FLASHBACK: It’s mid-March and I am working on a National Board entry. I’m stuck. I need help! Will someone PLEASE just tell me what the National Board wants from me??? I have a mentoring session this week, so maybe I
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Journey to National Board Certification
A few weeks ago, I opened my email to see the date I have been waiting for since May – the date National Board would release the scores, December 1, 2018. I have been waiting for this date for two
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Star-Life-NBCT
Today is December 18, 2018. it’s NBCT balloon day in Arizona! It’s Eagle Scout Court of Honor for my son. Do these events have anything in common? I like to think they do. National Board Certification is the “gold standard”
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Room for Reflection: Learning Environments
“Accomplished English language arts teachers carefully and intentionally design and manage all aspects of the learning environment, from the physical space and the physical resources within it, to the movement of people and objects, the personal relationships within the environment,
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You Have Changed. Now What?
Epic week, right? And it just keeps going. AZ educators have been on fire, passionately advocating for AZ kids. We have sacrificed time and taken big risks. We’ve been criticized by people who don’t understand what we’re fighting for. We’ve
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When the Political is Personal, and the Personal is Political
I think many of us have had conversations in schools, in neighborhoods, and around towns lately regarding the #RedforEd movement. As I became a National Board Certified Teacher, I learned that it is my responsibility and privilege to advocate for
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I’m Fun at Holiday Parties, Really!
Around the holidays, many visitors and holiday party-goers comment on how tired I look. I don’t think they mean this unkindly – it’s true, I do look exhausted this time of year (and many other times throughout the school year).
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Society is Shaped in the Elementary Classroom
Renewable Resources Most agree that social justice in America is becoming more questionable. We are a nation drenched in biases, prejudices, and mistreatments. We have a multitude of programs and initiatives aimed at righting these wrongs ranging from the Civil
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The Requirement of Reflection
My teaching assignment changed this year, about five weeks into the first quarter. Due to a district policy of only counting “bodies in seats,” not enrolled students, our 5th-grade class sizes were huge (36 – 38 students in tiny portable
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