Wear Red for American Education Week

Fellow Teachers,

Please see the message below from NCAE.  I felt it was important to pass along. (And be sure to thank our Administration and School Board for their support! --Not everyone is so lucky!)

Wear Red for Ed this Wednesday!!!

Stand with New Hanover Educators!!!

In an effort to silence public school educators in New Hanover County, the local school board declared that their employees are no longer allowed to wear clothing bearing the phrase "Red for Ed." They claim that supporting public education is political, even though their own Board Policy 6420 states that "no student or other person shall be subjected to partisan political activities on school system property or using school system modes of communication." Is supporting public education a partisan activity? Naturally, educators should avoid discussing with students the merits of one candidate or political party over another, but that's not what this is about. In the words of Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas in the landmark case, Tinker v. Des Moines School District, "It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate."

Most school boards across North Carolina are supportive of public education and several have drafted resolutions to that affect. Most school boards across North Carolina support educators' efforts to raise awareness about the importance of supporting public schools. Unfortunately, educators in New Hanover County are being threatened with disciplinary action simply for advertising a phrase that their school board has arbitrarily designated as political.
Just recently, the brave educators at Murray Middle School in New Hanover courageously penned a letter to the local school board refusing to be considered for the 25 percent contracts school districts are being forced to offer to teachers.  In this dire time, the educators of New Hanover County need our support. They need to know that they are not alone.

To show your support for the educators of New Hanover County, please encourage your colleagues to take the following steps this Wednesday, November 20:

· Wear red this Wednesday.

· Take a photo with as large a group as you can.  Invite students, parents, and administrators to participate.

· To make sure that our friends in New Hanover County know about it, use Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram to tag it with #Red4NewHanover.

o   Please post to the North Carolina Association of Educators' Facebook page and send a copy of your photos to Christi Broadway at Christi.Broadway@ncae.org 

·  Include a sign in the picture with the phrase "We Support New Hanover County's Educators! #Red4NewHanover."

The time has come for all of North Carolina's educators to stand together. As evidenced by the General Assembly's divisive 25 percent tenure option plan, there is a movement to divide public school educators from one another.  We cannot allow this to happen! 
Join us in standing with the educators of New Hanover County. Divided we will surely fall.  But educators -- united with our students, parents, and community -- will win the public schools our children deserve and our state so desperately needs. 
Thanks,


Rodney Ellis, NCAE president

Congratulations!

Congratulations, everyone!  We have survived the first quarter!  No one outside the schools understands how hard you work to make it look easy....how you are still adjusting to the new Common Core while administering new assessments and managing it all in a new data system. Kudos!

However, at my first State Teacher Team meeting, Dr. Atkinson shared some statistics that highlight just how few people really know what you do every day.

• In NC, 80% of adults over the age of 25 do NOT have a child in the public schools...they only know what they read in the media.  If we want the community to support our schools, we need to tell our story!  Speak up!
• In the last election, LESS THAN 20% of teachers voted!  If we would like to see change in education, we need to change...VOTE!  SPEAK UP!

 And remember to share our 3R's....Raises!  Resources ! Respect!

Tell your story!

As the new school year has taken shape, the effects of the recent budget changes have echoed through the halls. I've seen teachers grading papers at the lunch table while they supervise their class (and eat) because, without assistants, their planning time is reduced to 30 minutes or less. I've seen principals pulling weeds outside their school because maintenance budgets are minimal.  And these examples do not include the more personal effects for all employees who face increasing bills without increasing pay.

Linda Powell of NCAE would like to feature stories of how the budget is affecting you.  Please see her message below and take the opportunity to be heard!

Remember our 3 R's....
Raises! Resources! Respect!

I would like to feature an article in the October issue of the NCAE News Bulletin about unintended consequences that have occurred due to the bad education budget -- consequences such as teachers leaving to teach in other states, teachers leaving the profession for good (not due to retirement), issues with class size, etc. If your school or district is being affected by such consequences, or you personally are being affected, please share your story with Linda Powell-Jones at 1-800-662-7924, ext. 212, or Linda.Powell@ncae.org by Wednesday, September 11. If responding by e-mail, please include your name, contact information and local affiliate. Thank you. Linda Powell-Jones, editor

Welcome back, Wear Red!

Happy First Day of School!

