I am naturally a fast paced person. Like the Energizer Bunny, I bounce around all day long until I get home, bounce slower, and eventually crash into my bed to recharge. Despite all my bouncing, I still have the same
Read MoreInner Circle
Our brains are easily persuaded by self-talk. When facing adversity, it’s natural to think about doubts and harder to focus on the positives. Life, especially in teaching, is full of challenges. As I tell my students, “If you think you
Read MoreWho Should Have Seniority?
A Return to Work (RTW) teacher in Arizona is one who retires, begins to receive their full pension, but stays on in their teaching position earning a percentage of their salary. This is legal because the RTW teacher technically becomes
Read MoreBonds and Overrides and the Public, Oh My!
As a busy teacher/advocate, I am careful to whom I rent space in my head, meaning, I don’t perseverate about things outside my control as much as I did as a newer teacher. Angry parents don’t phase me anymore. Administrative
Read MoreNOT a Superhero
So everyone dreams about being a superhero when they’re a kid, right? The idea of cape-crusading, building-climbing, crime-defeating glory sounds pretty awesome to anyone under ten. Superheroes are known for saving the world in cool costumes while soaking up love
Read MoreMost Spirited
Earlier this week, just a few moments after sunrise, I found myself looking down at my school from atop a steep slope. I was pulling weeds, and raking a rocky hillside. No. This was not penance for some classroom stunt.
Read MoreMental Health First Aid
There’s no way to describe the sound of toddler choking until you hear it. Once you hear it, you can’t forget it. A gasp? A wheeze? I saw his eyes. 4-year-old eyes. Eyes of a non-verbal preschool student with Autism.
Read MoreStory from the School Garden
In 2008, Lisa Moberg, now an NBCT and once a blogger for Stories from School Arizona, was teaching on a third grade team in a West Valley Title I school. The team had heard about the Western Growers Foundation grants
Read MoreSchool Safety Grant
Between September 16th and 27th, you may have noticed your school counselors missing from your school site, your grants manager may not having been communicating with anyone, staff members may have been pulled off campus to attend urgent meetings. This
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