Cover
Story
GCU TODAY • 7
College of Education
alumni, partners
team up to reshape,
refocus, re-energize
Arizona classrooms
S T O R I E S B Y M I C H A E L F E R R A R E S I
P H O T O S B Y D A R R Y L W E B B
A
s his second graders sat cross-legged in front of a
colorful interactive assignment board, Anthony Pérez
cautiously monitored the lesson. His eyes darted
from student to student to examine their varying
responses. This time, though, he wasn’t the teacher.
A girl in a pink hoodie held that title for the moment, at
the request of “Mr. Pérez.” It was her turn to lead her Sunset
Elementary peers — kids in braids, camouflage fleece jackets and
well-worn sneakers — through multiple exercises in the cinder
block room. She directed the class with a cartoonish rubber finger.
Pérez learned early that this method allows students to
feel what it’s like to guide their own classmates to the correct
answers and digest the material with ease. The 32-year-old
Grand Canyon University alumnus and west Phoenix native grew
up on the same side of town as his students — many who come
from immigrant families and low-income homes and are part
of a district with a higher than average number of children who
qualify for free or reduced-cost lunch.
In Arizona, a statewide teacher shortage, struggles with
funding for public schools, and a low national rank for overall
quality of education have left universities looking for innovative
solutions. One example is the GCU College of Education’s
partnership with the Rodel Foundation of Arizona to refocus the
futures of children by developing more teachers with the heart to
help. Pérez is a Rodel graduate who sees those challenges as an
opportunity to serve his community.
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a NewWay
