Hell’s Bells

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So my last blog post was titled “Back in Black,” which – I hope – made you sing just a smidge of AC/DC and maybe play a little air guitar; AC/DC has a song by the same name that holds a dear spot in my aging rock-heart. Why? For starters, the iconic opening guitar riff gets my principal-swag-walk going like nobody’s business when I need a little pick-me-up during the day on campus…

More importantly, however, the band wrote the song as a tribute to Bon Scott (lead singer), who tragically died 5 months prior to the song’s release. Rather than writing a sad ballad as a tribute, the band channeled their energies into a rock anthem that they felt honored Bon’s spirit with lyrics like:

The song is, ultimately, about how Bon will live forever through the band’s music. Not only did the song provide a hip and relevant soundtrack for the resurrection of my blogger-mojo during my last post, I think it poignantly illustrates a similar opportunity I have for future posts to craft lyrics that honor the spirit of the many educators who have chosen to work in the teaching profession. It’s no secret that we’re in the midst of a crippling teacher shortage in our country, and Arizona has been hit hard. If we, as a society, don’t do something to help motivate and retain quality educators, we will damage a public school system that has provided a rich support for the democratic foundations of our country.

Rather than focus on the many factors that contribute to this problem, however, I’m choosing to craft narratives that help the public understand the power of teaching. And why people intentionally choose to enter the teaching profession. And why they choose to stay. I realize that this is a bit of a Care Bear Stare to tackle a wicked problem… but I’m going for it anyways and hope this blog provides a little context for the litany of posts about to come. Bonus visual: seriously click the Care Bear link and imagine the cloud as our teacher shortage problem and me as the little boy… “I care!” #teacherarmy

Alaina Adams

Dr. Alaina Adams

Phoenix, Arizona

My name is Alaina Adams and I am a Board Certified educator who has taught a variety of English Language Arts classes in middle school, high school, and higher education contexts for the past 12 years. I am currently working as a leader in full-time training in the Phoenix Union High School District and love the new perspective it brings for teacher leadership development in my urban, secondary setting. In addition to working in an administrative capacity, I also coach teachers on my campus, district, and across Arizona as they engage with the National Board Certification process. When not working towards total world domination, I am the mother of a teenage daughter, enjoyer of live music, and am an all-around text-messaging, Twitter-following, and Facebook-posting human being.

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