2012 - Page 2 of 6 - STORIES FROM SCHOOL AZ

Am I Teaching For Creativity?

November 14, 2012Amethyst Hinton Sainz Uncategorized

I just finished a professional book study through the Arizona K12 Center. We read and discussed Sir Ken Robinson’s book Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative, and I think there is a lot for schools to take to heart

What If Assessment Was a Verb?

November 5, 2012John Spencer Assessment

I often get the urge to say, "Ignore the dots on the wall, kids. Those dots don't demonstrate your value as a learner or your identity as a student." Instead, I hope they walk past it, ignore it, and walk

Hide-n-Seek

November 2, 2012Jen Robinson Education, Elementary

As I enter my rookie year as an elementary principal, I find myself going back to the song “For You.” by the Barenaked Ladies. The line that stands out, “If I hide myself wherever I go, I am ever really

Yikes

October 31, 2012Eve Rifkin Uncategorized

Last night, I went to see Rosemary’s Baby as it was meant to be seen: In 35mm on the big screen. It was kinda scary, but so far-fetched, that it was also a little funny. As I sit down to

If We are Interchangeable, are We Invisible?

October 25, 2012Amethyst Hinton Sainz Education, Life in the Classroom

I share the exciting drama of leaving lesson plans with a substitute. What will await the absent teacher upon her return? All will be reavealed…

Invisible Leadership

October 18, 2012Daniela A. Robles Uncategorized

Vampires, haunted houses, witches, goblins, ghosts-oh my! Tis the season to ponder what truly exists or is perhaps a figment of our imagination. As I tune out the sounds of werewolves howling, I find one reality truly frightening. The power

Invisible Stories

October 17, 2012John Spencer Life in the Classroom

The Need for Story I'm watching a Forty-Niners game on a late Sunday morning when someone posts a Facebook video comparing the social networking service to chairs, basketball games, picnics and other deeply human experiences. Minutes later, I look up

All that is Unsolved in our Hearts

October 15, 2012Eve Rifkin Assessment, Education, Education Policy

At the end of the day, I could produce the spreadsheets, and get the thumbs up (and the bonuses) from my evaluators, but I knew that I hadn’t grown professionally at all. Not one inch.

Invisible Data

October 5, 2012Amethyst Hinton Sainz Assessment, Education, Education Policy, Life in the Classroom, National Board Certification

I indulge my yearning to simply immerse myself in teaching and with my students without having to collect easily-reportable data for folks not involved in my classroom. One solution is to provide funding or change the school day to allow teachers more time to gather data for public consumption and for use in the classroom.

Redesigning School Space

September 27, 2012John Spencer Education Policy, Life in the Classroom

In order to teach the conditional verb tense and the use of vivid imagery, I asked my ELL students to design and redesign spaces. A few students thought about ways to turn phone booths into relaxation centers or podcasting booths.