October 29, 2025 • 29 mins
A crowded kindergarten room, a sudden crack in the ceiling, and a teacher who jumps first to shield her students—Laura Terech’s story starts with instinct and turns into impact. From art history to Title I classrooms, from a six‑year health battle to the Arizona State House, we explore how a winding path can still lead straight to the heart of public service.
We dig into the moment Arizona cut full‑day kindergarten funding and why early learning time isn’t “just babysitting” but the bedrock of literacy, social growth, and long‑term success. Laura walks us through the call that went unanswered, the decision to take the fight to the Capitol, and the long road back from illness that began with one small act: showing up to volunteer. That habit—care deeply, raise your hand often—opened doors to campaign work, nonprofit policy tracking, and ultimately a seat in a purple district where cooperation wasn’t a slogan but a mandate. You’ll hear how a teacher caucus prepared seven and a half hours for a 30‑minute debate, how bipartisan trust helped pass major policy on water and elections, and how the simple phrase “I hear your passion” can cool a midnight negotiation.
Now, as executive director of Arizona America 250, Laura brings that educator’s mindset to a statewide celebration of the nation’s semi‑quincentennial. We highlight a student town hall with all three branches of government, a traveling museum that will tour the Replica Liberty Bell through all 15 counties, and a pathway to the Seal of Civic Literacy for students. Plus, discover Passport 250—a partnership with the Arizona Office of Tourism featuring 250 sites across the state—and the powerful moment a 17‑year‑old’s winning logo design headed to the Smithsonian. Along the way, we talk about patriotism as something personal: how you show up for neighbors, define community broadly, and make room for everyone in the story.
If you believe small steps can spark big change, press play—and then tell a friend. Subscribe, leave a review, and share your take: what’s one action you’ll take for your community this week?
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:51):
Welcome to the Arizona Civics podcast.
Today, my guest is Laura Tarek.
And Laura and I met we're incivic circles together, but
Laura is currently the executivedirector of the Arizona America
250.
And we got to talking, and Ibasically begged her, because I
(01:11):
love her story, to come on ourArizona Civics podcast to kind
of talk about her journeythrough participating in civic
life and how that can lookdifferent for everyone.
Because sometimes we think thatthere are only certain ways to
be a part of civic life, whetherit's to be a state
representative or to run foroffice, but there's so many
(01:32):
different ways.
So, Laura, thank you so much forbeing here.
You started in art history,right?
And then you ended up teachingin Title I schools here in
Arizona.
What drew you into the classroomand how did that experience
shape your view of education?
SPEAKER_01 (01:51):
Well, great question.
And Liz, I'm so I'm so happy tobe here and chat with you.
Um, yeah, it it's been acircuitous path.
And I think that's true of mostpeople I know.
I I think that's it's theexception to the rule rather
than the rule, people who kindof know what they want to do
from the time they're a youngkid and just go go do it.
Mine was more roundabout.
(02:11):
Um, so I got my undergraduatedegree from U of A in Art
History, and then I went tograduate school in Syracuse.
And when I was there, I realizedthat, you know, academia is a
beautiful thing, uh, but it'snot necessarily for me.
And and I wanted to give back ina way that that felt more that I
(02:32):
could kind of really live andbreathe every single day rather
than than researching, which isso necessary, but not not my
path.
So what I had discovered at myin my time during at Syracuse, I
was a teaching assistant there,and I thought, well, the art
history piece is nice, but whatI really love is is teaching.
And I thought about where can Iwhere can I feel like I'm making
(02:54):
the most difference?
Um, and and so I moved back toArizona, I got my master's
degree uh in education from ASUand then started teaching
kindergarten and second grade inin a Title I school district in
the West Valley.
SPEAKER_00 (03:07):
And I agree.
Academia is great, but there'ssomething about teaching that
just drew me to it as well.
Um, and I'm glad that you sharedthat your path was a little bit
different, right?
I think sometimes we studentsthink they have to go to college
to get their degree, and thenthey go into exactly what they
got their degree from.
(03:27):
But a lot of times duringcollege, we find the things that
we really truly like.
We were chatting a while ago andyou told me a story about a
literal ceiling collapse earlyon in your teaching career.
Can you tell us that story andthen how moments like that
influence your decision toadvocate for schools more
broadly?
SPEAKER_01 (03:48):
Yeah, and and Liz, I mean, to start with, and I think
you touched on this in the lastquestion, is like, what did that
teach me about, you know, beingan educator in Arizona?
I mean, first and foremost, andthis is this is relevant to the
ceiling story, is how many kidswere packed into my classroom?
Um, I taught, as I mentioned,kindergarten.
And these are kiddos who a lotof them had never been to
(04:10):
preschool before, you know, theyhadn't had the opportunity to go
to any kind of formal setting.
They've maybe never been awayfrom home before.
They were maybe learning Englishas a second language.
And I there was not a singleyear that I taught kindergarten
that I started with less than34, 35, 36 kids uh in the room,
which is so jam-packed that itwas hard to even move around in
(04:32):
between the tables because, youknow, with the little backpacks
and everything, it just got socrowded.
So one morning I had all of the,you know, my 30 plus kids
sitting in front of me on therug.
We're we're about to start ourmorning reading, sitting in my
rocking chair, and I hear thisterrible crack from above.
And I looked up at my ceilingand I just thought, oh my gosh,
that's coming down.
(04:52):
And sure enough, it was.
It was those big, you know, kindof foamish panels.
Two of the big ones came downalong with the metal framing
that was holding it up.
Now, I am not a coordinatedperson in any way, shape, or
form.
My students used to make fun ofme because I famously cannot
even clap on rhythm.
But that was one of those likeadrenaline mama bear lifting the
(05:13):
car kind of thing, because I wasable to jump up and shield the
kids with my body so the debrishit me, and then I was able to
catch the metal framing.
Um, cut my hand, had to go get atetanus shot, the whole, the
whole shebang.
But I'm I'm just so grateful tothis day.
I can still feel that thatmoment.
And I'm just so grateful thatthat I was the only one injured,
not the kids.
(05:33):
But it goes to, you know, itspeaks to the state of education
in Arizona, uh, which we can doa lot, lot more for our kids.
SPEAKER_00 (05:43):
And so we've talked about too kind of the the
funding of full day kindergartenwas a turning point for you.
