No Teacher Should Be an Island

I didn’t quite understand what it meant to be an “island” until I started teaching eight years ago. For years, I was the only United…

It’s Time to Transform Our Schools, and Teachers Should Lead It

I’ve always known the education system is a like a large, slow freighter. Teaching in a public school for two decades reveals to anyone that…

We Can Make the First Year of Teaching Better. Here’s How.

When Barack Obama was elected president in November 2008, I was living in Chicago and working as a computer security engineer. After hearing Obama’s passionate…

It Takes a Good School Leader to Know When a Teacher Is Struggling

Last year I went from managing students in the classroom to managing adults. That shift was just as hard as the one from managing myself…

Business Knows It, the Military Knows It and Now It’s Time We Know It in Education: Leadership Matters

We’ve seen it happen too many times to count. Every two to three years, state and district education chiefs across the country step down and,…

I’m in Bangladesh Right Now to Help Students With Special Needs and I Won’t Come Back the Same Teacher I Was Before

I’ve been offered one of those life-changing opportunities where I know that the person who I was when I left won’t be the same person…

It’s Damn Near Impossible to Be a Teacher-Leader and Still Teach

A few weeks ago, I was out of the classroom. When I came back, the substitute teacher’s notes were not good. “I wish I could…

When Advocating for Students With Disabilities, It’s OK to Be Wrong Sometimes But It’s Not OK to Be Quiet

I remember the first time I spoke up at a national conference in front of my colleagues. We were at a national meeting of a…

Teacher Leadership Works. Just Look at New Mexico.

Ask any parent what’s most important to her about her child’s school. Aside from fundamentals like safety, she’ll tell you: What matters most is the…

If We’re Going to Have a Real Conversation About Education, We’ll Need a Few More Seats at This Table

Often when I let my students work in groups, I remind them of a favorite proverb of mine: “If you want to go fast, go…