Looking Ahead...

This is the time of year when everyone's looking forward...there are graduations and weddings galore in May and June, and we all move ahead with excitement and anticipation.

That was the theme this week as I traveled to Yancey County to speak to new teachers and National Board Certification candidates in the historic city of Burnsville. I was honored to be the speaker for such a beautiful event; Yancey County Schools celebrates Beginning Teachers of the Year! There were five finalists for the award, and they all made presentations to the audience, highlighting classroom activities that ranged from PowerPoint slides developed by second graders to a high school digital newspaper. These teachers were definitely thinking ahead to their careers in teaching as they celebrated their first years.

And budget cuts didn't keep the Yancey County folks from having beautiful decorations: they just went mountainside and cut gorgeous rhododendron. The Burnsville Community Center was festive and celebratory, and I was happy to be a part of it!

Here I am with Patricia Fender, the Beginning Teacher Coordinator in Yancey County.

I spent the remainder of the week involved in testing at my school. "Involved" = walking in circles around a room of testing eighth graders for four hours straight. But I was happy to be back amongst my students who are about to leave for high school; it'll be bittersweet to say goodbye to them.

Speaking of bittersweet, I had the opportunity to watch 10 of my former students graduate on Friday. In 2005, I worked with all 63 of my eighth graders on the rigorous application process for the Josephine Dobbs Clement Early College High School housed on the campus of North Carolina Central University. These students had the opportunity to take high school and college courses simultaneously and graduate with a high school diploma and an associate's degree. Of the original 50 who were accepted, 10 of them made it through the entire program, and I was delighted to watch them walk across that stage this week.

Congratulations to Antonio, Keiara, Alejandra, DeAntwon, Dwayne, Christina, Iesha, Victoria, Alexis, and Kia!

The first three to burst through the doors as graduates: Antonio, Alejandra, and Keiara!

Here I am with beautiful Kia. She was one of several students who came to visit with my family at the funeral home after my father died in 2004. That visit was more special than ever because it was Kia's 13th birthday. She begged me to go with her family to Denny's to eat, but I had to stay with my mother. It was such a sweet gesture, though.

Gifted Students and Another New TOY

I started this week speaking to a group I really know (and I told them that!) I spoke to almost 300 seventh graders who have been invited to participate in the Duke Talent Identification Program (TIP), a program that identifies gifted students and then sends them to take the SAT, a test, of course, designed for high school juniors.

The students I spoke to had scored better than 90% of the nation's 11th graders on at least one part of the SAT. I looked out at that sea of prepubescent adolescents and couldn't believe they were able to perform like that on a test that still causes me anxiety every time I think about that Saturday, years ago, that I sat in my high school's cafeteria with a number 2 pencil. I knew my entire future lay on the line.

But I spoke to these students from a different perspective - through the lens of being a teacher who has taught gifted children and the lens of being a parent of children identified as gifted. I talked to them, first of all, about dreams, and then I gave them a charge: DON'T SETTLE. I asked them not to settle for doing less than they can to achieve their dreams, not to settle for doing the best they can on their work; in other words, I asked them to use the gifts that they have been given to make a difference in our world.

My afternoon at Campbell University's TIP celebration was wonderful!

A Sea of Seventh Graders!

Also, this week I was onhand when another new Teacher of the Year was named. I was on the program to give remarks as my own school system chose a new TOY for 2009-2010. Kara Coleman, a second grade teacher in only her fourth year of teaching, was given the exciting news at the Cedar Grove Ruritan Club dinner last night. A special treat was that Phillip Little, the current Piedmont/Triad Regional Teacher of the Year, was the keynote speaker. Phillip is an inspirational speaker, talents he brings to us from his history classroom at Northwood High School in Chatham County.

Piedmont/Triad Central Regional Teacher of the Year Phillip Little speaks to the group.

My remarks included a few pictures of my amazing time in Washington, D.C., photos shared by the Teacher of the Year from Minnesota, Derek Olson. Derek stood on the row right behind me at the Rose Garden and rested his camera on his hip for these examples of creative photography.

