INTERVIEW: Alabama Teacher Of The Year Alison Grizzle
Birmingham– Alison Grizzle isn’t your typical teacher, or even your typical Alabama Teacher of the Year. The Birmingham City Schools math instructor is known for being very outspoken, even on third-rail issues like standardized testing and the Common Core State Standards. We thought we’d share her thoughts on those issues and more as staff and students return to school routines. WBHM’s Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen recently caught up with Grizzle at an education conference where she was giving talks. But it turns out this award-winning teacher almost didn’t become a teacher at all. Above is the on-air 5-minute interview. An extended 36-minute interview is below.
Subject and time pegs for the extended interview are below:
Through 2:15 — Grizzle discusses some of her duties as Alabama Teacher of the Year, and how Birmingham superintendent Craig Witherspoon has supported her in those efforts.
2:17— Carsen asks Grizzle how she ended up where she is professionally. Grizzle explains her career choice and her father’s influence, and then shares thoughts on perceptions of teaching — and teachers — nationally.
6:12 — Grizzle shares her perspective on the Common Core State Standards and Alabama’s version of them, the Alabama College- And Career-Ready Standards.
12:18 — Grizzle breaks down why some teachers are fearful of the Common Core standards, and standardized testing in general.
15:50 — Carsen asks Grizzle what she thinks are the root causes of the problems she’s been discussing.
17:20 — Carsen asks Grizzle what it’s like being a white teacher in a basically all-black Birmingham high school.
18:40 — Grizzle explains what’s unique about her self-described home of more than a decade: Birmingham’s Jackson-Olin High School.
19:41 — Carsen asks Grizzle if she thinks the media was fair to Birmingham City Schools during all the controversy leading up to the state takeover.
24:08 — Carsen asks Grizzle if she thinks the state takeover of Birmingham City Schools was justified.
26:00 — Grizzle begins sharing her thoughts on the future of Birmingham City Schools and why she’s optimistic.
28:20 — Grizzle tells of attending “education reform” meetings where there were no educators.
30:33 — Grizzle exhorts would-be critics to step foot in schools before forming opinions, and tells of exciting programs happening in Alabama, specifically, at Calera High School. She goes on to explain that, though good teachers persevere, they do “get tired” in times of bad press and assumptions of failure.
Trump is set to announce his first trade deal since his tariffs sent markets reeling
Presidenti Trump did not reveal the trading partner, saying only that it was "A BIG, AND HIGHLY RESPECTED, COUNTRY" and that representatives would join him at 10 a.m. ET in the Oval Office.
USDA chief says agency is trying to fill key jobs after paying 15,000 to leave
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins says the department will consider bringing back some employees who took the government's deferred resignation offer.
Trump picks Casey Means for surgeon general, after first nominee withdraws
Dr. Janette Nesheiwat withdrew her nomination for Surgeon General after questions about her credentials. Dr. Casey Means has a medical degree from Stanford and a best-selling book on metabolic health.
Energy Star, efficiency program that has steered consumer choice, targeted in cuts
An Environmental Protection Agency plan to eliminate its Energy Star offices would end a decades-old program that gave consumers a choice to buy environmentally friendly electronics and save money on bills, consumer and environmental groups said.
In the wake of tariffs, cargo at the Port of LA is down 35%
The immediate impact of the cargo decline affects virtually every business around the ports, but port officials say this downturn will soon be felt much more broadly.
How a visit from actor Jon Voight led Trump to post about movie tariffs
Since he announced his intention to impose a 100% tariff on movies made outside of the United States, President Trump has hedged, saying he's open to meeting with industry leaders.
