A year in a new position kept me on my toes, but overall my morale this year is very good. I could name five or six major factors that have increased my morale this year. Reason #1, though? Salary. I
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The Problem with Curriculum Maps
The term “map” conjures up images of open spaces and daring adventures. At a young age, children sketch out pirate maps in search of treasures that they can barely imagine. At an older age, the map is a chance to
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Common Core and David Beckham
I know what you are thinking. In Arizona, they aren’t called the Common Core Standards, they are called the Arizona College and Career Readiness Standards (ACCRS). The name change was part of an effort to disconnect the standards from conspiracy
Read MoreParents: Please Look Beyond the Snapshots to Look at the Core
In the past many months, I’m sure many of you who are on social media have noticed a certain brand of posts related to the Common Core. Most of them begin with a photo of a third-grader’s math homework. Usually,
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7 Observations About Defining Expert Teachers
My teacherpreneur work includes working on diverse teams tasked to do everything from describing the state of early childhood in Arizona to determining the skills that make a new teacher safe for the classroom to delineating the continuum of growth
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My Reply to Our Biggest Failure by Mike Lee
In Our Biggest Failure, Mike Lee wrote in this space that all other problems in education: Pale in comparison to our students’ ultimate inability or unwillingness to think for themselves, to recognize learning and inquiry as enjoyable, identify their own biases
Read MoreMyths and Lies and Truth and Voice
I just ordered a book, and I can’t wait to get it. Yesterday, I attended a panel presentation on Tempe’s ASU campus. The authors of 50 Myths and Lies that Threaten America’s Public Schools: The Real Crisis in Education presented
Read MoreA Silent Testing Environment
Testing Day is silent, of course, but teachers are not even allowed to examine or discuss the state standardized assessments after the fact. I can’t see how this helps advance teaching and learning.
Read MoreA District, A Salary Schedule, and Decompression: An Interview with Robbie Ramirez
I interview teacher-leader Robbie Ramirez about the effects of salary compression in her district. She provides a personal story which makes it clear why decompressing the salaries of veteran teachers should be a top priority in districts which have made painful budget choices in the past several years.
Read MoreAt the Door of the Tent
“These changes you’re talking about – it’s not just reforming the union. We have to organize teachers all over again. The first time we organized their economic rights; now we have to organize them as educators. We have to organize
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