I was like a lot of other teachers: young, energetic, optimistic. I taught in a large school in an urban setting in which most, if not all, of my students fit any number of labels you’d like to give them: underprivileged, low-SES, Title I, at-risk, poor.

I’m now actively increasing my sphere of influence by pursuing a Master of Public Policy degree full-time. As I learn more about statistical methods, data analysis, economics, and behavioral psychology, I am reminded every day of my students and former colleagues, so I’ve decided to continue writing to connect my thoughts and hopefully inform others.

I believe character education and social-emotional learning are tantamount to content instruction. I believe subject expertise is essential to good teaching. I believe rookie teachers are grossly undersupported. I believe there is no training substitute for years of experience. I believe data is important, complicated, and nuanced. And I believe that all of these things can and must be changed.