Remember this from last July? Three people received those letters. Those individuals had in their calling as public school advocates and as tax payers sought information and exposed the reasonable doubts surrounding Mark Johnson’s unilateral decision to award iStation a contract. All three Cease & Desist letters were published in WRAL. Here is the text … Continue reading Last Friday iStation Received Their Own “Cease & Desist” Order

Good morning. Let's state the obvious. This is not how it should have happened. A little over two months left in your senior year of high school and a few things were supposed to occur before graduation - maybe prom, some sports, definitely hanging out with friends. And now you have virtual classes amidst a … Continue reading Dear High School Senior, …

In 2012, the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation for the “Read to Achieve” initiative. Over seven years later, it has not really achieved. From an October 2018 Charlotte Observer report: The General Assembly passed Read to Achieve legislation in 2012. It was modeled on literacy efforts in other states, including the “Just Read, Florida!” program created by … Continue reading It’s Time To Eliminate The Read To Achieve Program

...flood my school email inbox with offers to try a new educational technology that aligns to curriculum for standardized tests. Not all of my students have the resources to access the technology if I was even in a position to purchase and use it. Most all of my time now is devoted to just providing … Continue reading Dear Educational Resource Vendor, Now Is Not The Time To…

I am a teacher. By the third year of teaching, my daily routine outside of school was marked by a schedule that centered around teaching. Bells go off in my head during the summers. No matter what day it is, I naturally awake at the same time. When there is complete silence, I sometimes have … Continue reading What This Teacher Misses Most? The Organized Chaos Of School

Today at 11:00, a meeting will convene with the State Board of Education to discuss a variety of issues surrounding the closure of public schools in the state and how to offer instruction to students to complete the school year. Hidden in that agenda is a request from State Superintendent Mark Johnson to pay iStation … Continue reading HB17, Deep State, Common Core, Class Wallet, and iPads – The State Board of Education Should Not Listen To Mark Johnson’s Recommendation For Paying iStation

Dr. Chelsea Bartel has been following the controversy concerning Mark Johnson's unilateral decision to purchase iStation and exposing its lack of transparency longer than most anyone. She posted this tweet today. iStation wants $1.2 million for us to keep using their platform during the prolonged school closures. Amplify is offering theirs for free. Justin Parmenter … Continue reading Spend $1.2 Million On The Program We Didn’t Like Or Use The One We Do Like For Free? More About iStation

1461 days. 1733 posts. 700,000+ hits. And not stopping now. If I could ask for one thing that you can do, it is to share with others the advocacy for public schools that I hope this blog helps to do. And if you could invite others to read and engage with what this blog produces, … Continue reading Four Years Ago Today This Blog Began

For me, it's Year 22. Three schools. Two states. Between two to three thousand students who have come through my classrooms. Tens of thousands of essays graded. Multiple curricula adoptions, evaluation tools, administrative changes, over twenty proms, and more sporting events than I can count. Yet, never have I had to teach remotely in this … Continue reading Dear First Year Teacher, You Are No Longer A New Educator