What a Week!

I put some miles on the State car this week but not so many miles on my own pillow in my own bed. I began on Monday, spending the day in my school with the Grizzlies. I worked with some National Board candidates on applying for the process while others needed some "getting started" ideas. In between I ran from new teacher room to new teacher room sharing some vocabulary activities that we received last year during our Marzano's strategies workshops. And of course there was time for student hugs all around and some Bojangle's for Rahkeesh who is back from the hospital after being air-lifted from the practice field last week. He spent a few days in Pediatric Intensive Care and scared us all to death, but a bacon biscuit and a Sprite brought that never-ending smile back - I was so glad to see him (I went to the hospital, but they wouldn't let me in!)

After the day at school, I jumped in the car to head to the other side of the county to UNC-Chapel Hill. After a fun dinner at Top of the Hill, I spoke to the student group of the North Carolina Association of Educators, UNC Teaching Fellows, and other education majors. These guys were an enthusiastic audience, asking questions and staying engaged for over an hour (even though it was getting late.) I enjoyed my time at my alma mater!

The next day I attended the second installment of EPFP (the Education Policy Fellowship Program) sponsored by the Public School Forum. At this meeting, each Fellow had 2 1/2 minutes to tell about themselves. It was indeed a treat to learn about everyone. I headed home, another late night arrival, and prepared myself for the next day - three stops in one day.

Wednesday started at the Department of Public Instruction, where I attended the first Mentor Task Force meeting. Our legislature has appropriated money for Full Time Mentors in our school systems, and our group brainstormed around issues of accountability and purpose. I left early to travel to UNC-Pembroke and speak to another group of Teaching Fellows. Here I found an eager group of future teachers, and I enjoyed speaking before the overflowing classroom.

They made me a beautiful, welcoming bulletin board!

Here I am with Morgan, a freshman education major at Pembroke.

My last endeavor on that Wednesday included driving to Southern Pines to attend the Public School Forum's Board Meeting to take place on Thursday and Friday. I was honored to share the room with so many experienced educators and businessmen and women. This year's board will be participating in Study Group XIII which will concentrate on two issues - building a seamless system of education from Pre-K to graduate school and devising recommendations that will strengthen the state's ability to identify and train prospective leaders in our schools.

My last activity of the week was an exciting experience as I attended the UNC School of Education's Alumni Awards Luncheon. I was humbled to receive the Excellence in Teaching Award and told the group that I vow to spend the remainder of my career trying to live up to the honor.

Here I am with my fellow language arts teachers from Gravelly Hill Middle School. They were so nice to attend the luncheon on a Saturday when they could have been grading papers!

Here's my nephew, Cole, who's a sophomore at UNC-Chapel Hill.

With a busy week behind me, I'm gearing up for the State Board of Education meetings next week and presentations to the Teacher Cadets in Greenville and teachers in Granville County. This has been an amazing couple of months!

Week End!

After visiting two new teachers yesterday at Efland-Cheeks Elementary School in Efland, N.C. I was inspired while speaking to the NC-ACTE 26th Annual Teacher Education Forum today. Those teacher educators, after all, are responsible for preparing our future colleagues to teach. While preparing for my presentation, I asked fifty 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year teachers if they felt they were well prepared to enter their schools. There was a most resounding "Yes!" I shared some new teacher quotes with the forum participants and closed with my favorite - a second year teacher shared this: "I have nothing but high praise for them. They pushed us to be great." Thank you to our teacher educators for instilling greatness in our new teachers!




Here I am with Dr. Randy Kohlenberg, Co-Chair of the Forum Planning Committee and Dr. Debra Morris, the Wachovia North Carolina Principal of the Year (and a motivational luncheon speaker!)

Congratulations to the planning committee - "Multiple Realities: Implementing Quality in Teacher Education" was a great success!

BFF Classroom #2!

When the 2008-2009 Teacher of the Year Team was announced last spring, we met (by email) and I immediately pronounced us BFF's! (And, yes, I teach middle school, and I recognize that I have adopted some examples of 12-year-old lingo, but, unfortunately, that kind of thing just happens.) Anyway, one of my goals this year as I travel the state is to visit every member of the TOY team in their classrooms! Last month, I found myself in Janice Raper's neighborhood (Northwest Regional Teacher of the Year) and was able to visit her school during the teacher workdays. Today I visited Trisha Muse (Sandhills/South Central Regional Teacher of the Year) and her wonderful students and colleagues at Page St. Elementary School in Montgomery County.

It was Constitution Day, and the festivities had already begun when I arrived. Representative Melanie Goodwin (Democrat, Montgomery County) and the students were engaged in an interactive conversation about our founding fathers, the Constitution, and how government works in our country. At the end of the assembly, Trisha introduced me to the group, and I shared a little about a trip I had taken to Philadelphia to see some historic sites relative to the writing of the Constitution. Next, I toured the school, meeting teachers and students and admiring the beautiful hall decorations! There was an energy of happiness at Page Street Elementary School that I hope all schools feel. I have to believe that one fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Muse, has something to do with that!

