I want to wish my little man a happy birthday and I hope when he reads this sometime in the future he will feel one iota of the love that it is written with. If not, then I will read it to him. Malcolm, You were born a few weeks early to strong mom and … Continue reading Happy Birthday to The Redheaded Carolina Freshwater Possum – Malcolm Turns 9, So I Wrote Him a Letter
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Stuart Egan: A North Carolina Teacher Rebukes the Former Chairman of State Board of Education Defending the GOP Assault on Public Schools
Thank you Dr. Ravitch!
Stuart Egan, NBCT high school teacher in North Carolina, wrote a sharp rebuke to Phil Kirk, chairman emeritus of the State Board of Education, for defending the Republican efforts to defund public schools, demoralize teachers, and cut spending. Kirk claims that all the criticism is based on myths; the Tea Party majority in the General Assembly really do care about public schools, as does Governor McCrory.
Egan goes through each “myth” to demonstrate that the Kirk is cherrypicking data to defend the Republican leadership of the state.
This article, an open letter, demonstrates why teachers need tenure.
James Hogan: No, NC Republicans Haven’t Fixed Teacher Pay
This is the first time I have reblogged someone else's work and I am very glad that it is James Hogan. He is a public school advocate that I greatly admire and he is a writer of the highest caliber. Very fortunate to call him a friend and ally. I consider his work iconic and … Continue reading James Hogan: No, NC Republicans Haven’t Fixed Teacher Pay
Stuart Egan: What if Businesses Were Run Like Schools?
Thanks to Dr. Ravitch for posting.
In an amusing tour de force, NBCT teacher Stuart Egan (in North Carolina) poses the question, what if businesses were run like public schools?
No business leader could function under the same conditions.
Comparing schools to businesses isn’t like comparing apples to oranges, it’s like comparing apples to rocks.
For example:
“Be prepared to open up every book and have everything audited. If you are a public school, then every cent, every resource, and every line item is open to scrutiny by a variety of inspectors. Be prepared to be constantly audited and have those findings be available and open to interpretation to people outside of your business, even when those people may not know how your business operates.
“Be prepared to publicize all of the salaries of the people who work for you. ALL OF THEM. Furthermore, there would no negotiating on salaries. In fact they are all…
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Musings With Malcolm #8 – You’re a Great One, Mr. Grinch
It's summer and I just saw the Grinch. No, not the television special or the movie with Jim Carrey, but a real Grinch doll that Malcolm used for the longest time to help him sleep. And it brought back some memories of how much our house reveres the Grinch - lack of heart and all. See, … Continue reading Musings With Malcolm #8 – You’re a Great One, Mr. Grinch
First Day Back to School, 2016 – Day 3,961 – An Open Letter to Teachers
Tomorrow begins my 12th year at my current school, the Home of the Titans. Tomorrow begins my 19th year of teaching - three schools so far. Tomorrow is my 3,961st day in high school as a student and teacher. That does not include my stint as a student teacher. Ironically, that number is much higher … Continue reading First Day Back to School, 2016 – Day 3,961 – An Open Letter to Teachers
UnLOCKEing the John Locke Foundation, Part 6 – Using a Lot of Words to Say Not a Lot
The latest op-ed by Dr. Terry Stoops on EdNC.org entitled “Enrollment changes have consequences” is another successful endeavor in glossing over the real issues that face public education in North Carolina. You may read it here - https://www.ednc.org/2016/08/22/enrollment-changes-consequences/. And after you read it, ask yourself, “What was that about?” I have yet to see the … Continue reading UnLOCKEing the John Locke Foundation, Part 6 – Using a Lot of Words to Say Not a Lot
That Email Dallas Woodhouse Sent to NC Boards of Elections Was Not The Best of Moves
When you want to do something surreptitiously, it’s probably best not to email your intentions for others to see and forward to the press. It’s like hiding that “Peace Frog” tattoo you got on your lower back when you and your fraternity brothers got really drunk one night, but you still went to work without … Continue reading That Email Dallas Woodhouse Sent to NC Boards of Elections Was Not The Best of Moves
Musings With Malcolm #8 – Toy Store(y)
There is a place in Thruway Shopping Center on Stratford Road in Winston-Salem that is called Toys & Company. And Malcolm loves it. Heck, me too. We have this ritual that if we go by Krispy Kreme on Stratford, then we go by the Toys & Company, but not to buy anything (but I do … Continue reading Musings With Malcolm #8 – Toy Store(y)
North Carolina Teacher to Legislators: I Don’t Want Your Bonus!
Thanks to Dr. Ravitch and EdNC.org.
Stuart Egan, National Board Certified Teacher in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, learned that he was entitled to a bonus of $2,000 for the students in his AP classes who passed their exams. He doesn’t want the money. He needs the money, but he won’t take it. After taxes, he will donate it to his school, which is under-resourced, like many in the state. In this post, he explains why.
Behind the bonus, he writes, is a lack of respect for all public school teachers.
Here are three good reasons he doesn’t want the bonus:
1. I do not need a carrot stick. If getting a bonus to get students to perform better really works, then this should have been done a long time ago. But it does not. I do not perform better because of a bonus. I am not selling anything. I would like my students and parents to think…
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caffeinated rage 