West Virginia. Oklahoma. Kentucky. In those states, teachers are not “walking out” and confronting lawmakers because of singular issues like salary, benefits, or working conditions. They are marching for respect. What lawmakers in those states are learning very quickly is that there is a difference between rewarding teachers and respecting the teaching profession. A reward … Continue reading Marching For Students & Rallying for Respect
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Coach Murphy Holds Up Another Trophy – Titan Baseball Claims Tourney
Name another coach in North Carolina who has been in the dugout or sidelines for as many conference and tournament championship games as Pat Murphy and held up the trophy. If you do know of one, don't tell me. Baseball is the most patient of games. No clock running. Everyone gets the same amount of … Continue reading Coach Murphy Holds Up Another Trophy – Titan Baseball Claims Tourney
Why Shakespeare Matters To People Who Don’t Think Shakespeare Matters
The following is courtesy of the venerable Bill Bryson in his book Shakespeare: The World as Stage. I share it in the beginning of the school year with my students in my Shakespeare 101 elective class. Some think it rather trivial, but as the class progresses, many begin to see that the scope of Shakespeare’s work is … Continue reading Why Shakespeare Matters To People Who Don’t Think Shakespeare Matters
Welcome to West, Coach West
I really look forward to next season that much more. Today it was reported that Howard West will become the next boys basketball coach for the Titans. From Jay Spivey of the Winston-Salem Journal: Howard West is back in the Central Piedmont Conference. West was named the new boys basketball coach at West Forsyth, Athletics … Continue reading Welcome to West, Coach West
Big Win on the Road – Overcoming Adversity and Playing For Team
If you know anything about sports here in the Triad area, then you understand the high level of competition within the high school realm. Traditionally soccer games between the ladies of West Forsyth and East Forsyth are more than competitive - they are glimpses of potential playoff games. While I am certainly biased toward my … Continue reading Big Win on the Road – Overcoming Adversity and Playing For Team
Doughnuts for State Superintendent Mark Johnson
When I first stated teaching, I was at a school in the Winston-Salem / Forsyth County School System. Winston-Salem is the home of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, and I used their doughnuts for fundraising ("Fun"raising). In fact, the club I sponsored was able to raise quite a bit of dough (pun intended). Odd that a company … Continue reading Doughnuts for State Superintendent Mark Johnson
A Letter to My Daughter – “Your Dad Is a Feminist”
McK, First, I want to let you know that you are the most important woman in my life. Always will be. Maybe society dictates that I should say your mother is the most important woman in my life, but she and I look at you and Malcolm as the most important woman and man in … Continue reading A Letter to My Daughter – “Your Dad Is a Feminist”
“Everybody Hurts” – Prioritizing Mental Health In High Schools With Some R.E.M.
Everybody hurts. Sometimes. Teach for twenty years in public high schools and you become entrenched in the lives of young people. Thousands of them. Literally thousands. If you take the avocation of being a teacher seriously, then that investment in young people is not confined to the four walls of a classroom and not restricted … Continue reading “Everybody Hurts” – Prioritizing Mental Health In High Schools With Some R.E.M.
My State Superintendent Will Eat Doughnuts For Me Because That’s What Real Leaders Do
Every two years the Department of Public Instruction issues a Teacher Working Conditions Survey to get a sense of how public school teachers feel about their working environment. This is the first one with Mark Johnson as the state superintendent. And I have one big (among smaller ones) complaint about the survey: it should ask … Continue reading My State Superintendent Will Eat Doughnuts For Me Because That’s What Real Leaders Do
Our “World Leader Pretend”
If one was to choose a song that played through unseen speakers when a self-important individual like Donald Trump walked into the room, “World Leader Pretend” would be hard to overlook. And it isn’t just because of the obvious parallels to the lyrics, but the fact that the first person point of view so brilliantly … Continue reading Our “World Leader Pretend”
caffeinated rage 