If Rep. Craig Horn could literally step back and truly listen to what he says in this article in the Carolina Journal, then he just might have an idea of what it is like to be the public school system in North Carolina for the past eight years. Rep. Craig Horn, R-Union, said the financial … Continue reading Irony Makes The World Go ‘Round: “Budget impasse frustrates preparation for financial literacy course requirement”

I am the proud parent of  two children. One is a highly intelligent and academically driven young lady who looks like her mother. The other one is what some in the educational field might call “special.” He looks like his mother as well. Specifically, that child has Down Syndrome and is on the autism spectrum … Continue reading Being a Teacher Who Lives With a “Special -Needs” Child

  Toni Morrison passed this past week. She was the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature and what she did (and still does) for this white, upper middle class male teacher is something that I will always value as a life-long student: she made me understand that I don't understand. And … Continue reading Before We Challenge Books, We Should Be Challenged By Them – In Defense of Being Uncomfortable And What Toni Morrison Taught Me

One of the best ways to gather a pulse of what is happening in the public education world of North Carolina is to follow the Twitter feeds of educational journalists, researchers, writers, teachers, and bloggers. That includes following Greg Flynn. Today he tweeted: Full credit where credit is due. His tweet is the impetus for … Continue reading iStation’s “Red Cape” & The Handmaid’s Tale

Our public schools are better than many lawmakers portray them to be - lawmakers who have never spent time as educators. A lot better. And the problem is not the schools. The problem is the lawmaking body that controls the narrative of how schools are performing. With the constant dialogue that “we must improve schools” … Continue reading Our Public Schools Are Better Than The North Carolina General Assembly Wants You to Believe

Where to begin? That recent op-ed by Bob Luebke of the Civitas Institute on EdNC.org entitled "Is it time to hit reset on public education in North Carolina?" might be one of the most condescending and intentionally ignorant a piece this public school advocate has read in quite a while. Yes - intentionally ignorant. Why? … Continue reading About That “Is it time to hit reset on public education in North Carolina?” Piece on EdNC.org

Educators for the North Carolina Virtual Public School just received this email from Mark Johnson. Very glad a solution has been found to keep teachers in their positions and for students to have these classes available. But I have to ask - if Johnson supposedly worked out a solution for this in a relatively short … Continue reading NCVPS Has a Solution For This Fall

The new deadline for hospitals to sign on to the State Treasurer's new version of the State Health Plan has passed. And there really is no change to the list of hospitals who are willing to accept the new reimbursement model that Folwell has presented in the same way as someone who is playing a … Continue reading Dear NCGA – For The Health Of Your Constituents, It’s Time To Take Up House Bill 184

In less than three weeks, my high school will play its first football game. In fact, before students even take a class, a game will have been played and put in the record books. And the band will be there with them. There is a tradition at the end of each game at our school … Continue reading In Praise of the High School Band

Sure. Most people here in North Carolina might think of the beginning of the school year as being closer to the end of August, but it actually begins much earlier. Well before students will begin roaming the halls to re-acclimate themselves to a bell schedule, teachers will report to school for “pre-planning,” which is a … Continue reading Actually, School Started Last Week