORIES FROM SCHOOL AZ

Photo Credit:
Sanders Memorial Kindergarten Camp

“Isn’t Kindergarten Supposed to be PUN?!?!”

September 30, 2015Danielle Brown Assessment, Current Affairs, Elementary, Life in the Classroom, Teacher Leadership

“ Isn’t Kindergarten supposed to be PUN?!” Translation: Isn’t Kindergarten is supposed to be FUN?! The most constructive and valuable criticism I have received in my 7 years as an educator. Why? It was honest, genuine, and most importantly, provided

Rookie Moves

September 29, 2015Alaina Adams Education, Education Policy, Life in the Classroom, Mentoring, National Board Certification, Professional Development, Teacher Leadership

Now that I’ve returned to the classroom, people keep asking: “How is it going?” And my answer has been pretty consistent: it’s wonderful, but it’s also kicking my proverbial rear end! It’s not like I forgot how complicated teaching was,

Worth It

September 24, 2015Daniela A. Robles Uncategorized

I pursued National Board Certification ten years ago. I was in my 9th year of teaching the same grade, in the same district, at the same school, and I had lost my purpose. My support system for candidacy consisted of

Should We Save a Slice for Charters?

September 19, 2015Amethyst Hinton Sainz Current Affairs, Education Policy

Donnie Dicus got me thinking about charter schools in Arizona. It disgusts me that corporations with absolutely no fidelity to Arizona’s children or communities can profit from money that is desperately needed in the traditional public schools to implement current

Digressions, Gripes, and My Hypocrisy

September 17, 2015Sandy Merz Books, Life in the Classroom, Teacher Leadership, Uncategorized

I’m going to start with a digression (a pregression?). I get poems stuck in my head, just like music. Two frequent culprits are from Kurt Vonneget’s novel, Cat’s Cradle: Lion gotta hunt, Bird gotta fly, Man gotta sit and wonder, Why?

Who Gets the Biggest Piece?

September 15, 2015Donnie Dicus Uncategorized

A huge blow struck the charter school system in Washington this past week. A Washington supreme court ruled that charter schools are unconstitutional . This comes pretty close after a decision in North Carolina in which their Supreme Court ruled

“Do You Have To Leave Us?”

September 14, 2015Beth Maloney Current Affairs, Education, Education Policy, Elementary, Life in the Classroom, Teacher Leadership

“Mrs. Maloney, why do you have to leave us?” Her big gray eyes looked up at me pleadingly as she hugged me tight across the middle as if to stop me from exiting the classroom door. My heart was torn

The Mirage: Are We Flailing?

September 12, 2015Mike Lee Education, Education Policy

My last post discussed the Mirage Report and the subsequent fallout. This one is not about the report, but it is about the fallout. Which, I suppose, still makes it about the report. But stay with me. As I’ve

Why I Stay: This Battle is Worth It!

September 10, 2015Jess Ledbetter Uncategorized

A few years ago, I heard a Dana Goldstein interview on NPR about her book, called The Teacher Wars: A History of the Most Embattled Profession. The title alone was so intriguing! I was captivated by a mind-blowing discussion of

Why I Stay

September 9, 2015Amethyst Hinton Sainz Education, Life in the Classroom, Literacy, Love

I hope my readers will indulge me with this one. The Beatles play on vinyl in my earliest memories, and I have always enjoyed the playfulness, surreality and yet wisdom of their lyrics. On the topic of why I continue