OPINION — For 17 years, I’ve worked in education because I wanted to do work that mattered. I found my purpose in helping children discover curiosity, potential and a love of lifelong learning.
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OPINION — In response to the recent letter thanking Abe Hamadeh for his support of the One Big Beautiful Bill, I’m not thanking him for these 10 things:
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OPINION — On Saturday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m., the United States’ men’s soccer team will play Mexico at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. On paper, it is a friendly. Nobody in my family has ever used that word for this game. Mexico can lose to the United States in almost any sport and take it well. Basketball, baseball, a bad night in the ring. We shake hands and go to dinner. Soccer is different.
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OPINION — I honestly read in disbelief that the pass-to-play athletic-eligibility floor at Dysart Unified School District is a D grade. Is that really what we want to communicate to our children and students?
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OPINION — I used to be a Republican. I voted for Ronald Reagan. To me, Reagan embodied the Cowboy Code of actor singer Gene Autry. The code included that the cowboy must never shoot first, hit a smaller man or take unfair advantage. He must always tell the truth. He must help people in distress.
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OPINION — Legislative District 29’s Steve Montenegro has used his power as speaker of the state House to promote the nation’s most expensive voucher system at the same time Arizona is second-to-lowest in support of education.
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OPINION — “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing!” Or is it “Knowledge is power?” It’s a bit of both. I felt uneasy telling people what I did for a living. At parties, “What do you do?” Me: “I am a public high school English teacher.” Reaction: “Oh … I hated English.” “Really?”
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OPINION — I read with great interest the recent letter extolling the virtues of Congressman Abe Hamadeh’s many services to the constituents of Congressional District 8.
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OPINION — I agree with Bob Doyle that Bill Coniam’s national political views are unwanted. He is running for a local office and should stick to the issues confronting the Dysart Unified School District.
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Arizona’s population of Hispanic or Latino heritage is 32.5% — nearly one-third, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. President Lyndon B. Johnson established Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968 and …
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OPINION — Our daughter Collyns Belle — “Colly” — was born in 2021 after an uneventful pregnancy. She joined her two brothers and sister, and when she arrived, our family felt complete. Her first year was very typical. She did everything her three older siblings did. She rolled, sat, smiled, babbled and even crawled. Colly was overflowing with life, and her personality sparkled.
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OPINION — In a recent newsletter, Rep. Abe Hamadeh memorialized Charlie Kirk, writing, “Charlie was murdered on September 10, 2025, while doing precisely what he had done throughout his public life: peacefully engaging Americans in a discussion about the future of our country. He did not hide from people who disagreed with him. He invited them to the front of the line, handed them a microphone and listened.”
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