My teaching assignment changed this year, about five weeks into the first quarter. Due to a district policy of only counting “bodies in seats,” not enrolled students, our 5th-grade class sizes were huge (36 – 38 students in tiny portable
Read MoreDream On: Stressed Students at the End of DACA
Policies, local and national, shape our classroom practices, our instructional decisions and our interactions with students and colleagues. Sometimes, that connection is hard to see, especially when policies create a culture of silence which makes it difficult to track
Read MoreOn Being a New Administrator
October is National Principals Month. To celebrate, I decided to interview the newest assistant principal at my high school. What a surprise for him! I have known Brady Krueger for a decade; I taught with him in the social studies
Read MoreRevising Results-Based Funding
Results-Based Funding With little fanfare last month, 288 schools in Arizona received the first payout of results-based funding, the largest education initiatives outlined in the Governor’s State of the State address. The initiative became SB1530, a $38.63 million bonus for
Read MoreLet’s Be Mavens
Are you a trusted expert in your particular field who seeks to pass knowledge and truth on to others? Then you might just be a Maven. Are you a person who networks like crazy? – Maven This past summer
Read MoreDo Politics Matter?
I taught civics for over a decade. I took a personal vow to never disclose my political views to any student, to any staff member, or over any social medium. It was important to me that students were able to
Read MoreTechstructional Techsanity: Health Questions and Tech Integration
I am up for breath after the first few weeks of school, and amazed at what we have accomplished in my classes in terms of implementing technology. During the past two years, I have been lucky enough to have a set
Read MoreA 1% Investment in Future Human Capital for the Sake of our Children
We need parents and stakeholders to step up and help get Arizona fixed. We need to start demanding that our kids get quality instructors, facilities, and equipment to make our next generation something to be proud of. I
Read MoreNeighborhood Knowhow: The Story of an Hour
As we climbed into the dusty school van, I wondered what the next sixty minutes held. My assistant principal jumped behind the wheel while my principal settled into the front seat as the new teachers, myself included, climbed into the
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