To the East and Back...

Again I headed for the coastal region of North Carolina, to the historical city of New Bern, for a very important training. (Of course, New Bern is the birthplace of Pepsi so I made sure to drink several a day while I was there!) North Carolina has a new teacher evaluation instrument based on the State Board's mission: "every public school student will graduate from high school globally competitive for work and postsecondary education and prepared for life in the 21st century. " Understanding that 21st Century learning is necessary for success in the global economy, the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards Commission has worked with McRel (Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning) to develop an instrument that includes the following five standards:

Standard 1 - Teachers Demonstrate Leadership

Standard 2 - Teachers Establish a Respectful Environment for a Diverse Population of Students

Standard 3 - Teachers Know the Content They Teach

Standard 4 - Teachers Facilitate Learning for Their Students

Standard 5 - Teachers Reflect on Their Practice

Thirteen of North Carolina's 115 school districts will roll out the new evaluation process this year, and my home county of Orange will be one of them. Next year, 50 additional districts will be trained, and the remainder of the state's school districts will come on board the next year. As a teacher, I am very impressed with the new standards. I'm especially excited about the idea of promoting teacher leadership and professionalism, and am delighted that it has now become part of our evaluations.

After three days of teacher evaluation training, I returned to the Triangle area this morning. I had the pleasure of participating on the Licensure Appeals Panel at the Center for School Leadership Development in Chapel Hill. This group is made up of representatives from the State Board, the Department of Public Instruction, higher education, the NC Professional Teaching Standards Commission, and personnel departments of our school districts. There was so much expertise in the room; I just hoped some would rub off on me. North Carolina really does care about teachers, and having a committee in place to review licensure issues is just one example. I will enjoy my role as a panel member with this group as the year continues.

I'll close with this thought - it's almost August! Beginning teacher activities are filling up my calendar! Paige Elliott, the North Central Regional Teacher of the Year, Trisha Muse, the Sandhills/South Central Regional Teacher of the Year, and RuthAnn Parker, the Southeast Regional Teacher of the Year kicked off new teacher training for our state's traditional calendar teachers in Chatham County yesterday! Of course, Frieda Baker, our Charter School Teacher of the Year, will tell you that she's "been there and done that!" (She's in a Year Round school.) The entire Regional Teacher of the Year team will be busy for the next month as we welcome the best and the brightest to our profession. We're lucky to have them in North Carolina!

Stay tuned for next week - I'll be serving as a Teacher Advisor at my first State Board of Education meeting. I'm so excited about working with the Twenty First Century Professionals Committee!

Conversations

One great thing about this Teacher of the Year job (and there are many) is that I get to meet and talk to so many different people. Last week I had the pleasure of talking (for two hours!) with world renowned public speaker (and Orange County, NC resident) Art Fettig. If you visit his webpage, you'll see that's he's made over 4,000 presentations. He's also a successful author, having published over 30 books. Not only did he share some of his books with me, he actually made me one - about ME! I was so touched by the gesture and so inspired by his words. Art Fettig will definitely be a mentor as I travel across the state speaking to groups.

The highlight of the last week was what we affectionately call GHMS BFF GNO! (Gravelly Hill Middle School Best Friends Forever Girl's Night Out) This wasn't just any night out; this was a Teacher of the Year Celebration! It is important to me that the teachers of North Carolina know that I represent them and that I wouldn't be here without some very special colleagues who taught me so much. So I took Jenny, Cristie, Amy, and Heather to Angus Barn, a very special restaurant in Raleigh. (BFF Kelly was out of town.) I wanted to have the opportunity to tell each of these awesome teachers what they had meant to me during the past two years. I have learned so much from them and I truly believe that part of the honor of being named Teacher of the Year belongs to them. Also, just so they wouldn't forget...I gave each one a bracelet with a "dream" charm on it. For the significance of dreams, see my other blog. Highlights of the evening included being presented a bottle of wine by Angus Barn owner Van Eure (who has been a teacher herself.) She had inscribed the bottle: "Thank you for all you do for the children of our community." It was apparent that everyone there had a great respect for teachers! Thank you to all of my BFF's at Gravelly Hill Middle School! I wouldn't be the teacher I am without you.

My most recent conversation occured today as I met with Keshetta Henderson, Orange County School's current Teacher of the Year. We had a productive time discussing the role of Teachers of the Year and what we can do to serve our community. We came up with some good ideas for working with new teachers and for retaining the best and the brightest in North Carolina. Thanks, Keshetta, and I hope you have a wonderful year!

Next week - I'll be attending Teacher Evaluation Instrument Training in New Bern. I'm sure I'll have many stories to tell after I get my hands on that! Stay tuned...

A Memory of the Past and a Look to the Future of Teaching

I was so excited to be speaking to the Master of Arts in Teaching students at Duke University today. The MAT is a collaborative program of the Duke Graduate School and the Durham Public School System. Students are prepared to teach in area high schools and are placed in classrooms throughout the district during their studies at Duke. The program, and the students, are phenomenal, but before I even knew that, I was eager to be on that campus.

