Ted Appel is the exceptional principal at the school where I teach, Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento. It's the largest inner-city high school in the city, and over half of our students are English Language Learners.
He offers a perspective -- both in word and in deed -- that may be all too rare in education today.
What led you to teaching in the classroom, and what prompted your decision to become a principal?
I had been working in outdoor programs for youth at risk for a few years, which was very rewarding and fun, but I felt like school had a overpowering impact on a child's feelings about being a successful person. I also became interested in the experiential education movement and