I hope you are wearing Red for Public Ed!  We are asking everyone to wear red the first day of school and EVERY WEDNESDAY to show your support for public education in the face of the destructive state budget passed this summer. 

If you want to raise your voice even louder, there are several protests planned in the area for

Wednesday, August 28, 5:30 pm

General Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/North-Carolina-NAACP/153909614646324?ref=hl

Raleigh (Wake Co) Location: 316 Fayetteville St. Raleigh, NC

Greenville (Pitt Co) Location: Pitt County Court House (102 3rd St. Greenville, NC) 5:30 p.m.

 Let's spread the word about our new Three R's for teachers.....

           Raises

                  Resources

                         Respect! 

Red for Public Ed!

Welcome back!  I hope everyone had a great summer!  Like me, you probably worked a summer job or took classes or both!  And also like me, you are probably very upset by recent General Assembly actions.  I was in mourning for almost two weeks, in mourning for the children of the Great North State and for their future which was jeopardized.  But we can have a voice!  Help all teachers and students be heard...Wear Red for Public Ed!  NCAE is encouraging all teachers, families, and students to wear red on the first day of school and every Wednesday to get the attention of our legislators, who should be representing us, to ask them to reconvene and correct the serious damage the current budget wreaks on public education!  Show how you feel...WEAR RED FOR PUBLIC ED!

Raise your voice

Fellow educators,

While many of you are, no doubt, busy at your summer jobs or actively engaged in professional learning opportunities, a state budget deal is up for a vote today.  This "deal" will end tenure, allow more vouchers for public school money to be spent on private school tuition, and deny state employee raises, again.  Your voice is needed today.  Call 919-733-4111 to request lawmakers vote "no" on this plan.  When you call, be professional and calm, but be heard! Speak up for public education! Speak up for our future!

Hero Teachers

The Oklahoma tornadoes struck a tragic blow to a small town.  In the headlines are hero teachers.  Teachers who risked their lives to keep children safe and calm.  One teacher alone saved 25 children.  Teachers dedicate themselves every day to not only educating our future but safeguarding it.  Yesterday, one of my students with autism who has a fear of storms, looked at me as he heard thunder and said, "Mrs. Pennington, will you save me from the storm?"  Of course! "You're safe with me" I said as he returned to taking his EOG.

But I had to wonder what my future holds...this is a child who was so scared of reading at the beginning of the year that he and I had to take turns, you read a word, I read a word, on material much below grade level.  I was so proud to watch as he confidently read every word aloud of his grade level EOG. The chances that he selected the correct answers to the questions are not high.  Will I be penalized for "poor student performance"?  Proposals in our state legislature would say yes.  What would happen to his confidence and progress if he were held back because he didn't pass one test?  I'm scared of the legislative storm ahead.

Last summer, I attended an NCCAT Leadership Seminar.  Inspired by that seminar, I approached my superintendent about ambitious changes we could make to better serve our students with autism in the district.  He responded to my enthusiasm by committing time and resources to finding support for our program.  Last week, we received a grant to start the Wilson ASD Academy, a training and laboratory school to prepare future teachers and current professionals to better meet the needs of students with autism in the general curriculum.  YAY!

On the other hand, our State Legislature wants to eliminate NCCAT (the NC Center for the Advancement of Teaching).  Teachers will lose a valuable resource for professional development and empowerment.  Other states are trying to CREATE similar organizations, to provide low-cost resources (only $1800 per teacher served!) to improve their education system.... and our state is trying to get rid of it.

Who will save us from the storm?  Will you? 

Please contact your legislators...save your teachers, save NCCAT!

Online Petition to the Governor-Sign here!

Happy Teacher Appreciation Day!

This year I have had the pleasure to meet many amazing teachers throughout Wilson, the region, and the state.  Each of you is creative, resourceful, and strong.  I am so proud to represent you.  Thank you for everything you do to educate and empower our students every day!

Positive Conversations

I have had the honor of being involved in several positive events over the last two weeks.  All of them center around positive conversations vital to student and school success.

