In the eyes of this public school teacher, Betsy DeVos's policies and lack of actual perspective when it comes to education have been worse for our public schools than Dolores Umbridge was to Hogwarts. But she has the capability of doing one really positive action for our nation's public schools in the wake of the … Continue reading Dear Betsy DeVos, Do One Positive Action For Public Schools: Waive The Requirement For Standardized Testing For All States

One of the teachers I admire the most actually teaches at the high school whose attendance zone adjoins mine. Tripp Jeffers has been (and still is) a tireless advocate for NC public schools for longer than I have been in North Carolina. He posted this today. In just the last three days in setting up … Continue reading Every Public School Teacher Should Be Awarded Digital Learning Credits After This Week

Teaching is not easy. Never has been, Never will be. And with the current situation of schools closing and people having to confront this epidemic, teaching now will be more than "not easy." Yet our students need us more than ever. What we teach is so much more than curriculum and tests. For many of … Continue reading Our Students Need Us Now More Than Ever

ask the federal government to waive requirements for federal national tests. “The Georgia Department of Education will seek the maximum authority and waivers afforded by the U.S. Department of Education and other federal agencies to accommodate this ever-evolving situation,” the statement said (from today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution). In an unprecedented move, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday he would … Continue reading Texas Yesterday And Georgia Today. North Carolina Should Be Next – Suspend State Testing This School Year And…

Many times over the last 20-plus summers, 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. And most of those people do not understand what all is done outside of the classroom by teachers in order … Continue reading Public School Teachers: 10-Month Employees, But 12-Month Educators

Amid meetings, gathering of resources, communications with students, creating lesson plans to deliver online, amid other concerns, I and every other public school teacher received this email: This is not even appropriate at this moment especially when the letter begins with something like "We know you are very busy with trying to deal with this … Continue reading After This Unprecedented Time In Public Education, We Should Have A Totally New Teacher Working Condition Survey

Below is a list of the standardized tests administered by the state of North Carolina in our public schools last school year. North Carolina End of Grade Exam Math – Grade 3 North Carolina End of Grade Exam English / Language Arts- Grade 3 North Carolina End of Grade Exam Science – Grade 3 North … Continue reading North Carolina – Now Eliminate State Tests For This Year

Calendar flexibility is an issue that received much more attention in this last school year, and for good reasons. It should get a lot more attention this year. Hurricanes and a pandemic can do that. By 2017, North Carolina was one of only one of 14 states that had state laws that governed school calendars. … Continue reading What Two Hurricanes And A Pandemic Tell Us – Our School Systems Need Calendar Flexibility

The state of North Carolina is under a state of emergency for a pandemic. The governor has called for the cancellation of events where 100 people or more will be gathered for a single purpose. All public school athletics have been suspended. All field trips cancelled. All performances that students are involved in have been … Continue reading Keep Them In A Classroom With No Class Size Caps, But Tell Them Not To What?

Below is a list of the five core issues brought into the public discourse for the "All Out For May 1st" Public Education Rally and March last year. Thousands of people showed up to advocate for these issues. Below is what Mark Johnson, the top public education official in the state, said in regard to … Continue reading How Coronavirus Highlights 4 Of The 5 Issues From Last Year’s “All Out For May 1st”