“Collaborate” :intransitive verb. Noun form is “collaboration” – 1:to work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor  Simply put, collaboration as described in that first definition from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary website is the best resource/tool that a school can have and that leaders can encourage. What makes schools work best are the … Continue reading Our Schools Should be About Collaboration Among Teachers, Not Competition

Many times over this summer, I have heard from many well-intentioned people that it must be nice to have a job that allows one to only work 10 months out of a year. Write a blog or some op-eds about conditions of the teaching profession and the state of public schools in North Carolina and … Continue reading Public School Teachers: 10-Month Employees, But 12-Month Educators

On August 11th, The Civitas Institute released a report by Leah Byers entitled "The Problem with Average in Teacher Pay" (https://www.nccivitas.org/2018/problem-average-teacher-pay/). It starts, "Education funding has been a heated topic in North Carolina again this year. Progressives and others on the Left say the state is underfunding schools and teachers. These claims come despite years … Continue reading Why The Cost Of Living Adjustment Argument is Erroneous When Discussing Teacher Salary

Every week, State Supt. Mark Johnson releases an "NC Reads Reading Tip" on his Twitter account to give suggestions to parents and guardians about how to help foster and greater love of reading at home. Considering those who have propped up Johnson as the state's leader of the public school system also intentionally wrote the … Continue reading #NCReadsConfusingNewAmendments – Taking Mark Johnson’s #NCReads Tips to Understand the Wording of the Constitutional Amendments

Below is a map of how counties voted in the past presidential election. Lots of red in rural areas. Blue in metropolitan places and where the most attended colleges and universities are located. Those blue counties in the northeast are mostly African-American in population. Mix these colors up as they are shaded and we get … Continue reading North Carolina Has a Huge Urban/Rural Divide – Our Public Education System Can Build and Be a Strong Bridge

Not long ago,  I caught a tweet from my school’s spirit club about “theme nights” for the upcoming football season. Those themes are for all of the games – home and away.  And students will come to those games – home and away. And they will scream their heads off. And they will chant. And … Continue reading Friday Night Lights – The Power of the Student Section

In the current session, it’s called Senate Bill 75. To many around the country, it’s called TABOR. The TAxpayer Bill Of Rights. Makes it sound like it truly benefits those in our state. It doesn’t. It’s just another catchy acronym that acts like a Trojan horse for something more destructive.   Acronyms are easy to shape and easier … Continue reading The Amendment to Lower the Cap on Taxes, Also Known as TABOR – A Tourniquet Around the Bloodlines of Our Republic and it Could Cripple Our Public Schools

As the midterms approach and partisan electioneering is ramping up, there is one particular item that hopefully voters will not forget when deciding to cast a ballot in November, especially if public education is a focal point for making a decision. On Aug. 1st, the News and Observer ran a report entitled "Give us the … Continue reading Dear NCGA, Where is the $730 Million You Owe Us? Signed, North Carolina School Districts

Classes may not start for another couple of weeks and teachers will be in classrooms for pre-planning beginning Thursday, but... the Village is open. Football. Soccer. Volleyball. Women's Tennis. Field Hockey. Cross-Country. Women's Golf. Cheerleading. Dance Team. The summer camps. The scrimmages. The workouts. The practices. Now go out and support them. All of them. … Continue reading Malcolm is Ready for Titan Athletics – The Village Opens This Week