Centered

Back when I was teaching, the Target back-to-school sale was the holy grail. I would haul family members to the store anticipating the inevitable quantity limits. My goal? Spiral notebooks, markers, and folders for all my students with some pencils and glue sticks thrown in for good measure. The newness and freshness of these materials signaled the start of a new school year wrapped in anticipation.

My classroom was my domain. It was my sanctuary. It was where I brought all the puzzle pieces of my summer learning, reading, and experience together to make what I hoped to be an engaging learning environment for all my students. With the majority of my time spent in that room, it had to work for me as well. Every year, I managed to make it happen with a little help from Target, the teaching supply store, and the school laminator.

We have no idea what this year will bring. If we have learned anything in the last two years it is to expect the unexpected. We also learned that we are capable of doing very hard things, and, at the same time, we need to take care of ourselves if we are going to be there for our students for the long haul.

We at the Arizona K12 Center have a tremendous reverence for the teachers of Arizona. You have done so much for Arizona’s kids and we wanted to see what we could do to give back.

To that end, this summer we established the Professional Learning Support Fund. No matter how affordable the professional development we provide might be, when you don’t have the money, you don’t have the money. We developed this fund for Arizona teachers to reach out for funding assistance to attend our professional learning events. This fund is being supported with small-dollar donations from people throughout Arizona who appreciate the work you do.

So while you are taking care of the learning of your students, advance your practice by perusing our website to see what might assist you in moving your practice forward. 

Thank you for what you do and the difference you make in the lives of your students and colleagues. Yes, it is going to be a great year.