I visited Trisha's students in the classroom, and they introduced themselves and shared their favorite things about last year (they had Mrs. Muse last year, too - she's looping!) Listening to them describe their fourth grade experience made me want to be in that class - tales of Polar Express parties (at Trisha's house) and Halloween characters in costume (Trisha was Snow White in a wig!) and trips to the mountains and Washington, D.C. and wax museums, and on and on. Those are some lucky kids!

And after meeting those students, I can truly say Trisha's pretty lucky, too! I ended my stay eating in the school cafeteria - I love school cafeteria food!

Thanks Page Street Elementary! Today was a special day for me!

Homecoming

My parents moved us to Durham from Sanford when I was four years old. For that reason, I spent my entire life meeting adults in Durham who would say, "Now who are your parents?" And no one would ever know them. And although I call the Bull City my home, I have always been aware that I have been missing a certain connection. Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak to the staff of Bullock Elementary School in Sanford, and I was somewhat emotional on my drive to my birthplace. I associate the "brick capital of the world" with my Daddy who died exactly four years ago, in September of 2004. Shortly after my Daddy's death, we lost two uncles and an aunt in the next five months. Now, of the original nine, only one is left - my lovely aunt Betty Jean in Chickamaugua, Georgia. So as I drove toward a city that holds memories of family reunions and a packed house of grandchildren (my grandmother's small house on Bracken Street), I felt a little sadness. But I was excited about speaking to the faculty about the relationships that we have with students!

I began my conversation with the teachers by telling them that I'm a Sanford native. I mentioned my parents and my brief stay in Lee County before I moved to Durham, and then I continued on with my presentation. As I closed my remarks, a few teachers came up to speak to me, and I was so surprised to recognize one - my cousin!!! I hadn't even noticed her sitting in the back of that media center. Little red haired Tamra has grown up to be Tammy Strickland, second grade teacher at Bullock Elementary! (Her grandmother, who is my great aunt, had told me that she was a teacher, but I didn't know which school!) As I talked to Tammy, an older gentleman waited patiently behind me. I turned to read his name badge - Jimmy Bridges - Instructional Assistant. He said, "I'm 80 years old! Which Cole are you? I knew Tom, Charlie, Harold...he had a twin brother..." I gasped out loud! This man was standing there naming all of my uncles and my Daddy! (Evidently they spent some time in the pool hall together as teenagers...) Needless to say, I had a wonderful, albeit emotional, time at Bullock Elementary. I hope to return to visit Tammy's classroom one day!

Tammy and I reunite in the Media Center at Bullock Elementary.

Earlier in the week, I had the honor of representing NC teachers at King's Park International Church's Education Day. Hundreds of area teachers turned out on Sunday to receive goodie bags full of teacher treats, including glue sticks, pens, and even an apple! One lucky teacher walked out with another kind of Apple - a laptop computer!!! The folks at King's Park made all of us as educators feel honored and valued, and I appreciate the opportunity they gave me to speak to a very large crowd - the church holds 2,000!

Today I'm excited to begin participating in a program that I've heard so much about - the Education Policy Fellowship Program starts today at the Public School Forum office. We have 35 members in this cohort, the largest ever! Every Tuesday we'll meet to hear about how education policy decisions are made in North Carolina. But I've heard we'll also make lasting relationships as we meet together as North Carolina educators.

Talking to Teachers

I love that school is finally up and running because many of my presentations now include teachers. Yesterday, in fact, I stood before 420 of them and talked about their opportunity to be the "one" who makes a difference in the life of a child. The North Carolina Model Teacher Education Consortium held an Instructional Institute for Lateral Entry and Inexperienced Teachers in Chapel Hill which included break-out sessions and a presentation by none other than Dr. Harry Wong (of The First Days of School fame.) I spoke before him so I jokingly referred to myself as "the warmup pitcher."

My long time friend, Dr. Catherine Allen, always gives me treats when I present to the Consortium. Here she presents me with a book written and illustrated by her mother-in-law, Katherine Allen.

Here I am with Lynn Meyers, Warren County Schools Teacher of the Year and Dr. Shirley Arrington, Executive Director of the North Carolina Model Teacher Education Consortium.

Today I had the pleasure again to see policy-making in action at the September State Board of Education meeting. These meetings can be listened to live on the internet so if you're not in a classroom full of kids, you should check it out. It's inspirational! My leadership role model Barnett Berry, of the Center for Teaching Quality (CTQ), along with Bill Shore from Glaxo Smith Kline, shared information about an exciting program in North Carolina. CTQ will be utilizing the expertise of National Board Certified Teachers to mentor new teachers virtually - online mentoring! This is an example of teacher leadership gone 21st century. The State Board was very excited about this possibility!

