I have a reputation on campus as the “fun teacher” or the “loose teacher” or the rebel who doesn’t follow rules. I find this odd because my class is pretty quiet. There’s usually a gentle buzz while the students work.
Read MoreWhere Are the Teacher Voices?
Last week, a group of connected educators met with the U.S. Department of Education in Washington D.C. I looked at the picture of the people standing around the table and noticed that there was not a single public school K-12
Read MoreActually, It Is the Money
I’m in a higher paying district in Phoenix. I know of teachers who are making $4,000 less a year than me. Unlike my own children’s school district, my district is not considering a four day work week. I realize that, to
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Fitting In
I teach preschool students with autism and severe communication delays. It’s likely that my students will face some challenges fitting in during their life. As their teacher and advocate, it can be hard for me to fit in, too. The
Read MoreMind Like a Civ(ics Test)?
Should Arizona high school graduates understand civics? Heck, yes. What? I agree with our Republican-dominated legislative and executive branch on an issue? As in many other states, our state legislature and national representatives are elected disproportianately by older, wealthy white
Read MoreIt Takes a Village
Teachers need to be held accountable for student learning. Teaching is a job and our job is for students to learn. Employees who work at McDonald’s are held accountable for putting a Big Mac together correctly. Workers at Target are
Read MoreMissing Our Mr. Miyagi Moment
Think about “Star Wars.” How would the tale have ended if Luke had confronted Darth Vader, but had yet to meet Obi-Wan Kenobi and learn the ways of The Force? Or, consider a storyline where the Karate Kid had never
Read MoreOpen Door Policy
My last post addressed some reasons why teachers may choose to close their doors. By this I mean that some (many?) otherwise highly effective teachers still function in that self-protective mode of outward compliance with policies and initiatives that they
Read MorePlease Quit Taking Kids Out of Electives to Do Reading Intervention
I get it. Reading scores are low in my district. And it’s not just the scores. Kids are struggling to read. They’re struggling to answer questions based upon what they read. They’re struggling to think critically about what they read.
Read MoreThe Principalship: Noble Attempt, Daffy Model
You know the expression. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck. No matter how many times the duck says it’s a swan, or those around the unnecessarily insecure creature agree with him… It’s still a duck. Not that many
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