In many ways I have never stopped being your teacher, and while your time in my classroom may or may not have been the intellectual pinnacle of your academic career (although we know it was), please know that I wish you all good things. Remember to go to class. Major in English. Lots of money … Continue reading To All My Former Students Going Back to College
Author: caffeinatedrage
Open Letter to the NCGA and State Supt. Johnson Concerning Bonus Pay for Teachers
Dear members of the North Carolina General Assembly and State Supt. Johnson, This may not be a popular opinion, but it is one that is a matter of principle to me. I will be receiving a bonus this year for having a certain number of students pass the AP English Language and Composition Exam for … Continue reading Open Letter to the NCGA and State Supt. Johnson Concerning Bonus Pay for Teachers
Dear NCGA, We Have Great Teacher Programs in Our Colleges and Universities
Senate Bill 599, misnamed the “Excellent Teachers In Every Classroom” bill, passed through the last days of the recent legislative session of the NC General Assembly in 2017. A hack of a bill, it was sponsored primarily by Senator Chad Barefoot, as a means of addressing the teacher shortage in North Carolina’s public schools with … Continue reading Dear NCGA, We Have Great Teacher Programs in Our Colleges and Universities
Using Our Students As Political Pawns (HB90) – Remember This Happened When Voting in November
News this past February that a “fix” for the class size mandate was “agreed” upon by both chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly should seem like a welcome outcome. On the surface, it was a victory for parents, advocates, and schools in that the mandate will be pushed back for a while and some … Continue reading Using Our Students As Political Pawns (HB90) – Remember This Happened When Voting in November
Our Schools Should be About Collaboration Among Teachers, Not Competition
“Collaborate” :intransitive verb. Noun form is “collaboration” – 1:to work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor Simply put, collaboration as described in that first definition from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary website is the best resource/tool that a school can have and that leaders can encourage. What makes schools work best are the … Continue reading Our Schools Should be About Collaboration Among Teachers, Not Competition
Public School Teachers: 10-Month Employees, But 12-Month Educators
Many times over this summer, I have heard from many well-intentioned people that it must be nice to have a job that allows one to only work 10 months out of a year. Write a blog or some op-eds about conditions of the teaching profession and the state of public schools in North Carolina and … Continue reading Public School Teachers: 10-Month Employees, But 12-Month Educators
Why The Cost Of Living Adjustment Argument is Erroneous When Discussing Teacher Salary
On August 11th, The Civitas Institute released a report by Leah Byers entitled "The Problem with Average in Teacher Pay" (https://www.nccivitas.org/2018/problem-average-teacher-pay/). It starts, "Education funding has been a heated topic in North Carolina again this year. Progressives and others on the Left say the state is underfunding schools and teachers. These claims come despite years … Continue reading Why The Cost Of Living Adjustment Argument is Erroneous When Discussing Teacher Salary
#NCReadsConfusingNewAmendments – Taking Mark Johnson’s #NCReads Tips to Understand the Wording of the Constitutional Amendments
Every week, State Supt. Mark Johnson releases an "NC Reads Reading Tip" on his Twitter account to give suggestions to parents and guardians about how to help foster and greater love of reading at home. Considering those who have propped up Johnson as the state's leader of the public school system also intentionally wrote the … Continue reading #NCReadsConfusingNewAmendments – Taking Mark Johnson’s #NCReads Tips to Understand the Wording of the Constitutional Amendments
Top 10 Reasons You Can’t Fairly Evaluate Teachers on Student Test Scores
I’m a public school teacher.
Am I any good at my job?
There are many ways to find out. You could look at how hard I work, how many hours I put in. You could look at the kinds of things I do in my classroom and examine if I’m adhering to best practices. You could look at how well I know my students and their families, how well I’m attempting to meet their needs.
Or you could just look at my students’ test scores and give me a passing or failing grade based on whether they pass or fail their assessments.
It’s called Value-Added Measures (VAM) and at one time it was the coming fad in education. However, after numerous studies and lawsuits, the shine is fading from this particularly narrow-minded corporate policy.
Most states that evaluate their teachers using VAM do so because under President Barack Obama they…
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North Carolina Has a Huge Urban/Rural Divide – Our Public Education System Can Build and Be a Strong Bridge
Below is a map of how counties voted in the past presidential election. Lots of red in rural areas. Blue in metropolitan places and where the most attended colleges and universities are located. Those blue counties in the northeast are mostly African-American in population. Mix these colors up as they are shaded and we get … Continue reading North Carolina Has a Huge Urban/Rural Divide – Our Public Education System Can Build and Be a Strong Bridge
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