What has been done in the last twelve months to address these issues? And what can a break in the NCGA's supermajorities do to further ameliorate these issues? From a post in December 2017: Like every other year, 2017 has been a rather contentious, perplexing, and frustrating year for public school advocates. There is simply … Continue reading These Were Ten of the Top Education Issues Entering 2018…

Our public schools should be able to go out of their way to accommodate children with disabilities. Whether that means more resources, more teacher assistants, more trained personnel, or more professional development, then that should be invested in. Actually, it's the law. It's called IDEA: the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. It stipulates that students … Continue reading Even At Christmas, the NCGA Uses School Children as Political Pawns – SB 469’s Modification of the Disabilities Grant

A sincere “thank you” to all who read this blog. And here is a gift for you –   Peace to you all, Stu

From NCAE: SAVE THE DATE: • What: A day of connecting, learning, and collective planning to win the public schools our students deserve led by the North Carolina Association of Educators • Who: All public school educators, students, parents, and community supporters • When/Where: 10 AM to 4 PM  o January 19th→ Raleigh o January … Continue reading Save the Date! Respect For Public Education Regional Meetings

Dear Santa, With gerrymandered districts and continued emphasis on using public taxpayer money to finance unproven reform efforts that do more to privatize and divide our student bodies, I thought it might be worth adding a few items to my holiday wish list. Sure, I want efforts to clean our environment and hold entities accountable … Continue reading This North Carolina Teacher’s Letter to Santa

We lost a Titan today. A beloved coach, mentor to young men, and vibrant member of our community. There are many realizations that I have come to understand as a high school teacher. One is that community involvement in a school is paramount to a school's success. Another is that school athletics are a vital … Continue reading We Lost a Titan Today – Remembering Coach Mark Kinney

Okay. I am just going to throw this out there. I want the seven-period school day back. It’s better for schools. It’s better for teachers. But most of all, it is better for students. The the number of green dots on the above calendar represents the number of times that I have seen and will … Continue reading We Should Go Back to the 7-Period School Day

Yes, technology in the classroom can be a great avenue for learning. However, technology for technology’s sake can block many roads for students. And if technology is to be looked at as a simple substitution for other resources to save time and money, then leaders need to be sure that nothing is being sacrificed that … Continue reading Raleigh, Buy Us Some Damn Textbooks!

As a teacher, I cannot legally give a student an aspirin tablet. My high school has five counselors for over 2400 students. There is one part-time social worker. There is one school psychologist assigned to multiple schools at one time. A school nurse is on campus only one day a week. As a country we … Continue reading Dear Betsy DeVos – The Only “Arming” of Teachers Should be Done With Resources and Fully Funded Public Schools

North Carolina’s General Assembly can now make the claim that the average teacher salary is over $50,000 / year. That is at least until it gets rid of its veteran teachers. T. Keung Hui’s report for McClatchy Regional News this past March entitled “N.C. teachers are now averaging more than $50,000 a year” clearly shows … Continue reading Local Supplements For Teachers Mean More Than You May Think