About Paul Weiss

Teaching experience

I still remember my first day of teaching as a 23-year-old, hired the Saturday before — yes, 2 days to prepare for my first lessons teaching 120+ 9th graders at Broad Run High School in Loudoun County. I wore a short-sleeved button-down shirt with a yellow squared-off knit tie and pleated khakis. I had all my plans and papers stashed in cardboard boxes on a cart that I rolled to three different classrooms — the last of which required me to negotiate a precariously uneven sidewalk outside while holding an umbrella to protect the papers, not me. I lugged my boxes to and from my car getting to school in the early hours of the day and drove home well past the time that all the other cars in the lot had left. It was wonderful and awful at the same time, and I was ready to quit at winter break — not because I hated the work, but because I thought I was terrible at it. Thank goodness my assistant principal at the time convinced me to stay.

I taught at Broad Run for four years before following my wife Dana to Pittsburgh so she could get her Master’s in public administration. In Pittsburgh, I had the invaluable and eye-opening experience of working at an adult literacy non-profit. When we came back to the DC area, I taught successfully at Edison and Annandale high schools in Fairfax County before getting the opportunity to work close to home in Arlington. I’ve been teaching for the last 22 years at H-B Woodlawn.

This fall will mark 36 years since that first day of teaching, but that story is not meant to relate how hard teachers had it back in the day. Actually, the opposite is true. All teachers — but young teachers especially –have it much harder today than as recently as 10 years ago. What’s most frustrating is that there is so much that can easily be done to make teaching conditions better and thus make learning conditions better for our students.

I absolutely love teaching, and I always imagined teaching in Arlington for another decade. But the disconnect between Syphax (including the School Board) and Arlington’s classrooms is so acute that I feel compelled to retire and run for School Board.

Arlington parent

I am an Arlington parent of two sons who had different yet ultimately successful paths through Arlington’s schools. Our older son had a tough time adjusting to middle school, and my wife and I are forever thankful for the allies he had each year: Teachers who never gave up on him and kind non-teaching staff (custodians, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, secretaries) who were positive influences each day.

Our younger son had a different journey, as he suffered from a chronic fever syndrome that caused him to miss up to a month of elementary school each year. As with our older child, we lived the parental nightmare of knowing your child is struggling through a large portion of their days at school. We also learned how difficult it is for a school system to adapt to the needs of a child who is outside the “normal” problem box. Our son’s frequent absences were difficult for everyone, and we sometimes had to strongly advocate that his 504 be followed. This was incredibly frustrating, though as a teacher myself, I understood the competing demands in the classroom. This is where my passion for smaller class sizes crystallized. 

As hoped for by his doctors, our son outgrew the syndrome by 9th grade, and he had a great 2½ years at W-L until Covid-19 hit. My wife and I are so thankful for the hard work his teachers put in during that unprecedented time, including the wonderful outside graduation hosted by W-L in June of 2021. 

Both our boys are grown now, but their journeys and my experience as an active teacher will give me a powerful and unique perspective as an Arlington School Board Member.

Why I’m Running as a Democrat

I am a Democrat. I have consistently voted as a Democrat and canvassed for Democrats. I would have participated in the Arlington County Democratic Party’s endorsement process were the circumstances and timing different. I would have appreciated the opportunity to explain to my fellow Democrats why it’s time for a teacher’s perspective on the School Board.

However, two factors made it impossible for me to seek the official endorsement of the Arlington Democrats. First, circumstances in my life changed making it possible for me to consider running  after the caucus filing deadline. Second, the caucus schedule coincides with the busiest part of the year for teachers. There is no way a teacher can plan and execute a campaign in the late winter and early spring of the school year. This needs to change. 

Despite missing the caucus, I do believe that this is the right year for me to run, and I’m ready to make my case in this election. Now that my boys have graduated from W-L, my wife and I are empty-nesters. I’m also running in honor of my mom, who passed away earlier this year and for whom I was the caretaker for the last several years, navigating assisted living, doctors appointments and family visits. If you want to know where my values and motivations come from, read her story.