One of my favorite photographs is of me standing in the quad of Walter Johnson Junior High School in Las Vegas. I’m sporting my school badge, my favorite cardigan and a big smile because I had just been named International Baccalaureate (IB) Teacher of the Month — nominated by students, not administrators — and someone wanted to mark the moment. Not bad for my second year in the classroom.
Two months later, I was surplused. In other words, I was slated for potential layoff.
I didn’t become a teacher the traditional way. I had spent 15 years building a career in media and entertainment — producing live television, negotiating brand partnerships for global technology companies and evaluating scripts at one of the largest talent agencies in the world. I left it on purpose because I believed teaching was more important work. I would ultimately discover how little that belief protects you in a system that doesn’t seem to value it…