Twitter: my professional platform Facebook: friends and family Insta…..what? I am sure I have one picture posted and it’s of a lamp I found at Target for an AMAZING price. As my teacher network grows I have noticed that
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Sticks and Stones
Recently, a colleague of mine had the honor of speaking to teenagers about the power of becoming an educator. To prepare, she posted a Facebook status asking these questions: “Why should people pursue teaching degrees? Why should people teach in public schools?”
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The Magic of Educational Support Professionals (ESPs)
This week is American Education Week, with each day dedicated to sub groups that support students on a daily basis. Today we celebrate Education Support Professionals (ESPs), and I would like to celebrate one ESP in particular. For the
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We Shall Not Cease From Exploration: A Plea for Geography Education
Did you know it’s Geography Awareness Week (November 13-19)? Did I just lose your interest because when you hear “geography” you picture a dusty, outdated atlas on your classroom shelf? This is my plea for geography instruction in today’s schools.
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Voting for Education is Not Enough
By the time you read this, it is possible that the election will be decided, and the knotted ball of emotion in my stomach will have blossomed into one form or another of wildly flowing feeling. Most of that will
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Kindergarten: Fully Funding the Foundation
Recently, there have been a few articles regarding the full funding of Kindergarten in the state of Arizona, as seen here and here. Currently the state funds Kindergarten for half a day, while some districts find ways to fund
Read MoreTeaching and Practicing the Civics of Voting
Disclaimer: Stories from School Arizona guidelines compel contributors to write about issues, like elections, that impact education and to not write about people, like candidates. Accordingly, any similarity between what follows and real people is coincidental. Cue the laugh track.
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An Argument For Physics First in AZ
Why in the world do we teach science the way we do? Lets radically change the way we teach STEM in our schools in this state! Like most other states, we teach in a sequence that goes something like this: Freshman-
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Henry Ford and Ed Policy
“I’d like to observe your 90-minute reading block if that works for you,” says my principal as we are setting a date for my formal observation. “Well, we’ll be using literacy skills to close read and annotate a piece of
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Open Letter to Principals Who Stayed
The following letter is written to all school and district administrators who have stayed for four years or more and worked tenaciously for school improvement. Dear Leaders, Thank you. Thank you for staying put for a few years and leading
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