Tomorrow I'll be talking about National Board Certification and Teacher Leadership with the school district NBC Coordinators. I had the opportunity to attend this meeting last year, and this is a great group of people! Our own Teacher of the Year leader, Dan Holloman, will also be presenting. I'm always excited to learn from him!

As we continue on through the first full month of school, the Teacher of the Year team continues to represent the best and the brightest - North Carolina teachers!

Guest Blogger - Paige Elliott!

Please welcome the North Central Regional Teacher of the Year Paige Elliott, an English teacher at Fuquay Varina High School. Her blog on her first week of school is beautifully written and reminds me of the responsibility that our high school teachers have to motivate those who may have had enough of school by this point (and to challenge those who are hungry for more.) We are lucky to have teachers like Paige in our schools!


Click . . . Click . . . Click.

FADE IN: Close up: The bottom half of a black skirt, dress shoes, walking across industrial linoleum grey tile with the chrome legs of student desks in the background. FADE OUT.

Grrnnn. Ghhhrrnnm.

FADE IN: Close up: Electric pencil sharpener grinding away the fresh new flesh of a bright yellow pencil. Hand pulls pencil away and produces a masterpiece of wood sculpted and blended into lead ending with a point finer than that of a pin. FADE OUT.

Bbbring!

FADE IN: Medium shot: An average looking woman in business style dress stands in the metal and cinderblock doorway wringing her hands. FADE OUT.

FADE IN: Close up: Two hands, one black one white, shake. An enthusiastic voice is heard: “Welcome to Senior English.”

SHOT WIDENS: Students trickle into a classroom shaking hands with a teacher who greets them at the door. Some students hesitate, unsure how to react and not understanding why the teacher has her hand reaching for theirs. A young man unreservedly smiles, nods his head, and says, “What up, Mrs. Elliott?” A young girl cautiously offers her hand in an awkward position and limp wrist as she avoids eye contact. Students curiously read directions on the board and begin crowding around a posted seating chart. Mumbling and squeals can be heard. FADE OUT.

FADE IN: The same class, several minutes later. One student, Daniel, appears to have settled well into his seat, slouching, and flirting with sleep. Doris sits attentively nodding with each word the teacher says as basic rules, explanations, and expectations are reviewed. Sally is asking about the bathroom policy and Ross is turned around talking with Misty about her summer. Vince, a veteran of the senior class, carries himself with an air of superiority and wisdom, smirks at the teacher and asks if he will have to read the same thing that he read last year in Senior English. Madison then inquires in an arguably complaining tone if there will be much writing in the course. FADE OUT.

FADE IN: Close up: Faded purple and black ink stains mark the tips of fingers. The fingers rise up to brush back what was once earlier shaped and styled but now frizzy hair. SHOT WIDENS: The same teacher we saw earlier now sits in a small room of eleven students. Her lipstick gone and eye liner now faded, she tugs at her blouse that no longer feels sharp and classy, but now tired and worn. But her voice . . . her voice is still fresh and full of excitement. “All of you will pass your English I End-of-Course. I don’t care what happened last year.” As she finishes up a sentence, a tall and formidable assistant principal brings in another student, Francois, who has been lost . . . since last year

CUT.

When I was asked to share my stories of the beginning of my year, I thought a screenplay would be an excellent way to capture the moment and present a sample of my story. However, as most English teachers will share with you, well-written stories have a beginning, middle, and end. So I have a problem: I only know the beginning.

Each day the story unravels. I learn that Francois (fictitious name, of course), the student who was lost last year, is painfully struggling through this year . . . already. He says he has no future and he will be dropping out. The story I have heard of his home situation challenges me to hold back tears when we speak. Vince has written me a letter explaining his intention to go to college. His behavior in class has been impeccable. All of my students readily shake my hand now. I haven’t seen Doris since the first day of school. Jesse just joined my class today. He decided six days in that he wants to graduate. Several students show life in their eyes and interest in class discussion. I suspect they have bright futures ahead; seventeen years-old and freedom around the corner with few visible stumbling blocks – their eyes are full of life because they see the bright future that is distant beyond me standing in front of them. I don’t know Ross very well yet, and there are many others who have not yet earned a leading role in my dream screenplay.

No, I can’t write the story yet because I don’t know the ending. I don’t even know the true beginnings; they happened long before any child walked into my classroom. What I do know is that effective teachers build relationships with their students. They allow the stories to form and transform before them, rather than writing the story of a student before it happens.

Maybe . . . if I work hard enough and care hard enough, I can change the ending for some students. I hope I can, for Francois’ sake. We all need to believe, even if it’s just a little, in fairy tale endings.