Today, after a short PD session introducing an upcoming focus for our faculty, I was once again bothered. Rather, I was nagged by a small portion of that self-doubt that engulfs me every January before AZELLA testing happens. Our principal
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Student Voice for Student Goals
I’ve been setting New Year’s Resolutions for as long as I can remember. I’ve even got my family hooked. Each year during Winter Break, we sit down at the kitchen table to check off the goals we accomplished in the
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How do YOU build a teacher army?
5:00 am BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! There goes the alarm clock, I haven’t heard it in two weeks. Christmas break is over, the new year has begun, and it’s time to get back in the routine of school. 5:15-6:15 am I’m
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Just OK is NOT OK
As teachers, we can get stuck in doing the same old lesson plans we’ve always done. “It’s easier” and “Most students get it this way” are common responses. When I hear these, frustration sets in as questions race through my
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Rearview Mirror
Let’s be perfectly honest, reflection at any time of the year is hard, let alone in the moment or in real time. This is especially true as the year winds to a close. In schools, we witness and experience extreme
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All I Want for Christmas: A Teacher’s Legislative Wishlist
Even though I’m listening to Wham’s “Last Christmas” for the third time today, I know the Ghost of Christmas Future looms right around the corner – for January brings the beginning of the Arizona legislative session. I’ve written before about
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To Infinity and Beyond! Advocating for the Future
I’ve been wearing red every Wednesday since March 2018. I’ve worn it for better teacher wages, for more funding for student resources, for building repairs and curriculum updates, and as a desperate plea for respect for the teaching profession. I’ve
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Life as a Preschool Ninja
Yeah, you read that right. I’m a well-trained ninja. I can block flying items, catch falling kids, jump from the floor to my feet instantaneously, and open up doors using my knees when my hands are full. You might be
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Raising Digital Citizens
The layers of irony in the 1998 film You’ve Got Mail are numerous, but most overt is that the hit-you-over-the-head motif in the film is that the characters all use technology yet smite it. Technology will end society as we
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Waking Up is Hard to Do
Confession: I love a good princess story. When work and professional reading make my heart heavy, I’ve found that sometimes light reading is just the ticket to resurfacing out of the gloom. I recently read a short story by Cameron
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