It is not surprising that with talk of possibly restoring graduate degree pay for teachers in North Carolina those who are emphatically opposed to it would speak out. Take for example John Hood of the John Pope Foundation. Over three years ago, he penned an op-ed that was posted on EdNC.org entitled "Not a matter … Continue reading Advanced Degrees Matter – Did Then, Did in 2015. Do Now.

Remember when Mark Johnson announced that reading teachers in k-3 would receive a brand new Apple iPad to use in classrooms this year? On the surface, this seemed like a positive notion. But… From Travis Fain at WRAL last August: Reading teachers across the state, from kindergarten to third grade, will get computer tablets from … Continue reading So Mark Johnson, How Have Those iPads Worked Out?

What happened last night was not magic. It was not luck. It was the reward for hard work and tireless practice. It was the product of endless  hours of just getting better, growing together, and paying attention to the very details that no score sheet will ever show. Diving for loose balls. Playing hard-nosed defense. … Continue reading What Happened In Simpson Gym Last Night – Final Four Bound

Today Sen. Phil Berger issued a press release in which he is bragging about his devotion to teacher pay. He starts: Beginning in 2014 when they provided teachers the largest raise in the country, legislative Republicans have taken historic steps to raise educator pay in North Carolina. In the last five years, Republicans have enacted … Continue reading Do Not Believe Berger’s Hype of the NC Success Story – He’s Still Spinning a Narrative on NC’s Public Schools

This tweet says it all.   The attitude and culture of a team means everything and it starts with the coach. When players believe in a coach, when the coach believes in the players, and when the players believe in each other no matter what they contribute, then something incredible happens. Especially when this basketball … Continue reading Malcolm Says For All Titan Fans To Pack Simpson Gym To See His Favorite Team Playing in the Fourth Round

Simply put. it’s hard to build bridges in this state with those who are making the very divides that separate us. Before the Great Recession took hold of the country, North Carolina had what was considered the top public school system in the Southeast and one of the best in the nation. That is no … Continue reading Hard to Build Bridges In Public Education With Those Creating the Divides

Any experienced, veteran teacher here in North Carolina knows the differences in the salary schedules that have guided pay for the last ten years. Sometimes one graph can put things into sharp perspective. Derek Scott has been following trends in public education and possesses that gift of explaining concepts that many politicians hope to keep … Continue reading Negative $31243: Career Change in Pay Received – This North Carolina General Assembly Does Not Want to Have Veteran Teachers

The Titan Women’s Basketball Team will always hold a special place in the heart of Malcolm. Basketball is his favorite sport and he watches the games with an attentiveness that he does not give any other event. And those ladies who play for the high school in Clemmons, NC have treated him with nothing but … Continue reading That Basketball Team is All Heart And All For Each Other

Below is the salary schedule for a teacher in North Carolina for the 2018-2019 school year. Any teacher new to the profession in the last four years would never be on the second schedule because newer teachers are not allowed a pay bump for graduate degrees. Notice how the salaries also plateau after year 15. … Continue reading What NC Teachers Made 10 Years Ago

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