How did that issue push you torunning for office?
And what did the journey to theArizona State House look like
for you?
SPEAKER_01 (05:58):
Yeah, well, I was still in the classroom when um
the state stopped funding FullDay Kinder.
And I saw what a difference thatmade for my students.
I mean, they really needed allof that educational time to set
their foundation for theirfuture learning success.
Um and I remember reading in thepaper, there was a lawmaker at
(06:23):
the time who said something tothe effect of like, well, it
doesn't, it doesn't reallymatter because kindergarten is
just babysitting anyway.
Oh and I was so, I know it, andI was so stunned.
I was just like, oh, this thisperson doesn't have any idea.
You know, they're thinking aboutkindergarten from 40, 50 years
ago.
It's so different now.
Like they've got to come and seewhat we do.
(06:43):
So I called his, I called thatthat lawmaker's office and and I
said, Hey, I would really lovefor him to come and spend the
day with us so you can see howimportant this early learning
time is.
And of course, I never got aresponse from him, but I
thought, you know what?
If you're not gonna come to myhouse and take care of my kids,
then I'm gonna go to your houseand change the laws.
(07:04):
So I uh I was very active insort of advocating for for
education and for my students atthe time.
Uh it again, we talked aboutbeing circuitous paths.
It was not a straight line fromthat incident uh in to me
running for house.
There was a bit of a breakthere, which which I'm happy to
to get into as we all have havechallenges in our lives.
SPEAKER_00 (07:26):
So you balanced being a teacher or a legislator,
and then you brought up facingpersonal health challenges.
How did you find resiliencethrough those experiences?
And how did they shape yourpriorities in public service?
SPEAKER_01 (07:40):
Yeah, well, so I didn't leave the classroom by
choice.
I had to leave because I startedexperiencing really significant
health issues that radicallychanged my entire life.
And so I had to stop working.
Um, I couldn't work for aboutsix years.
I thought I would never workagain.
(08:01):
Uh I thought I would never getbetter during that time.
It was an incredibly dark timein my life.
I mean, the reason that I hadleft Syracuse was because I was
kind of searching for meaning.
I wanted to feel like I wasgiving back to my community and
making a difference.
And to be disconnected fromthat, from the students that I
had loved so much and the workthat I had poured my entire
heart into was so hard.
(08:23):
I was, I was so ill that theonly time I left the house was
to go to the grocery store andto the doctor.
Um, I there was just absolutelyno quality of life.
And this was years ago.
I think things are a little bitdifferent now, but I remember,
you know, I would try to reachout and volunteer and I would
let people know, hey, you know,my my health issues are such
that I can say that I'm gonna bethere and I can want to be
(08:46):
there, but if something happensthe day of and I'm in rough
shape, I'm not gonna be able tomake it.
And I know you ask for, youknow, a two-hour commitment.
I don't know that I canguarantee that.
And, you know, I may have tocancel at the very last minute,
and I would continually get backsort of like, well, thanks, but
no thanks.
And I just, I was sodisconnected during that time
from from who I was and andpurpose.
(09:10):
Um finally, what happened?
You know, I got I battledthrough more than two dozen
surgeries over the course ofthat time.
Finally, finally, finally, my mydoctors suggested a surgery and
they said, well, you you need toknow this could make things
better, but it could easily makethings worse.
And that was one of the scariestdecisions that I have ever made
(09:33):
in my life, because I thought ifthings get worse, I don't know
that I can survive that.
And it was a huge decision to toto make to have that surgery.
But I thought, you know what?
If there's a chance that I couldget my life back, I have to take
it.
And fortune favors the bold,right?
(09:53):
So I did the surgery, and and loand behold, that was sort of the
magic piece, and it finally setme on the road to recovery,
which took about another 18months.
So I had plenty of time duringthat interim to think about
okay, it looks like I can maybego back to work, I can start
doing more, you know, what isthat gonna look like?
And I was hesitant to go backinto the classroom in Arizona
(10:17):
because it's it's such adifficult environment to to
teach in.
Um, I mean, the kids arewonderful, your colleagues are
wonderful, but it's, you know,there's so much more that we can
be doing for our kids.
So I thought, well, let meexplore some other options.
Um, so I started volunteeringand and and looking at different
organizations.
(10:37):
And I still remember I foundthis group of women who were
advocating for women's issues,and I thought, okay, I'll I'll
go to one of their meetings.
And I sat in the parking lot,you know, waiting to go in, just
like this timid little mouse,because I thought to myself, you
know, I'd had this long stretchof not working and a and a
message that I got continuallyduring those years from, you
(10:58):
know, the world, from sometimespeople close to me was like,
well, if you're not working, youare not a person of value.
You're not contributing anythingto the world.
And I had really internalizedthat.
So I sat out in that parking lotand I just thought, gosh, what
on earth can I offer anyone?
You know, I don't have theworth.
What, what can I even possiblybring to the table here?
(11:19):
And I was so frightened.
But I thought, I said to myself,I was like, okay, well, you can
care and you can show up.
And Liz, little did I know thatlike that's it, that's the
secret sauce to to success inlife is like raise your hand and
and care a lot.
So I I made a promise to myselfthat when when they were asking
(11:41):
for for, you know, hey, cansomebody take on this project or
can somebody do it?
I would oftentimes raise my handand say, Well, I've never done
anything like that before, butI'm willing to give it a try.
And it just grew the mostbeautiful things for me in my
life.
It just expanded outward somuch.
My network just exploded.
And I got to work on a statelegislature campaign.
(12:04):
Uh, I started working for anonprofit, um, working on, you
know, looking at legislation inArizona and bill tracking.
And then I started getting askedto to run for office.
And I just thought, oh my gosh,what a what a full, full circle
moment this is.
It's finally time to take thatadvocacy and passion for
education for my students to thestatehouse.
(12:25):
And I, it, it's still like apinch me moment that that I got
to sign on to co-sponsor a billto restore full day funding,
full day kinder funding inArizona.
And it was like I went fromadvocating for that group of 30
kids in my classroom toadvocating for kids across the
entire state.
And what an incredible gift uhthat that is.
SPEAKER_00 (12:47):
I I know what that feels like, and I know that
there are people listening thatsay, like, I've been in a place
where I've been sitting in thecar and I'm like, I don't know,
like what I have to offer.
