Opinion
Teaching Opinion

As He Retires, Larry Ferlazzo Reflects on Decades of Teaching

By Lauren Santucci — July 11, 2025 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Ahead of his retirement after more than two decades in the classroom, California teacher and author Larry Ferlazzo sat down with Education Week to answer some questions and share his thoughts on the profession and the future of education.

Since 2010, he has been the curator and writer for the Education Week Opinion blog, Classroom Q & A With Larry Ferlazzo. He has included the contributions of more than a thousand educators in that space, reaching millions of readers on classroom management, instructional practice, and other challenges teachers face.

Ferlazzo has no plans to stop writing or teaching. He will continue his Education Week opinion blog and plans to be a volunteer teacher to incarcerated youth this fall.

How do you build relationships with students?

What is the value of inductive teaching?

What is the key to student motivation?

Related Tags:

Jaclyn Borowski, Director of Photography & Videography and Elizabeth Rich, Assistant Managing Editor, Opinion contributed to this opinion article.

Events

Early Childhood K-12 Essentials Forum Early Childhood Education: Building Essential Skills for Success
Join this free virtual event to examine the biggest challenges in supporting young children, from preschool through elementary school. 
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Absenteeism Webinar
Attendance Isn't an Attendance Problem
Boost attendance by strengthening relationships, belonging, and support with practical strategies from Doug Fisher & Nancy Frey.
Content provided by Corwin
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
The Principal's Role in Collective Efficacy and Student Outcomes
Learn practical strategies that help principals translate their confidence into stronger collective teacher efficacy and student outcomes.
Content provided by Otus

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Teaching Opinion How Teaching Handwriting Supports Brain Development
Schools shouldn’t abandon handwriting instruction—including cursive—in the digital age.
Nicole Humlicek
4 min read
Illustration of a child carrying an oversized yellow pencil while writing on the floor, surrounded by classroom desks and laptops, with a highlighted brain floating above their head.
Gina Tomko/Education Week + Canva
Teaching Opinion Could Your Classroom Use a Little More Fun? Start Here
How teachers and school leaders are incorporating a sense of play into the work.
3 min read
Games, school supplies, and a lobster! Back to school fun, enrichment
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty
Teaching Opinion Teacher Credibility: The Do’s and Don’ts of Earning Your Students’ Respect
Students start sizing up a teacher from day one. Here’s how you can be ready.
Bill Waychunas
4 min read
A student and teacher fist bump. Trust, understanding, Credibility.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty
Teaching Opinion What Makes a Good Teacher? Lisa Delpit and Christopher Emdin Go Deep
The popular educators expound on race and education in their new book, The Sacred Art of Teaching.
7 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week