My last post discussed the Mirage Report and the subsequent fallout. This one is not about the report, but it is about the fallout. Which, I suppose, still makes it about the report. But stay with me. As I’ve
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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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Questioning RIF Realities in AZ: Professional Capital Part I
This fall, Arizona schools began the year with approximately 1,000 job openings for teachers. Stories on Arizona’s teacher shortage have abounded in recent months. Despite the need for quality educators in our state, did you know that hundreds of teachers
Read MoreImportant but Misrepresented?
I had every intention of writing about back to school, a theme that is being beautifully discussed by my fellow bloggers at Stories from School. But then a proverbial bomb was dropped on the world of professional development in the form
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The 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 MoreTeacher Eval: Liberace or the Kid Next Door?
A quality evaluation is a beginning; a useless one, an end. That’s the conclusion I draw from a quote by the legendary Madeline Hunter in a recent Ed Week article by David Finley: “If you hear someone playing the piano,
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,
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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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