And, you know, there are a lotof educators, unfortunately,
that have to leave the classroomfor health issues.
(13:08):
It is, I think, something reallynot spoken about a lot.
There are educators that have toleave, there are educators that
are still in the classroomdealing with health issues.
So thank you for sharing that.
And I hope that somebodylistening to this hears that and
hears this story.
Um, because I know when youfirst shared it with me, I just
(13:29):
felt so inspired because it was.
It was this little step ofgetting out of the car that just
changed things.
And volunteering is such a greatthing because you get to try
things and you get to work withpeople who maybe aren't experts
either.
And it's fun to problem solveand and work things out.
(13:51):
And so you go to thelegislature.
Arizona has a pretty dividedlegislature.
Um, I don't think that we'respecial.
I think that's a lot of thestate houses.
But in that legislature, youbuilt bridges, especially
through the teacher caucus.
What has bipartisanship lookedlike in practice?
And what impact has the caucushad on educational policy here
(14:14):
in Arizona?
SPEAKER_01 (14:16):
Well, I'll touch on the bipartisanship in just a
second, but I have to shout outthe incredible uh teacher
caucus.
So it was um the four minoritymembers of the House Education
Committee were all former orcurrent educators, which is
pretty unique.
Uh, a lot of times you're you'rekind of assigned committees
based on possibly your subjectmatter expertise, but also, you
(14:38):
know, just to fill out spots.
And so not everyone who sits onthat education committee has a
background in education.
And the four teachers, you know,that that that sat on that that
committee, we just had so muchfun together.
There was a bill that we werepreparing a debate for, and the
the bill itself, the discussionwas 30 minutes, and we prepared
(14:59):
seven and a half hours for that30-minute debate.
Because we're teachers and weplan and we prepared.
Um, and and you know, one of themy my mentor, Jennifer Pollock,
former representative there, uh,she started this trend of
bringing in, like during theinterim, she would bring in
educational experts to just kindof do a lunch and learn for for
(15:22):
members of both caucuses, youknow, totally bipartisan about
hey, here's an area of educationthat that we can look at and do
kind of a deep dive in.
So I got to host some of those.
I hosted one on school safetyand another on the importance of
early childhood learning, thebirth to three period in
particular.
Um and it was so it was soincredible to do some of that
(15:43):
work behind the scenes that thatisn't often talked about, but
definitely happens.
And uh, and yeah, I I willalways smile when I think of the
teacher caucus.
Um, but I also really went down,I mean, I'm a kindergarten
teacher at heart, right?
Like uh um working together,cooperation, collaboration is
like in my DNA.
And I I was also elected from aswing district, um, from a
(16:06):
district that was very purple,you know, bit bits of red, bits
of blue.
There are only a handful ofthose in the entire state.
And so I knew that my districtsent me there with a with a
mandate to work together.
And I'm really proud that Ipassed, helped pass two major
pieces of bipartisan policy, onein uh on water and another in
(16:27):
elections, which are two prettycan be pretty contentious
topics.
But that all came about becauseof relationships that I had
developed with my colleaguesacross the aisle.
And it's such a strangeenvironment.
You know, there were peoplethere.
Like when I first got there, Ireached out to everyone that I
sat on um committees with fromacross the aisle that I hadn't
(16:47):
had a chance to meet yet.
And I said, Hey, can I, we'regonna be serving on this
committee together.
Can I can I set up a meeting,you know, with you just to kind
of get to know each other andchat a little bit before all
this kind of hoop loss starts?
(17:44):
And of the maybe like 10 or 12that I reached out to, I think
only three took me up on thatoffer.
Um, and those are those are thekinds of things that make it a
little challenging, but but youpersevere.
And so I really worked to tryand build those relationships so
that when these bipartisannegotiations would would come
up, there was a level of trustthere.
(18:06):
And, you know, this person doeswhat they say they're gonna do
and they negotiate in goodfaith.
Uh, that's really important.
And I am I am really proud ofthat work because it doesn't
come easy.
In my kind of goodbye, in myfinal floor speech on on the
floor of the state house, Isaid, you know, your job as a as
a swing district member is totake the punches from all sides
and and somehow stay standingbecause after all, bruises are
(18:29):
purple.
And I have I have always carriedthat with me.
SPEAKER_00 (18:34):
I love that.
And Arizona has such a deephistory of um people working in
government, working onbipartisanship.
I'm thinking about like SenatorMcCain, I'm thinking about
Sandra Day O'Connor.
And I'm glad that you bring thatup because I think that a lot of
people don't realize that thereis actually a lot of
bipartisanship within.
(18:54):
We tend to hear about the issuesthat are not bipartisan, right?
They're very partisan.
Um and I really too appreciatethat you talked about this full
circle moment.
As somebody with a degree inearly childhood education, I
know how important that is, youknow, even the pre-K stuff.
And so the fact that you saw aproblem at first you were trying
(19:18):
it for your 30 kids, and thenyou saw a bigger solution.
Like that to me is that's publicservice, that is civic life, and
that is the power of aneducator.
I think educators are soundervalued.
Um, and people don't see thosekinds of things coming, but the
love and passion we have forteaching for our students can
(19:41):
create these incredible things.
So now you're transitioning tothis new role uh with Arizona
America 250, which I am stokedabout.
And I know that we've alreadyworked on a couple of things
together.
So, what excites you most aboutthis work?
And how do you see yourbackground as both an educator
and a legislator shaping thisapproach?
SPEAKER_01 (20:03):
Well, this is such a cool project that I am so
fortunate to be able to work on.
So many of the things that Iloved about being a legislator,
being someone who approaches thecommunity from a service
standpoint, I still get to do somany of those things.
So I get to travel the state,talk to all kinds of people,
meet people that I never wouldhave met otherwise.
(20:26):
And we're working in so manydifferent arenas, you know,
tourism, civic engagement, um,arts and culture, uh, you know,
military and veterans' affairs.
And it's really just anincredible project.
And maybe I should back up abit.
So every state has one of thesecommissions that's charged with
um organizing all the statewidepublic programming for the
(20:49):
country's 250th next year.
So we just get to do so manycool things.
Like one of our projects, we'redoing a student town hall with
representatives from all threebranches of government.
That'll be on October 21st.
