Contributing to an informed citizenry, inside and outside the classroom.
While the dedicated educators who remain in our schools with frozen salaries cover extra duties without extra pay to keep school operations afloat, the NC General Assembly is paying itself over 4 months worth of overtime as it "works on" a state budget that was due to take effect July 1. They have an $8... Continue Reading →
A few years ago when my son was learning about the Civil Rights Movement, he offered his class the recent example of the Black man at Starbucks who was arrested after trying to use the bathroom. He told me about this on our car ride home but I didn’t know where my six-year-old heard about... Continue Reading →
You can watch yesterday's press briefing here. Continue reading for additional context and fact-checking statements made at that event, and other budget items not mentioned at that time. $6.5 billion in "excess revenue" because we're "taxing too much" Would you be proud of my family budget if I had a large savings account yet my... Continue Reading →
As families like mine celebrated Easter with an egg hunt, it dawned on me that our children are not only scavenging for treats this spring but preparing to be scavenged with the wrong kinds of tests. More school districts around the country are returning more students to in-person instruction, including the one in which I... Continue Reading →
On August 1, 2014 I ventured to Raleigh with my camp chair, trifold poster, and some handouts. On that day, the Senate was set to hold a final vote on the state budget. Despite touting “record raises” for teachers I found this talking point to be misleading. (Five years later I’m still fighting that battle.)... Continue Reading →
Education is political. It makes up around half of North Carolina's budget. Education is also personal. I am a veteran teacher and a mother of two children who will pass through NC public schools. I am not just fighting for my students and my own career, but also for the future education experience of my... Continue Reading →
This Monday is the 101st Anniversary of the end of World War I. Teachers help students to remember the causes of WWI by using the acronym MAIN: Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism and Nationalism. These causes can be translated into current problems with education policy and the environment surrounding the debate on the future of our public... Continue Reading →
This Labor Day I would like to remind you that advocating for workers’ interests is still a work in progress, and apparently can result in a Cease & Desist request with the threat of civil litigation from a state government agency. As a concerned member of the North Carolina State Health Plan, I joined my... Continue Reading →
We already have too many people in the NC General Assembly touting virtual pre-K, and a State Superintendent whose insistence on replacing teachers with screens is baffling to those of us with actual credentials to make decisions about how students can be supported in their education. We were very vociferous on May 16, 2018 and... Continue Reading →
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