One joy of parenthood is a surprise from your children. More than once I have come home to a miraculously clean kitchen, or a “restaurant” in my honor. I love it when my kids make big plans behind closed doors.
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Awards Season
It is awards season. December through March seems to be a neverending parade of people of the year, bright stars and shining examples. And, let’s face it, America is obsessed. Winners sell magazines, jewelry, shoes, and movie popcorn. We tune
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The (Winter) Breaking Point
After teaching for sixteen years, I know teaching is both an art and a science. I practiced the art of teaching this past week leading up to winter break as I kept my students learning and focused with long-anticipated events
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Why I Stay
I hope my readers will indulge me with this one. The Beatles play on vinyl in my earliest memories, and I have always enjoyed the playfulness, surreality and yet wisdom of their lyrics. On the topic of why I continue
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Questioning RIF Realities in AZ: Professional Capital Part I
This fall, Arizona schools began the year with approximately 1,000 job openings for teachers. Stories on Arizona’s teacher shortage have abounded in recent months. Despite the need for quality educators in our state, did you know that hundreds of teachers
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What’s a Weekend For?
This weekend I drove with my kids to their cousin’s birthday party. Friday evening, my daughter’s Brownie troop had a swing dancing workshop, so we left Saturday morning, and drove the 4 ½ hours back today. We took the dog
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 MoreTaming Godzilla, Preemptively?
Amethyst and Sandy Merz fail to truly disagree, but succeed in uncovering some compelling possibilities for Common Core Standards implementation.
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