Still trying to figure it out, like it’s day one.
Hi, I’m Alex.
Alex Park
Founder of Teacher Daydreamer
What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been...
My path into education has been a bit odd.
I studied Applied Learning and Development at the University of Texas at Austin because I wanted to become a teacher. That is the only straightforward part. The rest of my journey derails quickly.
I started my career teaching 3rd grade in Austin, Texas. Like most first-year teachers, I spent the majority of my time wondering whether I knew what I was doing. Surprisingly, by the end of that year, I was recognized as a Teacher of Promise. This award was encouraging because it signaled hope, which was all I could cling to for most of that year.
More importantly, the award came with a free ticket to the South by Southwest Education Conference & Festival. For the first time, I was enthralled by the surroundings of like-minded, curious folks who were all seeking to advance the field of education. It felt like that one scene in Jurassic Park.
“Welcome… to Jurassic Park!”
Except a bit nerdier.
This was a spark that was lit. It eventually faded out over the next several years, but it never completely fizzled.
Over the next few years, I continued teaching, eventually moving from 3rd to 4th grade. I made plenty of mistakes, laughed, and cried. Then I laughed more and cried even harder, but I slowly got better at my craft.
Then COVID happened.
Like most people during the pandemic, I found myself asking what was next. Apparently, my answer was:
Ah. Maybe I’ll execute Plan B: Join the Military.
I enlisted in the U.S. Army and served as a Signals Intelligence Analyst supporting Special Forces. To this day, it remains one of the more unexpected chapters of my life. I’ve been on a deployment rotation, jumped out of aircraft as an Airborne paratrooper, and run with at least 35 pounds on my back… a lot.
My mantra during those years was simple: give it my best shot and if I don’t like it, come back to Plan A: Teaching!
Also, somewhere along the way, I wrote my first children’s book, Pizza Pete.
Eventually, education pulled me back like a persistent voice in the back of my head.
In the fall of 2025, I began pursuing a Doctor of Education degree in Teacher Education and Teacher Learning for Justice at the University of Washington, Seattle. Somewhere between teaching, military service, and graduate school, I developed an, albeit annoying, habit of collecting questions.
What are grades actually for?
Why aren’t teachers taught data literacy?
Can AI help address the teacher shortage?
What’s actually wrong with pineapples on pizza?
Enter: Teacher Daydreamer.
What started as a place to document accomplishments early in my teaching career gradually became a place to think. Some posts begin with classroom memories that I hope are useful to others. Others start with a book, a research article, or a conversation that leaves me wondering whether we're asking the right questions.
Believe it or not, I occasionally stumble upon an idea worth sharing.
More often than not, I’m still trying to figure things out.
Kind of like my first year of teaching.
Huh…
Full circle.
You’ll find reflections from the classroom, thoughts on research, book reviews, and the random philosophical rabbit hole. If there is a common thread running through all of it, it’s probably curiosity.
The longer I spend in education, the less interested I become in finding easy answers and the more interested I become in asking better questions.
This is where I keep track of them.
Thanks for stopping by.
