Elizabeth Purtell

Elizabeth Purtell has taught across grades 6–12 since 1991, narrowing her focus over time to history, government, and, her passion, 8th-grade civics at Heritage Academy in Mesa, Arizona. In her classroom, students practice sourcing, identify bias and historical context, and learn to distinguish between fact and commentary. “I don’t want TikTok votes, I want well-thought-out votes,” she says, emphasizing evidence-based reasoning and civil discourse.

Elizabeth models active citizenship for her students. She has volunteered in a U.S. Senator’s office and regularly writes to her congressional representatives about local and national issues. Her classes simulate roles across government to show how constitutional processes work in practice, and homeroom service projects, like letters for Operation Gratitude, connect civic knowledge to community action.

She teaches that the Constitution’s design balances liberty between tyranny and anarchy and asks students to respond “constitutionally and respectfully” when they see drift toward either extreme. “Apathy is the death of democracy,” Elizabeth reminds her students, encouraging them to engage, gather evidence, and advocate with empathy. She holds a master’s degree in education and believes “to teach civics is to believe in the power of education to preserve liberty.”