And it's a chance for Arizona'syoung people to ask questions
about what the functionality isin practice of our three
(21:09):
branches and the importance ofcivic engagement and voting.
We are putting together atraveling museum.
We're going to pick up Arizona'sReplica Liberty Bell and tour it
to all 15 Arizona counties.
We'll showcase, you know,American history, the founding
and the ideals that we all holdso dear, and then also Arizona,
past, present, and future.
(21:31):
Uh, and within that, studentswho engage with the traveling
museum, it can help them earncredit hours toward the seal of
civics literacy on their highschool diploma.
So all of these overlappingpieces, you know, we're we're
highlighting tourism as we makeall these stuffs.
We're highlighting the supportfrom the business community, our
strong relationships withmunicipalities, education.
(21:51):
I mean, that's so much of thework that I love to do at the
legislature and that I tried todo in a very small way at my
school.
Um, I get to do it for theentire state now, and and I feel
so fortunate um to be able to dothat.
Secretary Fontez chairs the thecommittee.
Um, and we just have so manyexciting plans in in the works.
(22:14):
I think that this is also areally unique opportunity in our
country's history.
I mean, these these come around,you know, not very often, are
the semi-quincentennial.
And it's a chance for all of us,I think, to kind of reflect on
what patriotism means to eacheach one of us.
(22:35):
I think of patriotism assomething very, very personal.
Uh, it's about how I show up formy neighbors, it's about how I
show up for my community.
Now I have a very broad view ofcommunity, you know, or or
neighbors.
When I was knocking on doors umto win my election, they'd knock
on a door and hi, I'm yourneighbor, and they'd say, Where
do you live?
And I'm like, oh, you know,about 15 minutes south, but this
is this is our district.
(22:56):
This is our shared district.
You're my neighbor.
And when when my students wouldcome into the classroom every
morning, I would greet them, youknow, hi, friend.
And and I take that mentality tothis too.
Um, it's a really wonderfulopportunity to have some of
those conversations about likewhat do we want this to look
like individually as Arizonansand as Americans?
And I am so grateful to be apart of that.
SPEAKER_00 (23:18):
So, can I ask what your favorite part is?
Because I know, I mean, again,I've been involved in this for a
little bit.
So I'm already like the dyne250, the hike 250, the dark
skies 250.
Like I I have been diggingthrough because I, you know, I
am I am native.
I've been here since I was six,so almost 40 years.
(23:39):
Um but I love, I mean, andagain, I'm biased and I'm
totally fine with that.
But our state is so diverse,it's so unique.
Our history, you know, there'sso many just incredibly cool
things about our state.
And maybe this is a hardquestion for you, but do you
(24:00):
have something that you're likeso excited to do or to try with
this, you know, Passport 250?
SPEAKER_01 (24:09):
Oh my gosh.
Well, speaking, I do have afavorite moment that I'll share.
But speaking of passport 250,this is our partnership with the
Arizona Office of Tourism andwhat it is, uh, people can sign
up for the pass on there on uhazpassport250.com.
And it's a list of 250 sitesacross Arizona that people can
visit and experience in in someof the categories that you
(24:29):
mentioned.
And as they do, as they exploreour state, they're eligible for
prizes and giveaways, all kindsof fun things.
But you know, I've I've been inArizona 40 years, and I I
receive all the submissions forfor um because people people can
nominate for Passport 250.
So I see all of the sites thatcome in.
There are places that are like amile from where I grew up that I
(24:49):
never knew about.
And I can't wait to get out andexplore more of this state that
I love so, so much.
So I'm I'm really excited aboutthat.
If I had to pick a standout, andthere are so many, if I had to
pick a standout, I know we helda, you know, every state has a
logo and we held a contest forours, and we invited talented
(25:12):
Arizonians from across the stateto submit their designs.
The commission chose 10, andthen those went forward for a
public vote.
And our winner just happened tobe a 17-year-old high school
student.
Her name is Riley Hammett.
She is absolutely amazing.
And I got, so we she was thewinner.
We, you know, produced her logo.
We have the stickers and it's onall the banners and things.
It's so exciting.
(25:32):
And I got some, I got an emailthe other day I said from
someone, and they said, Oh, I'mputting together, we're putting
together a semi-quincentennialexhibition.
Can you send us something verysmall from Arizona?
And I thought, oh, perfect.
Let me send the sticker.
So I packaged it up, wrote alittle note, sent it off.
Then I had the distinct pleasureof texting Riley's mom and
saying, something that yourdaughter made because she was
(25:52):
bored in class one day is now onits way to the Smithsonian
Museum of American History.
And that I still get chills.
Um it goes to show like theseare the kinds of stories that we
want to tell.
It's so important to thesecretary, to the commission,
that this is something that allArizonans see themselves in and
want to be a part of.
(26:14):
And we are just so excited tocelebrate it with our state.
SPEAKER_00 (26:17):
I'm thinking of Moose Henry's up in Sholo,
Arizona, which is probably oneof our favorite places to go
when we head up to Sholo.
Like, spotlight these places,whether they're restaurants or
breweries or wineries or touristattractions.
What a cool thing.
Because I think people come toArizona and they think heat,
they think Grand Canyon, andthat's it.
(26:39):
But there is so much more.
We did do um a podcast interviewwith Secretary Fontez.
Thank you to Laura for settingthat up that talks a little bit
more about it.
Laura, before we close, can Ijust ask if there is an educator
out there that is struggling oris just, you know, and I know
(27:01):
you know this.
Sometimes as educators, thatpassion dips, and we don't think
we can do anything but teach.
Do you have any words of wisdomfor somebody like that, or maybe
just a citizen who's like, Idon't really know what to do
next?
SPEAKER_01 (27:17):
A couple things.
Um, I understand how it feelswhen that passion dips, but
being an educator is trulysomething so special.
And I think being active aboutlooking for those moments and
leaning into them and holding onand savoring them for yourself,
I think that's so important.
And I'll give an example.
(27:37):
So I was negotiating a bill withone of my colleagues across the
aisle, and these were toughnegotiations.
And so there was a late nightphone call that was very, very,
very heated.
And my colleague was on theother end.
Um, they were relaying a messagethrough me, uh, and it was it
(27:58):
was passionate, shall we say?
And I listened to the end ofthis huge screaming rant.
And I just said, I thank you, myfriend.
