Should I teacher in Arizona? It is a great question and we have a lot of national education experts and teachers explain why it is a great time to teach at our Teachers of Tomorrow blog. But you want to teach in Arizona and we know that our teachers of the year have the best answers on why teaching is great.
Kareem Neal, a self-contained special education teacher at Maryvale High School in the Phoenix Union High School District, is the 2019 Arizona Teacher of the Year. The Arizona Educational Foundation named Neal at its annual awards luncheon.
“There is no job like teaching,” he said during his acceptance speech. “This is my 22nd year, and I feel like I have another 22 years in me.”
“Students would rather be here than not here!”
Kareem Neal was a chemical engineering major at Seton Hall University in New Jersey when he stumbled into the event that would completely alter his career path.
It was the Special Olympics, and the students there thought he was “cool” because he was “really tall,” towering over them at 6-foot-7.
“I was like, these students are the best people ever. I believe developing meaningful relationships is critical to student success, and encourages a lifelong love of learning. Building relationships is the key to eliminating bias and moving forward in growth,” said Neal.
