Month: February 2018

I Will Never Carry a Gun in School But Will “Ready” Myself With Voter Registration

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I will never carry a gun in school as a teacher. If I am asked to do so, I will refuse. If I am required to do so, I will not be teaching any longer. That does not mean I would not in any way shape or form try and defend a student from harm. … Continue reading I Will Never Carry a Gun in School But Will “Ready” Myself With Voter Registration

Censorship and the Fear of Free Thought – Dropping Great Books From Curriculum

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When Ray Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451, he was living in a time of the rising Cold War and the end of Nazism. The novel is a futuristic look (in 1950) into what society might be like if reading books were banned by the government. Firemen, who were the government workers who burned rogue books, would use … Continue reading Censorship and the Fear of Free Thought – Dropping Great Books From Curriculum

The NCGA’s Plan to Make School Performance Grades Fuel Voucher Expansion

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Public Schools First NC (PSFNC.org), an organization that supports advocacy of public education in North Carolina, regularly sends out very informative factoids through social media that give texture to the landscape of the politics associated with public education. With the current recess of the General Assembly after its disastrous budget proposal for public education, it … Continue reading The NCGA’s Plan to Make School Performance Grades Fuel Voucher Expansion

Dear Rep. Pittman – As a Teacher, You Will Never Arm Me With a Gun in School

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As a teacher, I cannot legally give a student an aspirin tablet. My high school has five counselors for over 2400 students. There is one part-time social worker. There is one school psychologist assigned to multiple schools at one time. A school nurse is on campus only one day a week. As a country we … Continue reading Dear Rep. Pittman – As a Teacher, You Will Never Arm Me With a Gun in School

Keeping It Partisan – Our State Superintendent

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"And some of those tasked with making schools better are more focused on preserving tired partisan wedges rather than looking for innovative ways to provide more and better opportunities in rural communities." - Mark Johnson, February 7th in an op-ed he wrote entitled "What I meant about $35K teacher pay" in the News & Observer … Continue reading Keeping It Partisan – Our State Superintendent

The 32-Minute “Run” That Decided the Conference Championship

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In sports, there are times when a team may go through a stretch in which it totally takes over the game, grabs the momentum, and seems to score in bunches either wiping out a deficit or increasing a lead. In football, we may call it scoring "unanswered" points. In baseball, it is putting together some … Continue reading The 32-Minute “Run” That Decided the Conference Championship

What Happens At Schools Should Teach Us All, Especially What Happened At Douglas High School

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The mass shooting at Columbine High School occurred in 1999. It was my second year of teaching. It changed the American high school landscape. Procedures. Drills. Even the construction of classroom doors altered to be more resistant to break-ins. Furthermore, Columbine involved no gang members. It took place in an affluent area. The killers had planned to … Continue reading What Happens At Schools Should Teach Us All, Especially What Happened At Douglas High School

The Privatization of North Carolina’s Public Schools – A Who’s Who

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Remember Michelle Rhee’s visit to North Carolina last year for a “closed-door” meeting (February 7th  ,2017) with lawmakers brokered by an educational lobbying body of business leaders called BEST NC (coupled with the NC GOP’s invitation to Betsy DeVos who had just been confirmed as Trump’s secretary of education)? It was another ominous omen of … Continue reading The Privatization of North Carolina’s Public Schools – A Who’s Who

Remember Ladies, You’re The Titans

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I imagine most of you have seen the movie Remember the Titans about a public school in Virginia the 1970’s being desegregated and how its football team became a vehicle for positive change. I watch it every chance I get. There’s a hopeless romantic still inside of me that likes a feel-good movie that actually is based … Continue reading Remember Ladies, You’re The Titans