There are many on West Jones Street in Raleigh who are deathly afraid of a certain “genus” of people, and more scared are they of a certain species in that genus that they have exerted great effort to make it endangered in hopes of making it extinct. The biological classification of this genus / species … Continue reading The Newest Member of the Endangered Species List in NC, the “North Cackalacky Magister Expertus” – Commonly Known as the North Carolina Veteran Teacher

Remember, we were one of the states that marched and demonstrated last spring. One of the most overused electioneering blurbs used by many incumbent lawmakers in North Carolina this past election cycle was that our state has given the highest percentage "average" pay raise to teachers in the last four years. Lawmakers like Tim Moore … Continue reading “America Is Losing Its Teachers at a Record Rate” – Raleigh is a Big Part of This Problem

Teach for a few years in a traditional public school setting and the calendar that your life follows will not be the one that many other professions follow. Sure, a fiscal year does not follow a January - December model, but school years have their own ebb and flow that society has placed upon them. … Continue reading This Teacher’s New Year’s Day Was In August

“Thirty-six,” he said, looking up at his mother and father. “That’s two less than last year.” “Darling, you haven’t counted Auntie Marge’s present, see, it’s here under this big one from Mummy and Daddy.” “Alright, thirty-seven then,” said Dudley, going red in the face. Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began … Continue reading The Gift of Living in the Present – A Musing With Malcolm

Like every other year, 2018 has been a rather contentious, perplexing, and frustrating year for public school advocates. There is simply a lot working against us. However, that only means that we keep fighting for public schools. As the new year arrives, it might be worthwhile to review the top ten public education issues that surround … Continue reading The Top 10 Educational Issues From 2018 That Need Our Attention in 2019

Invariably, in many social situations, I am asked that same ubiquitous question many people face: “So, what do you do for a living?” And when I answer that I am a teacher the reactions are varied.  “Wow, that must be exciting!”  “Do you guys still use red ink?” “How do you handle those kids?” “I … Continue reading Tests Can’t Measure the True Strength of Schools And Other Reasons Your Kids Aren’t Numbers

What has been done in the last twelve months to address these issues? And what can a break in the NCGA's supermajorities do to further ameliorate these issues? From a post in December 2017: Like every other year, 2017 has been a rather contentious, perplexing, and frustrating year for public school advocates. There is simply … Continue reading These Were Ten of the Top Education Issues Entering 2018…

Our public schools should be able to go out of their way to accommodate children with disabilities. Whether that means more resources, more teacher assistants, more trained personnel, or more professional development, then that should be invested in. Actually, it's the law. It's called IDEA: the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. It stipulates that students … Continue reading Even At Christmas, the NCGA Uses School Children as Political Pawns – SB 469’s Modification of the Disabilities Grant

A sincere “thank you” to all who read this blog. And here is a gift for you –   Peace to you all, Stu