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
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“Do You Have To Leave Us?”
“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
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Defeat Doesn’t Live Here
Defeat. I think of this word and I think pain, rejection, frustration, and FAILURE. As I grow as a teacher leader there are times when I could let defeat consume and define me. As educators we experience highs and lows,
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Why Do I Teach?
On the third day of school I asked students, “Besides money, what is the one thing that you personally have to get from a job?” I thought it was a good question to begin our unit on career explorations. I
Read MoreEating Each Other?
Doesn’t it feel as if some of the most powerful stakeholders are trying to undermine our efforts with children? Often, the ones that complain the loudest about a lack of success (as they’ve decided to measure such a thing – inaccurately and on the cheap) are
Read MoreThe Common Core Assessment: One Year In
Last August, shortly after we celebrated the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 11’s moon landing, I wrote The Common Core: Are We Talking about Apollo 11 or Healthnet.gov? on my Digressive Discourse blog. The piece was inspired by The Key to Successful Tech
Read MoreInterview Season
Each year we lose teachers to other positions in the district, other schools or districts, non-renewal and teacher burn out. This year is no exception, but we are approaching the interview process a bit differently. In the past we have
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,
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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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