Dear Graduates, Tomorrow, I will be a part of what I believe will be my twenty-first high school graduation as a teacher (student teaching included). And every year, it gets a little different, but for the right reasons. If I do the math correctly, I literally have had thousands of students come through my classrooms … Continue reading A Thank You Letter to Graduates From a Middle-Aged Public High School Teacher

There is no doubt that Mark Johnson is the most enabled man in Raleigh. There is also no doubt that Phil Berger and Tim Moore are especially happy to have such bundle of legal noodles spun into a ball of knots. It creates ambiguity and gives them a narrative to continue their privatization of public … Continue reading What the NC State Supreme Court Ruling Concerning Mark Johnson and the State BOE Really Means

Remember when teachers in North Carolina received an extended deadline to complete the NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey for the Department of Public Instruction. The state was somewhere at 90% of teachers completing it at the beginning of April. State Superintendent Mark Johnson wanted at least 95%. It was to be a badge of honor … Continue reading Something’s Still Wrong With North Carolina DPI’s Teacher Working Conditions Survey

Art imitates life. It's one of the reasons why teaching great works of literature is vital in a high school education. One title that is read and taught in many high school English I classes in North Carolina is Animal Farm. Animal Farm is an allegorical fable that Eric Blair (George Orwell was his pen name) … Continue reading Some Are More Equal Than Others – The Orwellian “Animal Farm” on West Jones Street

You may not recall, but back in 2013, there was a major push in the NCGA to require that schools teach cursive writing. From the erudite Lindsay Wagner, who worked for NC Policy Watch then: As reported in March, the House Education Committee is considering HB 146, Back to Basics, which would mandate mastery of cursive … Continue reading Even Written in Cursive, What the NCGA is Trying to Do With Public Education is Bad

Just A few minutes ago, the House in the NCGA just voted to approve the Municipal Charter School bill 64-53. And because it is a local bill, it does not require the governor's approval. This is beyond egregious and potentially sets North Carolina back decades as far as treating all people equally. It exacerbates an … Continue reading Congratulations North Carolina General Assembly – By Passing HB514, You Just Set Our State Back Decades

If you have never read the Pulitzer-Prize winning novel, A Confederacy of Dunces, then do yourself a favor and get a copy. It’s exquisite. It’s about an out-of-shape anti-hero who sells hot dogs and frets over a supposed heart-condition in New Orleans who is courting a radical gal from New York and ultimately survives a parrot … Continue reading The First Movie I Will Show Next School Year: “A Confederacy of Redundancies” – To Be Filmed This Summer

Early in the fall of 2016, I was asked to do a panel discussion on public education at UNC-Charlotte with a variety of other stakeholders in the state. There were teachers, social activists, think tank reps, and a couple of advocacy groups. At one point in the conversation, a representative from a well-known libertarian think … Continue reading Public Education is a Common Good, Not a Consumer Good