One reason these pictures are so meaningful to the State Teachers of the Year who were in the Rose Garden that day is because this is how we saw it. Thanks, Derek, for preserving these memories for us.

And, finally, the announcement: here I am with Kara Coleman, the Orange County Schools Teacher of the Year for 2009-2010.

A New TOY Year...

The North Carolina Teacher of the Year Team for 2008-2009

This is my first entire weekend home in awhile, and I'm pretty exhausted! It's worth it, though, because of the many opportunities I've had as North Carolina's Teacher of the Year for 08-09, the wonderful educators I've met, and the relationships that have grown over the year.

I started the week last Sunday, meeting with the new Teacher of the Year team as they began the festivities to select a new NC Teacher of the Year for 09-10. We had dinner together, and I shared a little about my experiences, my year traveling, and some of the activities they could look forward to.

On Monday, I served as the hostess while the interviews were taking place, and I really enjoyed getting to know each regional finalist as they entered (and exited) their interviews. The next morning I was there again, as they went in for a shorter meeting with the selection committee, speaking briefly about education topics.

That day our current team began arriving, and it was so exciting to see these teachers, who although spread out geographically, continue to be close and communicate often. We'll also be traveling with the Center for International Understanding to Denmark next month. We're so excited!

Tuesday night we attended the always celebratory and beautiful evening that is the dinner for the naming of the new Teacher of the Year. The night began with Governor Perdue speaking to us and continued with remarks from Dr. Bill Harrison, CEO of the Department of Public Instruction and Chair of the State Board. Then Cynthia Marshall, President of at&t, sponsor of the NC Teacher of the Year program, shared her truly inspirational story.

Here I am with Valonda Calloway, the beautiful Mistress of Ceremonies for the Teacher of the Year dinner. Not only is she a local celebrity who works at our CBS affiliate, WRAL, she's a former Washington Redskins cheerleader!

Another local celebrity, David Heid, set the tone for the evening - classy and elegant.

Governor Bev Perdue opened up the evening by thanking teachers for all they do.

Near the end of the night, I stepped on the stage to deliver my parting remarks. But how can you sum up in a few minutes what has been a life changing experience? I've met the President, the First Lady, the Vice President's wife, and the Secretary of Education. I've traveled the state meeting the best teachers and teachers-to-be in the country. It was so hard that I knew I would struggle. So after a few introductory remarks, thanking my husband and the Teacher of the Year Team, as well as Danny Holloman, who is the TOY Coordinator, I played a video/movie that highlighted my year and thanked as many folks as I could. (A special thanks to Trisha Muse, Sandhills/South Central Regional Teacher of the Year for working so hard on my movie!) Then I sat down and waited to hear the name of the teacher who would take my place.

It was a strange feeling. Dr. June Atkinson, Superintendent of NC schools, said a few introductory remarks and then said, "The North Carolina Teacher of the Year is..." and I thought "Me. It's me. I'm the North Carolina Teacher of the Year." I joked that at the last minute they wouldn't select someone else. They'd say, "We're just going to let her do it for another year." And of course I was kidding. It's time for me to head back to my school, and I'm excited about that.

I'm also looking forward to working with our new North Carolina Teacher of the Year - Jessica Garner, a Spanish teacher from Union County Schools. Jessica will do a wonderful job and will be an ambassador for global education as she is a world traveler who has so much to share with our state's teachers and students.

Here I am with Jessica, the newly named North Carolina Teacher of the Year for 2009-2010.

But my job's not over yet. I'll be serving in this capacity until June 30, 2009.

So after Wednesday's State Board of Education meeting, I headed to High Point University to speak to student teachers who would be graduating the next day. And I was happy for the opportunity to do this job for a couple of months more.

Here I am with graduating seniors who will be in elementary classrooms next year!

High Point University is right beside the preschool where my sister Lisa works with three year olds. I just had to stop by and visit...

I'm so happy that Jessica Garner will have this amazing experience. A year from now, she'll look back just as I did, as she says goodbye, and will realize that she's had "the time of her life" just as I have. Thank you again, North Carolina!