This year, I have been participating in the second pilot year of the Teacher Leadership Initiative. This program is a partnership among the National Education Association, National Board of Professional Teaching Standards, and the Center for Teaching Quality. Since August
Read MorePaying It Forward
As a special education teacher, one of my important responsibilities includes writing Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) for students. IEPs are educational documents that describe learning strengths/weaknesses, accommodations or modifications, special education goals and services, and other topics that relate to a student’s Free and
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Accountability: The Crushing Weight of It All
Everywhere I turn today, “accountability” is suffocating the life out of schools, teachers, and administrators. Accountability looms large in high-stakes testing for students, teacher evaluations, and around this time of year: Teacher End-of-Year Checkout. If you aren’t a teacher, you
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A Choice and a Voice
People do not care about public education! That was the message that many Arizonan educators received back in November as a wave of school overrides failed at the ballot. Shortly after, the budget for public education was drastically cut which
Read MoreWant Creativity? Scrap the Tests.
Despite the stereotype that teachers spend the last few weeks showing movies, I find the opposite to be true at my school. As I walk through the hallways on my prep period, I see classes bursting with creative energy. Out
Read MoreWhere Did My Humor Go?
I was so proud of my very first Stories From School blog. It shed light on an interesting subject, related directly to education practice, and allowed readers a glimpse into a topic that was current and relevant. Most importantly, however,
Read MoreWho Cheated in Atlanta?
In 1963, Davey Moore, an American boxer, lost a fight due to a technical knock-out. He left the ring complaining of a headache and died of inoperable brain injuries 4 days later. He was 30 years old. That same year,
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Every Piece Fits Perfectly by Elizabeth Rushton
Elizabeth Rusthon is an instructional specialist for the Humbolt School District in Prescott, Arizona. In that role she supports all teachers in their daily planning and assessments. She also supports data dialogues and data interpretation. Every Piece Fits Perfectly I
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Raise Your Voice!
“You’re a teacher!? And you were discovered online and asked to be here?! Wow, that’s the teacher dream! How did you get people to notice you and listen to what you have to say?” One young teacher who was volunteering
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We Need MORE Federal Oversight, Not Less
For the past couple of years, debates around the current state of education have narrowly focused on two main issues: Common Core and charter schools. Folks can argue until the cows come home over whether or not the Common Core Standards represent federal
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