The following is based on an actual letter I gave to a student. I’ve changed the names and particulars to protect identities. Dear Estrella, I’m writing because frankly I think that if we had this conversation in person you would
Read More
ESA Program: Who Does it Empower?
Well, anyone who reads my blogs probably knows my opinion about school-choice (I think it’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing that is defunding public schools and segregating Arizona kids by race, ethnicity, and SES). There are three paths to school
Read MoreIt Takes a Village
Teachers need to be held accountable for student learning. Teaching is a job and our job is for students to learn. Employees who work at McDonald’s are held accountable for putting a Big Mac together correctly. Workers at Target are
Read More
Revisiting the Standards: What they Are Not
For the first time in my career, I am required to turn in detailed typed daily lessons each week, and they are reviewed each week in detail by an administrator and academic coach. Catch me on a cranky day, and
Read MoreMissing Our Mr. Miyagi Moment
Think about “Star Wars.” How would the tale have ended if Luke had confronted Darth Vader, but had yet to meet Obi-Wan Kenobi and learn the ways of The Force? Or, consider a storyline where the Karate Kid had never
Read MoreCitizenship Starts in the Imagination
Yesterday, my community remembered the events of January 8, 2011. At a “Congress on your Corner” event held at a Tucson shopping center, a troubled man opened fire, seriously injuring thirteen people and killing six (including a nine-year old girl). Among the many public
Read More
Confessions of a Forty-Hour-a-Week Teacher
I was excited about going back to school on Monday. I know, I know. This flies in the face of all the Facebook posts and memes about wanting just one more day of vacation. However, I was ready to be back.
Read MoreMentoring Matters!
Welcome 2015! If you have been thinking of ways to influence the profession in the New Year, you might consider mentoring early career teachers. I believe new teachers are key to our professional future. They have knowledge, passion for teaching,
Read MoreOpen Door Policy
My last post addressed some reasons why teachers may choose to close their doors. By this I mean that some (many?) otherwise highly effective teachers still function in that self-protective mode of outward compliance with policies and initiatives that they
Read MoreClosed Door Policy
Most administrators tell faculty and staff that they have an open-door policy. However, it is important to remember that, besides the restrooms, there are two metaphorical doors in a school: the administrator’s office and the teacher’s classroom. Many writers about
Read More