State Superintendent Catherine Truitt's tweet from today concerning the latest Teacher Working Conditions Survey is worth investigating because it illuminates a rather stark disconnect when it comes to teacher attitudes in working in NC. The results seem to make the profession an enviable one. It's worth looking at the item analysis of the results in … Continue reading About The Results Of The 2024 Teacher Working Conditions Survey

for our lawmakers. From yesterday's online posting for the News & Observer: An anonymous social media post over the weekend claimed that a group of North Carolina politicians were drunk and disruptive during a tour of a distillery in Kentucky. The post caused a stir in political circles, but officials questioned about the post Monday … Continue reading Maybe We Do Need To Talk About Discipline…

Not many teachers leave the profession because of how they are treated by the students (that is if there are systems in place to help teachers feel empowered when students need to face discipline and consequences for detrimental actions). Most teachers leave the profession because how they are treated by other adults: lawmakers, parents, taxpayers, … Continue reading It’s Not Because of Students; It’s Because Of The Adults – Why Teachers Leave.

...to destroy public education in North Carolina. There is a reason Michele Morrow deleted her old Twitter account. And what she is projecting now in the general election is a sanitized version of herself based solely on electability and a total lack of substance. If she could disown those previous hurtful words and truly seek … Continue reading Michele Morrow Is Completely Qualified…

Gov. Roy Cooper submitted his last proposed budget as the top official in North Carolina this past week and as with all of his proposed budgets, he is calling for raises in teacher pay. "The budget includes an average 8.5% teacher raise plus a $1,500 retention bonus for most teachers..." And his proposed budget does … Continue reading They Will Raise Teacher Pay This Summer – For One Reason

My grandmother graduated from high school right after the end of WWII. My mother graduated from high school in the late 1960s. I graduated from high school in the 1980s, and decades later I am watching another class graduate from the public high where I am about finish my 26th year of teaching. And just in … Continue reading The “Back When I Was In School” Fallacy – When Lawmakers Claim That Our Schools Are Getting Worse

Over the last few years, the largest obstacles and tallest hurdles concerning giving exams dealt with technological issues. That’s because a vast majority of them were online. Knock out the Ethernet connections to a couple of buildings, have a bad connection in another building, and then some scattered wireless availability in a couple of other … Continue reading Give Schools and Students The Choice to Take Paper & Pencil Versions Of State Tests

As the North Carolina General Assembly gathers for a new session, it has already been hinted that vouchers will be expanded yet again. NC has the least transparent voucher system in the country. Additionally, vouchers hurt public schools. And here in NC, most vouchers go to church-run/religious schools. And many of them really want that … Continue reading A “Billion Dollar Choice” With Billions In Surplus But They Want To Give Vouchers To Whom?

Former Rep. Larry Pittman is no stranger to public school advocates and those who have been calling for changes in North Carolina about how we treat our citizens. Remember when he wanted to give teachers guns in schools? A North Carolina lawmaker says allowing teachers to bring guns to school would save lives in situations … Continue reading Damn! Even This Guy Won’t Vote For Mark Robinson

When an NC lawmaker makes a claim about how well he has treated public education, the whole story may not be told – only a glossy version. In this season of electioneering, it is important to know that the biggest part of the iceberg is under the water level where most people do not look. … Continue reading Debunking 10 Common Electioneering Claims Made by Current Politicians Concerning NC’s Public Schools