Accomplished teacher leaders tell stories of how policy decisions impact learning and teaching in their classrooms in order to spark constructive dialogue across the education community.
This July marked the beginning of my 14th year teaching in Arizona. Born and raised in this state, it’s my 27th start of school in Arizona public schools. After a really hard 2021-2022 school year—staffing shortages, battles over curriculum, the
Read MoreWhat makes a conference effective? I have been asking myself this question for over 20 years. I think I finally have the answer for my middle school students. For the past three days I have been with every one of
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It’s 3:15 pm on Friday and I’ve just finished doing a “sweep” around my wing to be sure that all students have made it off campus safely. As I’m heading back to my classroom, I say goodbye to all the
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August 3rd was here! Our first day back and I already had two Montessori Student Teachers observing our class. They had a specific request to see how to start the first day of school. I gave them some history of
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It is not January 1st, but it’s a “new year” in a teacher’s life. The new school year always comes with a renewed sense of excitement and anticipation. We recharge after a few weeks off (if we chose not to
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Our Last Day = Our First Day (the big setup) It was going to be a short week and we were all grateful! After returning to school full time with COVID restrictions and limitations, we were all ready for summer
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I arrived at work at 6:00am and stared at the long list of classrooms with no coverage. I felt an anxious lurch in my stomach. We already had classrooms without permanent teachers and then just days into the school year,
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The scene is set for any time that I have had a conversation with someone trying to make small talk over the past three months. Person: “So what do you do for work?” Me: “I’m a teacher.” Person: “Oh, that’s
Read MoreIn “365 Days of Me, Part 1″, I shared my plan to reconnect with myself over the next 365 days. So far, my plan includes a healthy body and a healthy spirit. Here is the rest of what I will
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