I I hear your passion, I hearhow much you care about this.
I will relay that message.
And that's all I said.
I didn't react to it, I didn'ttake the bait, I didn't start
yelling back.
I just said, I hear you, I hearyou right now.
(28:20):
And I think that's a that's askill that our educators have to
be compassionate, to listen, tolook for the best in people.
And that's really rare.
And so holding on to thosemoments for yourself, you do
that every single day in theclassroom in ways that you don't
even know about.
(28:41):
And it is it is a gift to ourstate.
Uh, education is the engine thatmakes our entire state run.
And so, just from the bottom ofmy heart, a big, big thank you
to all of our teachers outthere.
SPEAKER_00 (28:52):
Wonderful.
Laura, thank you so much foryour expertise, for what you're
doing for our state and forsharing your story.
We really appreciated having youon the podcast.
SPEAKER_01 (29:02):
Thank you.
Welcome to the Arizona Civics podcast.
Today, my guest is Laura Tarek.
And Laura and I met we're incivic circles together, but
Laura is currently the executivedirector of the Arizona America
250.
And we got to talking, and Ibasically begged her, because I
(01:11):
love her story, to come on ourArizona Civics podcast to kind
of talk about her journeythrough participating in civic
life and how that can lookdifferent for everyone.
Because sometimes we think thatthere are only certain ways to
be a part of civic life, whetherit's to be a state
representative or to run foroffice, but there's so many
(01:32):
different ways.
So, Laura, thank you so much forbeing here.
You started in art history,right?
And then you ended up teachingin Title I schools here in
Arizona.
What drew you into the classroomand how did that experience
shape your view of education?
SPEAKER_01 (01:51):
Well, great question.
And Liz, I'm so I'm so happy tobe here and chat with you.
Um, yeah, it it's been acircuitous path.
And I think that's true of mostpeople I know.
I I think that's it's theexception to the rule rather
than the rule, people who kindof know what they want to do
from the time they're a youngkid and just go go do it.
Mine was more roundabout.
(02:11):
Um, so I got my undergraduatedegree from U of A in Art
History, and then I went tograduate school in Syracuse.
And when I was there, I realizedthat, you know, academia is a
beautiful thing, uh, but it'snot necessarily for me.
And and I wanted to give back ina way that that felt more that I
(02:32):
could kind of really live andbreathe every single day rather
than than researching, which isso necessary, but not not my
path.
So what I had discovered at myin my time during at Syracuse, I
was a teaching assistant there,and I thought, well, the art
history piece is nice, but whatI really love is is teaching.
And I thought about where can Iwhere can I feel like I'm making
(02:54):
the most difference?
Um, and and so I moved back toArizona, I got my master's
degree uh in education from ASUand then started teaching
kindergarten and second grade inin a Title I school district in
the West Valley.
SPEAKER_00 (03:07):
And I agree.
Academia is great, but there'ssomething about teaching that
just drew me to it as well.
Um, and I'm glad that you sharedthat your path was a little bit
different, right?
I think sometimes we studentsthink they have to go to college
to get their degree, and thenthey go into exactly what they
got their degree from.
(03:27):
But a lot of times duringcollege, we find the things that
we really truly like.
We were chatting a while ago andyou told me a story about a
literal ceiling collapse earlyon in your teaching career.
Can you tell us that story andthen how moments like that
influence your decision toadvocate for schools more
broadly?
SPEAKER_01 (03:48):
Yeah, and and Liz, I mean, to start with, and I think
you touched on this in the lastquestion, is like, what did that
teach me about, you know, beingan educator in Arizona?
I mean, first and foremost, andthis is this is relevant to the
ceiling story, is how many kidswere packed into my classroom?
Um, I taught, as I mentioned,kindergarten.
And these are kiddos who a lotof them had never been to
(04:10):
preschool before, you know, theyhadn't had the opportunity to go
to any kind of formal setting.
They've maybe never been awayfrom home before.
They were maybe learning Englishas a second language.
And I there was not a singleyear that I taught kindergarten
that I started with less than34, 35, 36 kids uh in the room,
which is so jam-packed that itwas hard to even move around in
(04:32):
between the tables because, youknow, with the little backpacks
and everything, it just got socrowded.
So one morning I had all of the,you know, my 30 plus kids
sitting in front of me on therug.
We're we're about to start ourmorning reading, sitting in my
rocking chair, and I hear thisterrible crack from above.
And I looked up at my ceilingand I just thought, oh my gosh,
that's coming down.
(04:52):
And sure enough, it was.
It was those big, you know, kindof foamish panels.
Two of the big ones came downalong with the metal framing
that was holding it up.
Now, I am not a coordinatedperson in any way, shape, or
form.
My students used to make fun ofme because I famously cannot
even clap on rhythm.
But that was one of those likeadrenaline mama bear lifting the
(05:13):
car kind of thing, because I wasable to jump up and shield the
kids with my body so the debrishit me, and then I was able to
catch the metal framing.
Um, cut my hand, had to go get atetanus shot, the whole, the
whole shebang.
But I'm I'm just so grateful tothis day.
I can still feel that thatmoment.
And I'm just so grateful thatthat I was the only one injured,
not the kids.
(05:33):
But it goes to, you know, itspeaks to the state of education
in Arizona, uh, which we can doa lot, lot more for our kids.
SPEAKER_00 (05:43):
And so we've talked about too kind of the the
funding of full day kindergartenwas a turning point for you.
How did that issue push you torunning for office?
And what did the journey to theArizona State House look like
for you?
SPEAKER_01 (05:58):
Yeah, well, I was still in the classroom when um
the state stopped funding FullDay Kinder.
And I saw what a difference thatmade for my students.
I mean, they really needed allof that educational time to set
their foundation for theirfuture learning success.
Um and I remember reading in thepaper, there was a lawmaker at
(06:23):
the time who said something tothe effect of like, well, it
doesn't, it doesn't reallymatter because kindergarten is
just babysitting anyway.
Oh and I was so, I know it, andI was so stunned.
I was just like, oh, this thisperson doesn't have any idea.
You know, they're thinking aboutkindergarten from 40, 50 years
ago.
It's so different now.
Like they've got to come and seewhat we do.
(06:43):
So I called his, I called thatthat lawmaker's office and and I
said, Hey, I would really lovefor him to come and spend the
day with us so you can see howimportant this early learning
time is.
