Right now I'm the most exhausted I've been as NC Teacher of the Year, but I'm having so much fun and learning more than I ever thought I would! I'm currently serving on the Principal of the Year Selection Committee, and we are traveling the state looking for the next North Carolina POY.
Our first stop was Saluda Elementary School...so after getting up at 4AM to get to the airport in Dallas (where we were ended the State Teacher of the Year Conference), Dan Holloman and I boarded a plane, returned to NC, and hopped in a car to drive to the NC mountains. We watched the Super Bowl in the Hampton Inn's lobby in Hendersonville before driving over the county line to Saluda the next morning.
On the way down the mountain, current North Carolina Principal of the Year Dr. Debra Morris and I drove through falling SNOW in Asheville! It was beautiful but short-lived. Soon we were in Conover, NC and preparing to visit Tuttle Elementary School in nearby Maiden. Speaking of snow, we were hearing rumblings of more of the white stuff, but everything looked clear as we left Catawba County and headed out of the foothills to Charlotte. That car ride was fun as Dan and I were entertained by Alisa McLean's discussion of fashion. Alisa works with the Principal's Executive Program in NC and is a former principal in my school system - Orange County.
I was so excited to see my daughter Tuesday night because she lives in Charlotte and I haven't seen her since Christmas (except on a field - on January 10th she was down there cheering for the embarrassed Panthers during the NFL Playoff game.) Kelli and I did a little shopping and had dinner before I returned to my hotel ready to visit Sharon Elementary School the next day. But when I woke up I saw huge scrolling letters on my television - CHARLOTTE MECKLENBURG SCHOOLS CLOSED. Oops. Can't do a school visit when the school isn't open! I looked outside and saw, you guessed it, SNOW! After letting it melt on the roads a little we got back in the state car and headed to Fayetteville.
One constant on our Principal of the Year tour has been...no, not snow...FOOD! When we got to Cape Fear High School, there was a platter of Krispy Kreme doughnuts waiting for us. I called it the "Trouble Tray." As I stood there deciding which one I would select, a nice lady walked in with a plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies from the cafeteria. Another trouble tray. And at Tuttle Elementary, every time we left the room we returned to more food - muffins, fruit (with a tasty dip that I dipped my muffin in), a chili cheese dip for Fritos, veggie tray, and a creation made by the cafeteria manager that looked like a wedding cake! When this is over, we'll have a new Principal of the Year, and I'll have to buy all new clothes!
After leaving Fayetteville, I returned home to sleep in my own bed for the first time in nine days. Luckily, the next school visit was in my neighboring county of Wake. And speaking of food, Apex High School has a culinary arts class...which equals numerous Trouble Trays...bagels, muffins, brownies...and thanks to Counselor Week, there was even a tray of subs for lunch. Needless to say, we have been fed well!
On Saturday, I drove up the mountain to speak to the Teaching Fellows Finalists at UNC Asheville. I talked to them about the importance of being a teacher, and darn if they didn't try to feed me lasagna - I told them I just wasn't hungry!
Today I'm working at the Community Literacy Center at my school and then jumping back in the state car for a long trip to the northeast coast - Elizabeth City - for the next school visit and a new week of the Principal of the Year selection process. Stay tuned...
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