Discipline & School Reform

Discipline & School Reform

The year was nineteen seventy eight, I think. The place, Fremont Elementary School, in Long Beach, California. I sat in the front row of my class with my right hand atop my head, slowly rubbing my hair in a circular motion. I was a fourth grader. My teacher, Ms. B,...
What if educators took the lead?

What if educators took the lead?

Back in August, I read this article about Colorado’s CMAS results from last spring, and then I decided that it is now fair to conclude that the school reform efforts of the last quarter century have failed. The results show the same problems now that the very first...

Teaching to Fulfill my Dream, Food Service to Pay Bills

To the Members of the Jefferson County School Board, It is 11:46 PM and I am just getting home from my part time job. And sure, it’s summer – except this is the normal time I get home multiple nights a week, year round. I urge you to reconsider the budget you have...

I’m Leaving Jeffco to Earn a Living Wage

Lakewood’s 2019 graduation was especially poignant for me. Not only did my first class of freshmen at Lakewood graduate, but I graduated from Jeffco at the same time. During my 8 years in the district, my life evolved and changed, while my paycheck unfortunately did...

Do We Value Public Education?

Dear Board of Education Members, I am a veteran teacher of 31 years. I began teaching with the noble intention that I would be able to make a difference in the lives of children, and every day I go to school and work with my students I feel I am making this...

Addressing the Jeffco Problem

To the Members of the Jefferson County School Board, My name is Christine Kuster, and I have been a teacher at Arvada West High School for the last three years. Prior to my tenure there, I was a Fulbright Scholar who taught English as a foreign language in Germany and...