1st Annual NC Teacher of the Year Summit
Our current NC TOY, Darcy Grimes, and her predecessor, Tyronna Hooker, organized the first ever statewide meeting of all school district Teachers of the Year.  The Summit was supported by district Superintendents and Dr. June Atkinson.  This was a powerful gathering of over 150 first-rate teachers from across the state.  We enjoyed collaborating with each other to form connections for positive change in our schools.  Professional development presentations empowered us to develop our teacher leadership skills and inspired us with words from our State Superintendent and no less than THREE State Teachers of the Year.  Plans have been made to continue the connections made at this summit through online PLC's.

State Teacher Advisory Council
Following our incredible TOY Summit, the Regional TOY's met with June Atkinson to further discuss issues facing public education.  As a team, we worked to refine a set of "This is What We Believe" statements generated by teachers at the Summit.  Hopefully, these statements will be utilized in future publications to inspire and unify teachers as well as inform the public of our beliefs about public schools in NC.  We also brainstormed ways that DPI can continue to support educators and provide them with a voice in education reform.  Plans are being made to take advantage of future opportunities for teachers to directly speak to legislators

Stop and Listen 
Both of these events highlighted the need for teachers and schools to reach out to our state legislators so that we can collaboratively do the best for our students.  We need to have positive conversations about ways to address accountability based on student growth and to measure teacher performance in a way that promotes collaboration not competition.  One of our TOY's, Laura Hunter of Brunswick County, has started a red ribbon campaign to encourage the community and our legislators to "Stop and Listen" to professional educators.  We have insight and ideas! We can make a difference!

Check out the Facebook page below for more information
www.facebook.com/pages/Stop-and-Listen-NC/360721864036763

Autism Parent Symposium
On the local level, our district and Barton College hosted an Autism Parent Symposium in honor of Autism Awareness Month.  Parents and families were able to come together for an evening of information and connections.  They were able to see that the community cares about their children and that we can ALL work together. Hopefully, this will just be the first of a series of events.  In particular, we encouraged parents to come together to support each other through a formal group.  I look forward to sharing more information as these connections develop through more POSITIVE CONVERSATIONS!

April 15th

I had hoped to write this entry wishing that everyone had a restful break, but similar to our winter break, the time is marred by serious news.  My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and families of the Boston Marathon tragedy.  As teachers we will once again be called upon to use our counseling skills to help children cope with grave incidents that we wish they never had to think about.  I wish all of you strength...may you find the words to reassure your students that they are safe and secure in your room today.

NC Teacher Pay Slides to the Bottom

To those of us in the classroom, this has been a fact we've lived with for a long time.  Since the salary freeze in 2009, it has been harder and harder for teachers to make ends meet.  Most teachers I know work at least one other job, sometimes two (myself included).

Finally, someone else seems to be taking notice.  For years, we've talked about our aging teacher pool and the need to recruit new teachers.  As a profession, teaching can be a difficult sell for a young adult to spend at least 4 years in school, incur thousands in student loans, then face a pay scale that will stop them from making financial progress for years.  Most teachers will say that they don't do it for the money.  However, as the cost of everything goes up and salaries don't, morale is at an all-time low.  The news reports mention that teachers can boost their salaries by obtaining advanced degrees.  However, other professions with similar degrees earn much more.  They are also treated as experts and professionals in their field instead of being held to intense criticism.  Who knows more about how children learn then a professional educator?  Why not ask them how to improve our schools instead of dictating more mandates as if we are not capable of performing well on our own.  Yes, beginning teachers need support and should reach a level of competence before flying on their own.  This should be similar to an apprenticeship for lawyers or  residency for doctors.

As the state struggles to come up with a pay solution, much talk has focused on pay for performance.  Most people agree that better teachers should be rewarded but who decides what is "better".  I teach students who may never pass a standardized test.  But if that child learns to communicate to another person or take of their personal needs on their own, we've changed their outcome in life. None of this would be recognized by our current system.  Would I be judged as a poor performer?

I know amazing teachers who take on the "tough" kids in regular classes.  Some of these students start the year significantly behind grade level.  Thanks to a good teacher they make over a year's growth but still bomb their EOG.  Should she be paid less?  Why work so hard?

This is a great time for discussion and change.  Let your voice be heard to our legislature.  Below is a link to a powerpoint used to explain our situation to the State School Board.  It's a great visual to share with others...teach them!
State School Board Teacher Pay Powerpoint

State Teacher Team

My first face-to-face meeting with the State Teacher Advisory Council was very energizing.  I did my best to represent our region well.  I only wish our session could have been longer! 

