This is a stressful time for educators in Tucson as for many educators across our state and country. This month plans for Reductions in Force (RIFs) are being implemented in many districts around Tucson. Many teachers are unsure what the future will bring for their jobs.  Once thought to be a profession with high job security, teaching now seems to have become an arena of instability. School districts are grappling with the challenges of difficult economic times and falling student enrollment....

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The title of the Op-Ed article by Dave Eggers and Ninive Clements Calegari says it all.  The title reads, The High Cost of Low Teacher Salaries.  In short, they describe the true necessity for raising the professional status of teachers.  In order for our educational system to work, which means we are graduating students who will be successful in our 21^st Century global economy, we must find a way to have effective teachers.  To have effective teachers, they must be respected professionally...

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The video of the student take-over of the TUSD Board of Governors meeting, which I watched once without sound to focus on the images, shows a uniformed, older white male trying to hold back a young woman who leads the way. He grapples with her, she twists and turns, undaunted, her eyes on that chair with the singular focus of chaining herself in. Fists are raised and you can see the lips of all the young people chanting, “Fight back, fight back.”

When the students are all locked in ...

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Do you know how much the University of Arizona has to offer all teachers in the region?  This is a quiz, and the quick answer is:  Plenty!  On April 30, from 10 AM – 4 PM, all teachers and the community have the opportunity to come on out and see for yourself.  Teacher Day at UA is sponsored by Tucson Values Teachers, Champions for Change and the University of Arizona – and they have created a very special day for teachers, their families and everyone from the community who want...

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Have you been looking for a way to tell our teachers we respect and value all that they do.  And did you that National Teacher Appreciation Week is the first full week in May?

Tucson Values Teachers has the perfect opportunity for teachers and everyone wanting to celebrate them! Come out on Saturday, April 30th anytime from 10 AM to 4 PM for an open house celebration at the University of Arizona for all teachers.  TVT is partnering with UA and Champions for Change, with great assists from the ...

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How do we raise the status of the teaching profession? A new report offers some powerful, and common sense, recommendations, drawn from the success of other nations.

The report, was done by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or O.E.C.D., a Paris group that includes the world’s major industrial powers.

The report, “What the U.S. Can Learn from the World’s Most Successful Education Reform Efforts,” suggests the following, “To improve its public schools, th...

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Did you know that Tucson is a hotbed of scholastic chess with perhaps 500 students regularly competing locally, regionally and nationally. Tucson also hosts a slew of tournaments and camps featuring national and international Grand Masters.

Our very own International School of Tucson won the last three League matches (the fourth and final was canceled when the host school lost water during the “big freeze”). IST also took first place in the League K -3 champions...

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Good news on the education front – so much of it going on in our schools but not enough shared. Sonoran Science Academy showed their math chops at MATHCOUNTS competitions held over the last two weekends, dominating the competition.

For the 5th time in a row Sonoran Science Academy (SSA) Tucson took first place in the Southern Arizona region of MATHCOUNTS competitions held in late February.

Winning out over more than 100 students competing; Team SSA Tucson placed six individual students in ...

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By Rebecca Hughes, ESL Teacher, Amphi High School

The most common question from my students is, “Why?” Over the past month, teachers in Tucson have struggled to answer students’ questions about the tragic shooting of January 8th. Teachers are commonly faced everyday with a multitude of questions. I am able to field most questions, often helping students to discover their own answers. However, there is no answer to “Why?” No succinct, researched, or drawn out answer can explain why Chri...

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Whatever your politics, President Obama’s statement about teachers struck a true chord. And from my television viewing spot, it looked like politicians on both sides of the aisle stood to cheer.

This is what he said: “Let’s also remember that after parents, the biggest impact on a child’s success comes from the man or woman at the front of the classroom. In South Korea, teachers are known as “nation builders.” Here in America, it’s time we treated the pe...

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