In some school systems such as mine, all seats for the school board are up for grabs in this next election. Possibly nine new members could be leading the school system come next calendar year. The field for the WSFCS school board elections is 28 strong. And the mudslinging and gaslighting that has occurred so … Continue reading Righteous & Reactionary Anger Is Not The Best Qualification To Run For School Board

It took our NCGA three years to pass a new budget. Still there is no movement on honoring the LEANDRO decision. And we are still reeling from an unprecedented pandemic which has altered the landscape of education for a time. Plus there are school board candidates running on platforms that deny the veracity vaccines and … Continue reading It’s Teacher Appreciation Week – You Feeling Appreciated?

From an NPR / IPSOS poll reported last week: "By wide margins – and regardless of their political affiliation – parents express satisfaction with their children's schools and what is being taught in them." As a teacher, it is rather mind-boggling that in an age of heavy standardized testing, technological advancements that allow for remote … Continue reading Maybe Something To Consider Before You Vote For School Board Candidates

Think of these actions over the last ten years in North Carolina as far as public education is concerned: Teacher Pay Removal of due-process rights for new teachersGraduate Degree Pay Bumps Removed Push for Merit Pay “Average” RaisesHealth Insurance and Benefits ChangesAttacks on Teacher Advocacy Groups (NCAE) Revolving Door of Standardized Tests Less Money Spent per Pupil When Adjusted For … Continue reading North Carolina Has a Severe Teacher & Teacher Candidate Shortage – Raleigh Deliberately Created It

Many have asked me over the years if a teacher can be a school board member and still be in the classroom. At least in my LEA, one cannot. Many teachers over the years have run for positions on the school board, but each has had to stipulate that he/she would step away from the … Continue reading Every Local School Board Should Allow A Public School Teacher To Serve

Yes. The primaries are fast approaching. And it seems like every political sign that I see on the sides of roads and at interchanges is for one particular race: the local school board. Throw around terms like "CRT," "learning loss," "mask mandates," "indoctrination," and "transparency," add to them some righteous anger, and you have some … Continue reading Dear School Board Candidate Running For These Reasons…

Yes, public education is political. But it does not have to be partisan. Yet, in the last few years, more and more local school board elections are becoming partisan races steering school systems by a GPS system based on political dogma and controlled in Raleigh rather than what is best for the local school system. … Continue reading Local School Boards Should Not Be Partisan

Before any discussion about a new path for teacher licensure and teacher pay takes place (espcially coming back from a pandemic), maybe look at what should be "undone" that put this state in the postion it is in now. Before we even think about something as ludicrous as this - - we should do the … Continue reading Hey NC! Want To Recruit & Retain A Vibrant Teaching Force? Do (Or Undo) These 20 Actions.

There is a reason that we read serious works of literature. And others can say why much better than I can. “I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.”― Ralph Waldo Emerson“We read to know we are not alone.”— William Nicholson (often attributed … Continue reading A Syllabus For Those In The NCGA And Other “Reformers” Who Want To Change What Students Read

If you have not read Peter Greene's excellent take on the new North Carolina licensure and pay plan for teachers, please do. It references great work done by NC's own Justin Parmenter ( and a shout out also needs to be given to Kim Mackey's work in further exposing this horrible plan). Aside from the … Continue reading So, Would You Want To Measured By Student Surveys?