If you ever want to see a REALLY happy teacher, give her some money to spend on her students. When I found out that I would have a monthly budget in my current position, I nearly danced a jig in
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Right to Recess
In a scene from my favorite TV show, My Crazy Ex Girlfriend, a clueless shopper holds up a plastic wiffle ball and bat set and asks the clerk if a 10 year old would like it. She responds with, “You
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To Choose or Not to Choose: Debate over School Choice Grows Stronger
Held every January, National School Choice Week is just around the corner. As we approach this date, I can’t help but think of how a single initiative has become one of the most controversial topics in education today. Proponents of
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Sticks and Stones
Recently, a colleague of mine had the honor of speaking to teenagers about the power of becoming an educator. To prepare, she posted a Facebook status asking these questions: “Why should people pursue teaching degrees? Why should people teach in public schools?”
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Reality Check for English Language Learners
Snippets of surreptitious conversational Spanish dart around the classroom amid scattered outbursts of giggles. I review the color-coded highlighting of sentence parts in our newest sentence formula involving superlative adjectives, pointing to the laminated neon cards magneted to the
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Sound the Alarm
Finally, after several attempts, my district’s maintenance and operations budget override passed on election night. Let’s all raise our glasses shall we!! The yes votes tallied 5,018 while the no votes came in at 4,164. Two years ago the MUSD
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We Shall Not Cease From Exploration: A Plea for Geography Education
Did you know it’s Geography Awareness Week (November 13-19)? Did I just lose your interest because when you hear “geography” you picture a dusty, outdated atlas on your classroom shelf? This is my plea for geography instruction in today’s schools.
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Voting for Education is Not Enough
By the time you read this, it is possible that the election will be decided, and the knotted ball of emotion in my stomach will have blossomed into one form or another of wildly flowing feeling. Most of that will
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Kindergarten: Fully Funding the Foundation
Recently, there have been a few articles regarding the full funding of Kindergarten in the state of Arizona, as seen here and here. Currently the state funds Kindergarten for half a day, while some districts find ways to fund
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