And of course, I never got aresponse from him, but I
thought, you know what?
If you're not gonna come to myhouse and take care of my kids,
then I'm gonna go to your houseand change the laws.
(07:04):
So I uh I was very active insort of advocating for for
education and for my students atthe time.
Uh it again, we talked aboutbeing circuitous paths.
It was not a straight line fromthat incident uh in to me
running for house.
There was a bit of a breakthere, which which I'm happy to
to get into as we all have havechallenges in our lives.
SPEAKER_00 (07:26):
So you balanced being a teacher or a legislator,
and then you brought up facingpersonal health challenges.
How did you find resiliencethrough those experiences?
And how did they shape yourpriorities in public service?
SPEAKER_01 (07:40):
Yeah, well, so I didn't leave the classroom by
choice.
I had to leave because I startedexperiencing really significant
health issues that radicallychanged my entire life.
And so I had to stop working.
Um, I couldn't work for aboutsix years.
I thought I would never workagain.
(08:01):
Uh I thought I would never getbetter during that time.
It was an incredibly dark timein my life.
I mean, the reason that I hadleft Syracuse was because I was
kind of searching for meaning.
I wanted to feel like I wasgiving back to my community and
making a difference.
And to be disconnected fromthat, from the students that I
had loved so much and the workthat I had poured my entire
heart into was so hard.
(08:23):
I was, I was so ill that theonly time I left the house was
to go to the grocery store andto the doctor.
Um, I there was just absolutelyno quality of life.
And this was years ago.
I think things are a little bitdifferent now, but I remember,
you know, I would try to reachout and volunteer and I would
let people know, hey, you know,my my health issues are such
that I can say that I'm gonna bethere and I can want to be
(08:46):
there, but if something happensthe day of and I'm in rough
shape, I'm not gonna be able tomake it.
And I know you ask for, youknow, a two-hour commitment.
I don't know that I canguarantee that.
And, you know, I may have tocancel at the very last minute,
and I would continually get backsort of like, well, thanks, but
no thanks.
And I just, I was sodisconnected during that time
from from who I was and andpurpose.
(09:10):
Um finally, what happened?
You know, I got I battledthrough more than two dozen
surgeries over the course ofthat time.
Finally, finally, finally, my mydoctors suggested a surgery and
they said, well, you you need toknow this could make things
better, but it could easily makethings worse.
And that was one of the scariestdecisions that I have ever made
(09:33):
in my life, because I thought ifthings get worse, I don't know
that I can survive that.
And it was a huge decision to toto make to have that surgery.
But I thought, you know what?
If there's a chance that I couldget my life back, I have to take
it.
And fortune favors the bold,right?
(09:53):
So I did the surgery, and and loand behold, that was sort of the
magic piece, and it finally setme on the road to recovery,
which took about another 18months.
So I had plenty of time duringthat interim to think about
okay, it looks like I can maybego back to work, I can start
doing more, you know, what isthat gonna look like?
And I was hesitant to go backinto the classroom in Arizona
(10:17):
because it's it's such adifficult environment to to
teach in.
Um, I mean, the kids arewonderful, your colleagues are
wonderful, but it's, you know,there's so much more that we can
be doing for our kids.
So I thought, well, let meexplore some other options.
Um, so I started volunteeringand and and looking at different
organizations.
(10:37):
And I still remember I foundthis group of women who were
advocating for women's issues,and I thought, okay, I'll I'll
go to one of their meetings.
And I sat in the parking lot,you know, waiting to go in, just
like this timid little mouse,because I thought to myself, you
know, I'd had this long stretchof not working and a and a
message that I got continuallyduring those years from, you
(10:58):
know, the world, from sometimespeople close to me was like,
well, if you're not working, youare not a person of value.
You're not contributing anythingto the world.
And I had really internalizedthat.
So I sat out in that parking lotand I just thought, gosh, what
on earth can I offer anyone?
You know, I don't have theworth.
What, what can I even possiblybring to the table here?
(11:19):
And I was so frightened.
But I thought, I said to myself,I was like, okay, well, you can
care and you can show up.
And Liz, little did I know thatlike that's it, that's the
secret sauce to to success inlife is like raise your hand and
and care a lot.
So I I made a promise to myselfthat when when they were asking
(11:41):
for for, you know, hey, cansomebody take on this project or
can somebody do it?
I would oftentimes raise my handand say, Well, I've never done
anything like that before, butI'm willing to give it a try.
And it just grew the mostbeautiful things for me in my
life.
It just expanded outward somuch.
My network just exploded.
And I got to work on a statelegislature campaign.
(12:04):
Uh, I started working for anonprofit, um, working on, you
know, looking at legislation inArizona and bill tracking.
And then I started getting askedto to run for office.
And I just thought, oh my gosh,what a what a full, full circle
moment this is.
It's finally time to take thatadvocacy and passion for
education for my students to thestatehouse.
(12:25):
And I, it, it's still like apinch me moment that that I got
to sign on to co-sponsor a billto restore full day funding,
full day kinder funding inArizona.
And it was like I went fromadvocating for that group of 30
kids in my classroom toadvocating for kids across the
entire state.
And what an incredible gift uhthat that is.
SPEAKER_00 (12:47):
I I know what that feels like, and I know that
there are people listening thatsay, like, I've been in a place
where I've been sitting in thecar and I'm like, I don't know,
like what I have to offer.
And, you know, there are a lotof educators, unfortunately,
that have to leave the classroomfor health issues.
(13:08):
It is, I think, something reallynot spoken about a lot.
There are educators that have toleave, there are educators that
are still in the classroomdealing with health issues.
So thank you for sharing that.
And I hope that somebodylistening to this hears that and
hears this story.
Um, because I know when youfirst shared it with me, I just
(13:29):
felt so inspired because it was.
It was this little step ofgetting out of the car that just
changed things.
And volunteering is such a greatthing because you get to try
things and you get to work withpeople who maybe aren't experts
either.
And it's fun to problem solveand and work things out.
(13:51):
And so you go to thelegislature.
Arizona has a pretty dividedlegislature.
Um, I don't think that we'respecial.
I think that's a lot of thestate houses.
But in that legislature, youbuilt bridges, especially
through the teacher caucus.
