Annie Diaz, Author at STORIES FROM SCHOOL AZ

Halloween Memories…. Back in the Day

October 31, 2011Annie Diaz Education Policy, Life in the Classroom

I remember when I was a little girl… one year I dressed up as a Casper the ghost. I also recall a Peter Pan, Raggedy Ann., and a witch costume. What make these costumes and Halloween memories extra special was

Customer Service in Schools

August 31, 2011Annie Diaz Current Affairs, Education, Parent Involvment

We’ve all experienced it… The grouchy cafeteria worker, the angry bus driver, and even the scary teacher. It’s a sad truth that most of us adults can probably remember an encounter with an unpleasant and unfriendly teacher or school worker

Be the Chessboard

June 23, 2011Annie Diaz Books, Education, Elementary, Mentoring, Teacher Leadership

Have you ever engaged in a conversation with a person and walked away feeling like you just had an injection filled with drive and inspiration? Well, this was my morning…. I met a colleague and mentor of mine and she

Inequalities within the American School System

January 30, 2011Annie Diaz Current Affairs, Education, Parent Involvment

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/28/133307552/ohio-case-the-rosa-parks-moment-for-education?ft=1&f=1013 Inequalities within education… Every child in this country deserves quality teachers and quality education no matter what the property taxes might be where he or she lives. The story above is interesting and disheartening… Maybe the government should be

The State of the Union… a 500-word rundown, in case you missed it.

January 26, 2011Annie Diaz Uncategorized

by Annie “We need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world. The rules have changed” The rundown: Lets prepare for a more technologically driven world. It’s a good thing. Its time to embrace technology. It’s time for

“Fluff”

January 12, 2011Annie Diaz Education, Education Policy, Elementary

By Annie Recently, I had a conversation with a few kindergarten teachers. I was curious by an initial comment that was made by one of them. They were frustrated. One of them said, “I feel like I am teaching first

So this is Christmas…

December 22, 2010Annie Diaz Education, Mentoring, Parent Involvment, Teacher Leadership

Download 14 Happy Xmas (War Is Over) “So this is Christmas… And what have you done? Another year over. A new one just begun…" Happy Christmas by John Lennon is played quite a bit on the radio these days…

Why I teach?

November 21, 2010Annie Diaz Education, Mentoring, National Board Certification, Weblogs

by Annie This past week was American Education Week and it was suggested to post a” Why I teach?” Blog. I pondered this notion for the entire week…I realize, as an educator that people probably think most teachers should easily

Why is it important to vote?

November 3, 2010Annie Diaz Current Affairs, Education Policy, Elementary

Day one…post Election Day. The reality of the situation is that yesterday’s election results WILL impact Arizona and education… NOT for the better. The election just didn’t go our way. Its hard to be upbeat as educators when we are