Introduction

I was 23 and fresh out of graduate school when I moved to Miami to teach at Palmer Trinity, an independent school in Palmetto Bay, Florida. I had no friends or family nearby and was unfamiliar with my surroundings. Before opening day, I frantically tweaked plans for three courses: Yearbook, AP United States History, and United States History.

I had little classroom experience, yet I agreed to coach junior varsity soccer. I wanted to prove my worth, but I was overwhelmed. I struggled with classroom management and could not reach many of my students.

Without seasoned teachers, I would have quit after that first year. Before, during, and after school, colleagues met with me to offer support and advice. Their questions helped me recognize my mistakes and see how I could make things better.

Their guidance taught me something that still shapes my work: schools already have a reservoir of expertise in the teachers who come to work each day. Those teachers should lead conversations about teaching and learning.

Too often, people far removed from the classroom are treated as the real experts. Consultants and researchers have a place when they listen to active teachers, work alongside them, and help solve the problems those teachers identify. But they should not have the loudest voices.

Teachers need time and support to learn from one another. Networks that connect active teachers can make that possible. That is what I mean by Teachers First.

This collection reflects one teacher’s perspective, and my experience carries much of the argument. Much of what follows is anecdotal: things that have worked for me, things I am still working on, and failures I have learned from. I welcome as much disagreement as agreement, so long as teachers lead the discussion. That is how we can better serve those who matter most: our students.

The questions change across these essays—from textbooks, homework, and grades to AI—but the purpose stays the same: helping students build knowledge and judgment they can use for themselves. The mentors who helped me find my footing showed why teachers need a voice in deciding what supports that work.

Flight attendants tell us that, in an emergency, we need to put on our own oxygen masks before helping others. The same principle applies to teaching. Teachers need support, trust, and a voice in the decisions that affect our classrooms. Teachers first, so we can give our students our best.