What has bipartisanship lookedlike in practice?
And what impact has the caucushad on educational policy here
(14:14):
in Arizona?
SPEAKER_01 (14:16):
Well, I'll touch on the bipartisanship in just a
second, but I have to shout outthe incredible uh teacher
caucus.
So it was um the four minoritymembers of the House Education
Committee were all former orcurrent educators, which is
pretty unique.
Uh, a lot of times you're you'rekind of assigned committees
based on possibly your subjectmatter expertise, but also, you
(14:38):
know, just to fill out spots.
And so not everyone who sits onthat education committee has a
background in education.
And the four teachers, you know,that that that sat on that that
committee, we just had so muchfun together.
There was a bill that we werepreparing a debate for, and the
the bill itself, the discussionwas 30 minutes, and we prepared
(14:59):
seven and a half hours for that30-minute debate.
Because we're teachers and weplan and we prepared.
Um, and and you know, one of themy my mentor, Jennifer Pollock,
former representative there, uh,she started this trend of
bringing in, like during theinterim, she would bring in
educational experts to just kindof do a lunch and learn for for
(15:22):
members of both caucuses, youknow, totally bipartisan about
hey, here's an area of educationthat that we can look at and do
kind of a deep dive in.
So I got to host some of those.
I hosted one on school safetyand another on the importance of
early childhood learning, thebirth to three period in
particular.
Um and it was so it was soincredible to do some of that
(15:43):
work behind the scenes that thatisn't often talked about, but
definitely happens.
And uh, and yeah, I I willalways smile when I think of the
teacher caucus.
Um, but I also really went down,I mean, I'm a kindergarten
teacher at heart, right?
Like uh um working together,cooperation, collaboration is
like in my DNA.
And I I was also elected from aswing district, um, from a
(16:06):
district that was very purple,you know, bit bits of red, bits
of blue.
There are only a handful ofthose in the entire state.
And so I knew that my districtsent me there with a with a
mandate to work together.
And I'm really proud that Ipassed, helped pass two major
pieces of bipartisan policy, onein uh on water and another in
(16:27):
elections, which are two prettycan be pretty contentious
topics.
But that all came about becauseof relationships that I had
developed with my colleaguesacross the aisle.
And it's such a strangeenvironment.
You know, there were peoplethere.
Like when I first got there, Ireached out to everyone that I
sat on um committees with fromacross the aisle that I hadn't
(16:47):
had a chance to meet yet.
And I said, Hey, can I, we'regonna be serving on this
committee together.
Can I can I set up a meeting,you know, with you just to kind
of get to know each other andchat a little bit before all
this kind of hoop loss starts?
(17:44):
And of the maybe like 10 or 12that I reached out to, I think
only three took me up on thatoffer.
Um, and those are those are thekinds of things that make it a
little challenging, but but youpersevere.
And so I really worked to tryand build those relationships so
that when these bipartisannegotiations would would come
up, there was a level of trustthere.
(18:06):
And, you know, this person doeswhat they say they're gonna do
and they negotiate in goodfaith.
Uh, that's really important.
And I am I am really proud ofthat work because it doesn't
come easy.
In my kind of goodbye, in myfinal floor speech on on the
floor of the state house, Isaid, you know, your job as a as
a swing district member is totake the punches from all sides
and and somehow stay standingbecause after all, bruises are
(18:29):
purple.
And I have I have always carriedthat with me.
SPEAKER_00 (18:34):
I love that.
And Arizona has such a deephistory of um people working in
government, working onbipartisanship.
I'm thinking about like SenatorMcCain, I'm thinking about
Sandra Day O'Connor.
And I'm glad that you bring thatup because I think that a lot of
people don't realize that thereis actually a lot of
bipartisanship within.
(18:54):
We tend to hear about the issuesthat are not bipartisan, right?
They're very partisan.
Um and I really too appreciatethat you talked about this full
circle moment.
As somebody with a degree inearly childhood education, I
know how important that is, youknow, even the pre-K stuff.
And so the fact that you saw aproblem at first you were trying
(19:18):
it for your 30 kids, and thenyou saw a bigger solution.
Like that to me is that's publicservice, that is civic life, and
that is the power of aneducator.
I think educators are soundervalued.
Um, and people don't see thosekinds of things coming, but the
love and passion we have forteaching for our students can
(19:41):
create these incredible things.
So now you're transitioning tothis new role uh with Arizona
America 250, which I am stokedabout.
And I know that we've alreadyworked on a couple of things
together.
So, what excites you most aboutthis work?
And how do you see yourbackground as both an educator
and a legislator shaping thisapproach?
SPEAKER_01 (20:03):
Well, this is such a cool project that I am so
fortunate to be able to work on.
So many of the things that Iloved about being a legislator,
being someone who approaches thecommunity from a service
standpoint, I still get to do somany of those things.
So I get to travel the state,talk to all kinds of people,
meet people that I never wouldhave met otherwise.
(20:26):
And we're working in so manydifferent arenas, you know,
tourism, civic engagement, um,arts and culture, uh, you know,
military and veterans' affairs.
And it's really just anincredible project.
And maybe I should back up abit.
So every state has one of thesecommissions that's charged with
um organizing all the statewidepublic programming for the
(20:49):
country's 250th next year.
So we just get to do so manycool things.
Like one of our projects, we'redoing a student town hall with
representatives from all threebranches of government.
That'll be on October 21st.
And it's a chance for Arizona'syoung people to ask questions
about what the functionality isin practice of our three
(21:09):
branches and the importance ofcivic engagement and voting.
We are putting together atraveling museum.
We're going to pick up Arizona'sReplica Liberty Bell and tour it
to all 15 Arizona counties.
We'll showcase, you know,American history, the founding
and the ideals that we all holdso dear, and then also Arizona,
past, present, and future.
(21:31):
Uh, and within that, studentswho engage with the traveling
museum, it can help them earncredit hours toward the seal of
civics literacy on their highschool diploma.
So all of these overlappingpieces, you know, we're we're
highlighting tourism as we makeall these stuffs.
We're highlighting the supportfrom the business community, our
strong relationships withmunicipalities, education.
(21:51):
I mean, that's so much of thework that I love to do at the
legislature and that I tried todo in a very small way at my
school.
Um, I get to do it for theentire state now, and and I feel
so fortunate um to be able to dothat.