We discussed several initiatives up for consideration by the new legislature.
1- Elimination of tenure- Outside of a school building, the perception is that tenure is a way of protecting "bad" teachers.  In reality, our current tenure process recognizes experienced teachers who have performed well on evaluations and sets up a due process procedure if problems later arise.  Yes, tenured teachers cannot be fired for any arbitrary reason but administrators can document problems, create action plans, and then, if there is not improvement, the teacher may be let go.  As the tenure question is discussed, we need to speak up and let the community know the truth about this process.

2-Pay for performance and Standard Six- Many districts around the nation are starting to use student performance on standardized tests as a factor in evaluating teacher performance and therefore a basis for pay levels.  The team discussed concerns about how this could be implemented fairly since several groups of teachers do not participate in standardized testing.  What a blow to morale if the math teacher's pay depends on test scores but the elementary music teacher's pay does not.  Dr. Atkinson reported that at a national superintendent's meeting, many state school leaders reported problems with the pay for performance implementation.  During our meeting, we talked about giving more weight to ratings on Standards 1-5 should pay-for-performance pass.  The team felt like doing well in areas 1-5 should evidence itself in better student performance naturally without worrying about one test.  We need to let our legislators know how we feel about this idea.

3- Reading standard for 3rd grade- Under the guise of promoting literacy and eliminating "social" promotions, a proposal has been made to require all 3rd graders pass a standardized reading test or FAIL.  As an EC teacher, I know that most children can learn to read, even those with disabilities, but many need help to do so.  Just failing a child will not improve their reading.  If literacy is a concern, why wait until 3rd grade.  If students are not meeting target skills in 1st or 2nd, we should give them extra instruction or refer for evaluations, not wait for bad news on a standardized test.  We in Wilson know the results of any automatic fail policy....13 year olds in the 3rd grade, 18 year olds in middle school...can you imagine what this would look like on a statewide scale?  We're working hard in Wilson to correct this problem, we cannot let it happen to the whole state.  SPEAK UP!  Let our legislators know your experiences, your opinions!

Happy New Year!

I hope that everyone had a good first day back!  I'm sure it was emotional for many as we remember the tragedy in Connecticut.  It is extremely disturbing that so many innocent lives were lost.  However, the heroic tales of the many teachers who acted to save their students is truly inspiring.  We should be proud to be part of this profession.  After all, how many of us refer to our students as "my kids".

This dark event for our nation has sparked much conversation.  Should schools have more security?  Should teachers carry guns? Did the shooter have autism?

To start with, many of us go out of our way to make our students feel safe and welcome in a nurturing environment.  It would be difficult to nurture trust through metal detectors, bars, and armed guards.  And in a time when most schools systems are dealing with drastic budget cuts and teachers are woefully underpaid for their expertise, how would we pay for this extra security?

Secondly, as most teachers know, we have faced increasing restrictions on how we interact with our students.  Our current "first aid kit" is a wet brown paper towel.  We cannot even apply a bandaid for fear that a student may have an adverse reaction or be improperly treated for their injury.  However, some suggest that teachers be allowed to have a gun on campus.  For safety, I'm sure that any weapon would have to be  properly locked away.  The incident in Connecticut from start to finish lasted 4 minutes.  By the time a teacher safely secured their students then unlocked the stored gun, a dangerous person would already have wreaked havoc. I don't want to even think about the dangers of actually having a gun stored in the classroom on a daily basis!  One missed step, forgotten lock could lead to another tragedy.  Children are killed or injured every year when they manage to get hold of guns that their parents swore were properly stored in the home.

Finally, I have had the pleasure of teaching students with autism for over 20 years.  While I have seen many of my students have tantrums and upsets due to confusion or frustration, the planned nature of the violence of this event was very out of character of a person with autism.  I recently researched state definitions of autism and was surprised to learn that the eligibility criteria for autism in this country is different in every state.  We will probably never know why the Connecticut shooter chose his actions but we should not blame autism categorically.  We do not know on what basis the shooter received this title (if he truly did) and whether he had any other mental disorders as well.

All I can say is that every person with autism that I know responds positively to caring and understanding, to an appreciation of their special talents and gifts.  I look forward to helping them shine a little brighter each day.  I'm proud to be a teacher.