From NCAE: SAVE THE DATE: • What: A day of connecting, learning, and collective planning to win the public schools our students deserve led by the North Carolina Association of Educators • Who: All public school educators, students, parents, and community supporters • When/Where: 10 AM to 4 PM  o January 19th→ Raleigh o January … Continue reading Save the Date! Respect For Public Education Regional Meetings

Dear Santa, With gerrymandered districts and continued emphasis on using public taxpayer money to finance unproven reform efforts that do more to privatize and divide our student bodies, I thought it might be worth adding a few items to my holiday wish list. Sure, I want efforts to clean our environment and hold entities accountable … Continue reading This North Carolina Teacher’s Letter to Santa

We lost a Titan today. A beloved coach, mentor to young men, and vibrant member of our community. There are many realizations that I have come to understand as a high school teacher. One is that community involvement in a school is paramount to a school's success. Another is that school athletics are a vital … Continue reading We Lost a Titan Today – Remembering Coach Mark Kinney

Okay. I am just going to throw this out there. I want the seven-period school day back. It’s better for schools. It’s better for teachers. But most of all, it is better for students. The the number of green dots on the above calendar represents the number of times that I have seen and will … Continue reading We Should Go Back to the 7-Period School Day

Yes, technology in the classroom can be a great avenue for learning. However, technology for technology’s sake can block many roads for students. And if technology is to be looked at as a simple substitution for other resources to save time and money, then leaders need to be sure that nothing is being sacrificed that … Continue reading Raleigh, Buy Us Some Damn Textbooks!

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 Betsy DeVos – The Only “Arming” of Teachers Should be Done With Resources and Fully Funded Public Schools

North Carolina’s General Assembly can now make the claim that the average teacher salary is over $50,000 / year. That is at least until it gets rid of its veteran teachers. T. Keung Hui’s report for McClatchy Regional News this past March entitled “N.C. teachers are now averaging more than $50,000 a year” clearly shows … Continue reading Local Supplements For Teachers Mean More Than You May Think

If Sen. Bill Rabon is going to start using Seussian allusions, then he might want to make sure he's read more than one Seuss book. Apparently, Rabon called Governor Cooper a "grinch" in reference to the Seuss character who for most of a beloved children's book attempts to steal Christmas from Whoville. From the News … Continue reading Sen. Bill Rabon’s Seussian Problem

The above quote was stated by Malishai Woodbury, the new Chairperson of the Winston-Salem / Forsyth County School System (WSFCS). She is the first African-American female to ever hold the post. Barbara Burke was elected Vice-Chair. She is also African-American. Their election by the new all-female school board this past Thursday has highlighted yet another … Continue reading “Children don’t care about Republican or Democrat” – Another Reason That School Board Elections Should Never Be Partisan