Secretary Fontez chairs the thecommittee.
Um, and we just have so manyexciting plans in in the works.
(22:14):
I think that this is also areally unique opportunity in our
country's history.
I mean, these these come around,you know, not very often, are
the semi-quincentennial.
And it's a chance for all of us,I think, to kind of reflect on
what patriotism means to eacheach one of us.
(22:35):
I think of patriotism assomething very, very personal.
Uh, it's about how I show up formy neighbors, it's about how I
show up for my community.
Now I have a very broad view ofcommunity, you know, or or
neighbors.
When I was knocking on doors umto win my election, they'd knock
on a door and hi, I'm yourneighbor, and they'd say, Where
do you live?
And I'm like, oh, you know,about 15 minutes south, but this
is this is our district.
(22:56):
This is our shared district.
You're my neighbor.
And when when my students wouldcome into the classroom every
morning, I would greet them, youknow, hi, friend.
And and I take that mentality tothis too.
Um, it's a really wonderfulopportunity to have some of
those conversations about likewhat do we want this to look
like individually as Arizonansand as Americans?
And I am so grateful to be apart of that.
SPEAKER_00 (23:18):
So, can I ask what your favorite part is?
Because I know, I mean, again,I've been involved in this for a
little bit.
So I'm already like the dyne250, the hike 250, the dark
skies 250.
Like I I have been diggingthrough because I, you know, I
am I am native.
I've been here since I was six,so almost 40 years.
(23:39):
Um but I love, I mean, andagain, I'm biased and I'm
totally fine with that.
But our state is so diverse,it's so unique.
Our history, you know, there'sso many just incredibly cool
things about our state.
And maybe this is a hardquestion for you, but do you
(24:00):
have something that you're likeso excited to do or to try with
this, you know, Passport 250?
SPEAKER_01 (24:09):
Oh my gosh.
Well, speaking, I do have afavorite moment that I'll share.
But speaking of passport 250,this is our partnership with the
Arizona Office of Tourism andwhat it is, uh, people can sign
up for the pass on there on uhazpassport250.com.
And it's a list of 250 sitesacross Arizona that people can
visit and experience in in someof the categories that you
(24:29):
mentioned.
And as they do, as they exploreour state, they're eligible for
prizes and giveaways, all kindsof fun things.
But you know, I've I've been inArizona 40 years, and I I
receive all the submissions forfor um because people people can
nominate for Passport 250.
So I see all of the sites thatcome in.
There are places that are like amile from where I grew up that I
(24:49):
never knew about.
And I can't wait to get out andexplore more of this state that
I love so, so much.
So I'm I'm really excited aboutthat.
If I had to pick a standout, andthere are so many, if I had to
pick a standout, I know we helda, you know, every state has a
logo and we held a contest forours, and we invited talented
(25:12):
Arizonians from across the stateto submit their designs.
The commission chose 10, andthen those went forward for a
public vote.
And our winner just happened tobe a 17-year-old high school
student.
Her name is Riley Hammett.
She is absolutely amazing.
And I got, so we she was thewinner.
We, you know, produced her logo.
We have the stickers and it's onall the banners and things.
It's so exciting.
(25:32):
And I got some, I got an emailthe other day I said from
someone, and they said, Oh, I'mputting together, we're putting
together a semi-quincentennialexhibition.
Can you send us something verysmall from Arizona?
And I thought, oh, perfect.
Let me send the sticker.
So I packaged it up, wrote alittle note, sent it off.
Then I had the distinct pleasureof texting Riley's mom and
saying, something that yourdaughter made because she was
(25:52):
bored in class one day is now onits way to the Smithsonian
Museum of American History.
And that I still get chills.
Um it goes to show like theseare the kinds of stories that we
want to tell.
It's so important to thesecretary, to the commission,
that this is something that allArizonans see themselves in and
want to be a part of.
(26:14):
And we are just so excited tocelebrate it with our state.
SPEAKER_00 (26:17):
I'm thinking of Moose Henry's up in Sholo,
Arizona, which is probably oneof our favorite places to go
when we head up to Sholo.
Like, spotlight these places,whether they're restaurants or
breweries or wineries or touristattractions.
What a cool thing.
Because I think people come toArizona and they think heat,
they think Grand Canyon, andthat's it.
(26:39):
But there is so much more.
We did do um a podcast interviewwith Secretary Fontez.
Thank you to Laura for settingthat up that talks a little bit
more about it.
Laura, before we close, can Ijust ask if there is an educator
out there that is struggling oris just, you know, and I know
(27:01):
you know this.
Sometimes as educators, thatpassion dips, and we don't think
we can do anything but teach.
Do you have any words of wisdomfor somebody like that, or maybe
just a citizen who's like, Idon't really know what to do
next?
SPEAKER_01 (27:17):
A couple things.
Um, I understand how it feelswhen that passion dips, but
being an educator is trulysomething so special.
And I think being active aboutlooking for those moments and
leaning into them and holding onand savoring them for yourself,
I think that's so important.
And I'll give an example.
(27:37):
So I was negotiating a bill withone of my colleagues across the
aisle, and these were toughnegotiations.
And so there was a late nightphone call that was very, very,
very heated.
And my colleague was on theother end.
Um, they were relaying a messagethrough me, uh, and it was it
(27:58):
was passionate, shall we say?
And I listened to the end ofthis huge screaming rant.
And I just said, I thank you, myfriend.
I I hear your passion, I hearhow much you care about this.
I will relay that message.
And that's all I said.
I didn't react to it, I didn'ttake the bait, I didn't start
yelling back.
I just said, I hear you, I hearyou right now.
(28:20):
And I think that's a that's askill that our educators have to
be compassionate, to listen, tolook for the best in people.
And that's really rare.
And so holding on to thosemoments for yourself, you do
that every single day in theclassroom in ways that you don't
even know about.
(28:41):
And it is it is a gift to ourstate.
Uh, education is the engine thatmakes our entire state run.
And so, just from the bottom ofmy heart, a big, big thank you
to all of our teachers outthere.
SPEAKER_00 (28:52):
Wonderful.
Laura, thank you so much foryour expertise, for what you're
doing for our state and forsharing your story.
We really appreciated having youon the podcast.
SPEAKER_01 (29:02):
Thank you.
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