Rachel Perugini, Author at STORIES FROM SCHOOL AZ

Should You Stay or Should You Go Now?

May 19, 2023Rachel Perugini Current Affairs, Education, Life in the Classroom

It is that time of year when contracts start rolling out and decisions start getting made. Teachers around the state, and around the country, need to decide what their plans are for next year. Return? Quit teaching? Change positions? Change

Pat on the Back

March 22, 2023Rachel Perugini Assessment, Education, Life in the Classroom

Yesterday my students took the ACT. Not only is it a college placement test, the ACT also counts as our state’s required test for the year. It is a lot of pressure on my juniors, but as their English teacher,

Legislators are in Session

February 20, 2023Rachel Perugini Current Affairs, Education Policy, Teacher Leadership

The newly elected Arizona Legislators are off and running for the 2023 session, and already things are off to an interesting start. Here are some highlights and notable bills to watch this year. 1. The Arizona Senate and House voted

Education is Always on the Ballot

November 9, 2022Rachel Perugini Current Affairs, Uncategorized

As I sit here tonight, the day after election day, Arizona has yet to call any of the major races. Results keep trickling in, and I check and recheck my phone hoping to see numbers increasing and decreasing. We just

Relationships Matter

October 10, 2022Rachel Perugini Education, Life in the Classroom, Love

Every Wednesday I meet with my advisory. We started together when they were sophomores, and now, three years later, they are big, bad seniors who are almost ready to graduate. Our class started with about 25 students, but with transfers,

Restart

September 7, 2022Rachel Perugini Education, Life in the Classroom, Love

The beginning of the year is a clean start. Every June, the reset button at school gets hit, and every August a new group of student walks through my door. After last year, I needed the fresh start more than

Creativity in the Classroom

May 13, 2022Rachel Perugini Education, Life in the Classroom, Literacy

I love my curriculum. The books we read are amazing; I love the assignments I use to teach writing. I even enjoy teaching vocabulary, grammar, and ACT prep. The kids think I am weird when I get excited about a

Teaching Future Teachers

April 15, 2022Rachel Perugini Education, Mentoring, Teacher Leadership

Twice a year I get invited to present to a classroom full of future educators. I get to visit during their high school teacher week; a panel of history, CTE, language, special education teachers, and me. In a college class

Behind the Curtain

March 16, 2022Rachel Perugini Life in the Classroom, Uncategorized

My favorite movie is The Wizard of Oz, and this week I was thinking about it. Specifically, the scene where Dorothy and her companions get to meet the Wizard, only to see he is actually a con-man. “Pay no attention