"Teachers are always building their toolbox. They’re always participating in professional development. They stay on top of the latest educational trends..."
Why is Avondale schools a great place to work?
"We are a small district and we work together and all our buildings are like little mini communities, like every building. It’s a family, every building is very close, every building works together to service the kids in their building and that’s between the secondary middle school and all the elementaries, like every building. They’re a team they work together. They treat each other like family. They have stayed in that building a long time. There’s a lot of longevity in Avondale so those relationships are well over 20 years working together and I believe that there’s a lot of flexibility. "
Why is Avondale school is a great place for students?
Teachers have learned how to be flexible over the years to meet the different needs of different students and a changing population. Teachers are always building their toolbox. They’re always participating in professional development. They stay on top of the latest educational trends, especially with dyslexia laws and the trainings, 504 and IEP support as well. I feel like Avondale‘s always on trend when it comes to what students need and that’s what makes Avondale a great place for kids. We are here for every learner in Avondale. We support the TK program for transitional kindergarten, early childhood education, special education all the way up to our adult transition program. There’s a service here for every type of learner for every kid being here at GATE. This is an opportunity for these children to receive a great education that they can’t receive anywhere else, like if they’re not getting accelerated and they’re not being leveled up they’re actually being met at their academic needs here at GATE, they will not get anywhere else. The pathways program in our high school, again trying to find what students need and what they like for their own growth and their own interest. Avondale finds a way for our students to succeed no matter what their pathway is."
What’s one word you would use to describe Avondale Schools?
(Innovative)
"I think it’s the investment and innovation in AI. We have an AI coach, we have AI programming we’re going to all the AI trainings and we’re bringing that here for our kids who are using AI and they’re being fluent with it and learning how to be AI literate schools. Many schools are not there yet so we’re already ahead in the CTE programming. We were ahead of the and so I feel like Avondale invests in the things that are like two steps ahead, our adult transition program fostering that, growing that program, and keeping that here in Avondale is another service for our community investing in the early childhood learning center that we’re building from the ground up again being our community outstanding awesome."
What is one phrase that you would describe as the reason you stay?
(Staying ahead of the curve)
"The reason I stay would be staying ahead of the curve. Being here, being part of whatever keeps my career growing and keeps me with it, like AI for example, if I was somewhere else, would I be getting an AI training and implementing it and being fluent with it myself? Would I have those opportunities provided to me somewhere else? So that’s why I stay here at Avondale, because we are always moving forward to what our students need and we’re not stuck in our ways. We’re always taking opportunities here so that’s why I stay."
If there was a new teacher that was on the fence. Do I take a job in Avondale or do I go somewhere else? What would you say to them?
"If you go somewhere else, do you have community support? I think it’s the bigger picture, and what we provide for a community here versus other schools, that’s why I would choose Avondale because of the community the programming that we have and the way we serve the students."