I was four years old when my family moved to Durham. No one was happier than my father, an avid Duke fan. Many of my childhood memories involve that campus - watching remote control planes flying on the football field, driving by the old Zoology building to see the animals, and attending Duke basketball games. Although my father is no longer around to verify this story, I have heard that he once kicked in the television screen because of a "bad call" during a Duke/North Carolina game. While in high school, my friends and I hung out on the Duke campus often, throwing a football at Duke Gardens and riding up and down Chapel Drive in front of the majestic Duke Chapel. It was a rite of passage to be thrown into the mossy ponds of the gardens. Edible-sized goldfish would scurry out of the way.

But as luck, and finances, would have it, I didn't attend Duke University. I opted for the state supported version of lighter blue eight miles down the road. It didn't take long before my allegiance to the Blue Devils diminished, but I have always loved the campus and consider it part of me.

I feel even more connected now. The fourteen MAT students I spoke with today were enthusiastic future teachers, eager to get into their own classrooms and get started. I spoke with them about my struggles as a new teacher (yes, I can remember 1979,) and I shared my "Expressions for Excellence in Education" that I have learned along the way. I promised to visit each of them in the three Durham high schools that will host them in the fall, and I left excited about the future of teaching.

Before I drove away, I looked across campus at the beauty of the Gothic architecture and was happy that if only for a moment, I again embraced that darker shade of blue. And I thought about a peaceful cemetery in rural Moore County and knew that...somewhere...my Daddy was smiling....

Another Busy Day in TOYland!

That title would have meant something totally different to me when I was eight. But now...I know that it means I had a day full of activity and opportunities to learn! I began the day at Motor Fleet Management picking up my "state car." This car is for the purpose of transporting me to Teacher of the Year duties across the state, and it is beautiful! I'm so excited because it's a hybrid - a Toyota Prius - so I'm helping the environment and laughing in the face of those crazy gas prices. However, driving this car is definitely a learning experience. From the push-button starter to watching the graphic organizer that depicts energy usage (engine or battery), this is a 21st Century car!

My next activity included driving all over downtown Raleigh looking for a parking place near the Education Building. Since the legislature is finishing up, everyone was in town! (P.S. Thanks for the raise and the legislation allowing National Board Certified teachers to become full time mentors!) I finally found a spot, several blocks away, and soon found myself in a room full of professionals dedicated to Dropout Prevention in North Carolina. Superintendent June Atkinson held the first Graduation Awareness Roundtable Meeting today:
www.ncpublicschools.org/newsroom/news/2008-09/20080708-01

Educators, legislators, members of the faith and business communities, and DPI personnel watched a compelling video addressing students on the dangers of dropping out. The speakers were all incarcerated, many serving life terms without the possibility of parole. Dr. Atkinson hopes that the video, entitled Inside Out, will be viewed by all North Carolina middle and high school students in September. For more information, go to http://www.mattiecstewart.org/.

I had to tiptoe out early so that I could participate in a State Board of Education Orientation. The North Carolina Teacher of the Year serves two years as a Teacher Advisor to the Board. I left understanding that each policy that governs me as a teacher has been through a great deal of discussion and forethought. And just in case I am unaware of those policies, I left with a little reading - Public School Laws of North Carolina Annotated. Before I left, I was able to sit in the Board Room, in the chair that will be "mine." I practiced speaking into the microphone and thought about the fact that, soon, my dream of using my "teacher voice" to impact policy may be realized. Thank you so much to Betsy West, Assistant Executive Director, who made some daunting information teacher-friendly. I'm excited about representing North Carolina's teachers in this way.

Stay tuned to next week - I'll be meeting with MAT students at Duke University...

Get Those Wheels Turning!

You know, I remember when my family had one car. My mother, the Avon lady, would drop my Daddy off at work, deliver her goods, and then pick him up at 5:00. When I was finally old enough to drive, my Daddy said one day, "I think I found you a car." I couldn't believe it! I knew we didn't have enough money for another car. But I think my parents knew they couldn't continue to work their schedules around my cheerleading practices. My Daddy took me to the used car lot and pointed to a little white car, a falling-apart version of an old Opel Kadett. I bet you've never heard of it, but I loved it! Even though there was a big chunk of the right front panel that would fall off if you leaned on it, it was MINE! My Daddy made me drive it in 5:00 traffic so I could learn how to work the clutch and the gears. I had to learn how to drive a stick shift or DIE! Those were the days...

I think, too, about my students who aren't able to participate in after school activities because they "don't have a ride." Those students, and my days driving that Kadett, are the reasons that it was difficult to accept the beautiful car that I picked up yesterday. The North Carolina Teacher of the Year program is very good to its TOY's. (This isn't the case in every state, I'm aware.) So I'm now the proud owner of a brand new Toyota RAV 4, thanks to AT&T, our official sponsor, the Department of Public Instruction, and Leith Toyota. I am thankful beyond words. And every mile I put on that car will represent one teacher or student that I hope to impact as my year continues.

If my Daddy were here to see it, he'd say, "That's a nice ride you got there, girl..remember that Kadett you used to drive?"

I won't forget...

Here I am in front of my new car with Steve from Leith Toyota - what a patient man! Also, I drove to my school to show my Principal, Jason Johnson, and my Assistant Principal, Tiffany Stuart (even before I went to show my own Mama!) Their instructional leadership, along with the fact that they hired the amazing teachers I work with got me to the point of realizing my goal of becoming a Teacher Leader...which led to the honor of being named a State Teacher of the Year! Love and thanks Gravelly Hill Middle School!!! Grizzly Pride!!!