By Julie Wesley, Legacy Traditional School Peoria Teacher
I have had the pleasure of teaching Arizona students as a certified teacher for the past seven years. During that time, I’ve exclusively worked in public charter schools, including the last two years at Legacy Traditional School Peoria.
I am so proud to be part of the Legacy family. Legacy is a highly rated school, and one of the fastest growing charters in the state. Every day, public charter schools offer children in our communities the chance for a strong education.
At Legacy, we take a back-to-basics approach and teach through a rigorous curriculum. We do so to try and bring out the very best in our students.
So in order to help students be successful with a rigorous classroom setting, we start by building connections with our students and families. The key to student success is a strong community. This approach enables our school to be involved and invested in our students, which makes them more engaged and more successful in their academics.
It may not always be the easiest job, but teaching is, without a doubt, one of the most rewarding. I teach because in doing so, I receive great rewards. Each day I get to go to work and make a difference in the lives of children. That fact fills me with satisfaction and purpose.
I am a teacher because I believe education is one of the most important and one of the most powerful things in this world. The act of teaching young minds the knowledge and skills they need for development is absolutely necessary for our society to prosper.
Our children truly are our future, and they deserve schools and teachers who believe in them, who care for them, and help them achieve their potential.
And that is why I teach — because each day, I get to be a part of not only teaching children what they need to know, but also inspiring them to be life-long learners.
Julie Wesley shared her story with the Arizona House of Representatives Committee on March 19. Watch her testimony here. She began her teaching journey seven years ago. Presently, she is the lead 2nd grade teacher at Legacy Traditional School-Peoria as well as serving as the Instructional Coach. Julie received her B.A. in Elementary Education from Arizona State University in 2011 & received her M.A. in Human Resources Management and Organizational Leadership from Colorado State University in 2017.
