The malaise and military decline of the post-Vietnam years under President Jimmy Carter set the stage for Russian aggression abroad and uncertainty among our allies.

I was raised to believe that we all have a civic duty and a responsibility as Americans to improve our neighborhoods and our nation.

A mentor, a 'teacher,' is like an editor. I absolutely value my editor, who is my teacher.

And so for a couple of years my life was divided between my music and my school books.

I have learned that, although I am a good teacher, I am a much better student, and I was blessed to learn valuable lessons from my students on a daily basis. They taught me the importance of teaching to a student - and not to a test.

The teacher crisis is something we are really worried about during the byelection in Mount Albert. I counted, across a month, seven teachers I identified just in my area who were all leaving - not the profession but Auckland.