Note: Some numbers from the Private School Review provide perspective for what follows: Currently, 64,353 Arizona students attend 478 private schools. Elementary schools charge an average of $6,268 per year for tuition and high schools charge an average of $17,116.
Read MoreI Teach In a Traditional Public School and I Support School Choice
I’m a traditional public school teacher (and union rep), and I support school choice. As a right-leaning independent with a high concentration of libertarianism running through my veins, I default to political positions that tilt the balance of power toward
Read More
When the Batteries Die
My Swedish grandmother had an important role in my childhood, and when I think of her or see her picture, I am flooded with a lot of fond memories. One of my favorite memories was when she would bounce me
Read More
Where I Live
Like Oscar Wilde, I learned in elementary school that it was only in the theater that I lived. I was one of the kids who found a home in the sharp contrast of the blinding stage lights and the inky
Read More
The War Cry of a Childless Teacher
“At risk of being too honest, I’m just going to say it: teachers who don’t have their own kids can’t fully understand what it’s like.” It’s lunch, mid-conference. I’m sitting at a ballroom table, surrounded by empty coffee cups and
Read More
Teaching Analogies and Christmas Reunions: A Manifesto about the Profession
“Must be nice to have so much time off!”: this is the most frequent sentence I hear from friends and family I see infrequently. “You’re always working!” This sentence loops in our house as relentlessly as the chorus of
Read More
Oh The Places of School Choice
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.” ~Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You’ll Go! Educators, riddle me this: How many of us actually send our personal children
Read More
A Fresh Look at Student-Led Conferences
As I was preparing my scholars for student-led conferences last week, I began to recall how anxious I felt when my parents went off to school for the traditional biannual parent-teacher conference. The anxiety I felt was not even rational:
Read More
My Classroom, My Circus
How many times does an educator feel like they are working in the midst of a circus? The job description of teachers should include the role of juggler. On any given day, good or bad, a teacher has several balls,
Read MoreFive Reasons Why Parents Are Not Participating
Open House: for most parents this event marks the first time a parent gets to meet the teachers to whom they’ve entrusted their children. And yet, for many teachers, Open House doesn’t turn out to be quite the bustling event they
Read More