National Championship Week!

As my alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was playing for bragging rights in the basketball world, I was busy this week, beginning with a packed Monday, April 6th - the day of the National Championship Game. Senator Kay Hagan visited me at Gravelly Hill Middle School on this day, and we were so excited to have her! My students Courtney, Shannon, and Jenna had made welcome posters for her - while they were on Spring Break last week - and they stood in the rain and reserved the Senator's special parking place.

After Senator Hagan toured the school, along with Central Office staff, School Board Members, the Mayor of Hillsborough, and members of the General Assembly, she joined us at a breakfast in her honor. The conversation centered around education, and Senator Hagan was interested in our thoughts as she works for us in Washington. I thanked the Senator for her commitment to education and the students of North Carolina, and we presented her with a Gravelly Hill shirt monogrammed with her name.

Senator Hagan watches our Grizzly Band, directed by Arris Golden.

The mayor of Hillsborough and Orange County School Board members talk to Senator Hagan.

Orange County Schools Superintendent shares a point about No Child Left Behind.

Here I am with the Mayor of Hillsborough, Tom Stevens.

I left my school on this rainy Monday and headed to Person County for two events. First, I spoke to beginning teachers and told them my "life story" - at least as it relates to teaching. I spoke to them of my early struggles and about why I've stayed for over two decades...and about the joys of teaching.

Next I drove across town to the Homestead Steakhouse for a beautiful dinner honoring the Teachers of the Year in Person County.

The folks at the Homestead were pulling for the right team!

Here I am speaking to the group about the using the Teacher of the Year "voice."

Person County's outgoing Teacher of the Year, Paula Chandler, gave a beautiful farewell speech.

The next part was difficult - I got in the car around 9PM to drive two hours east to a hotel that would be 3/4 of the way to my next morning destination of Chowan University. The reason it was difficult? I had to listen to the first half of the national championship basketball game in my car. But it was okay...just a lonely drive...as everyone in North Carolina was in front of a television somewhere, and no one was on the road!

I watched the second half in my hotel room in Roanoke Rapids and got up the next morning to drive the hour to Murfreesboro and Chowan U. There I spoke to Teacher Cadets about the possibility of choosing teaching as a career. I did have one gentlemen come up to me after my remarks and tell me that I had inspired him to teach! (I love this job!)

These are the sites I see as I travel across North Carolina - I love it!

Next I drove to Raleigh to my EPFP meeting where we heard from lobbyists who explained their jobs and the process for lobbying for education. This was a very interesting meeting, and I learned so much!

On Wednesday, I hopped on a plane and flew to Washington, D.C. with Angela Farthing of NCAE. We attended the Visiting Scholars program at the National Education Association building where the topic was community schools. On Thursday I hopped back on a plane to head home for one day off - Good Friday. But I'll be back at it next week...so stay tuned!

Goin' Green!

Wow...what a busy week! This week found me in the beautiful city of Greensboro on three out of five days - I think I can make that one hour drive from my house in my sleep now.

I started the week at the Koury Convention Center, as the keynote speaker for the Closing the Gaps Conference. I was joined onstage by Dr. June Atkinson, our State Superintendent, Dr. Rebecca Garland, our Associate Superintendent and Chief Academic Officer, and Dr. Bill Harrison, newly named Chairman of the State Board of Education and CEO of the Public Schools of North Carolina. Most importantly, after my speech, we were entertained by student speakers - winners of a statewide oratorical contest - who gave motivational remarks to kick off this conference of 2,500 attendees. Dr. Teresa Smith, Student Services Consultant at DPI, introduced the students and explained the selection process that culminated in these three stduents being selected to speak at the Closing the Gaps Conference.

Here I am with some Teaching Fellows from Greensboro's A&T State University. They promised to get their director to invite me to A&T!

There were three student speakers, but of course I was immediately connected to Elizabeth Keenum, a seventh grader (woohoo!) from the Public Schools of Robeson County. The other students included fifth grader Sydni Love from Cumberland County and Matthew Hughes, a senior and Student Body President from my own county of Orange!

On Tuesday, I returned to Greensboro, this time traveling to Greensboro College to help honor Cooperating/Student Teachers and GC Alumni who have recently been named Teacher of the Year or who have earned National Board Certification. I spoke after an elegant dinner, and each teacher was given a gift as they were honored for their accomplishments.

On Wednesday, I headed to Raleigh to attend the State Board of Education meeting. The Twenty-first Century Professionals Committee met before the general Board meeting, and I was able to hang out with my buddies, former NC Teacher of the Year Diana Beasley and outgoing Principal of the Year, Dr. Debra Morris.

Here I am with some of my region's current District Teachers of the Year: Gwenn Clements, Lexington City Schools; Craig Steszewski, Thomasville City Schools; Lorraine Desern, Alamance-Burlington Schools; Me; Rodney Morgan, Jr., Guilford County Schools; and Amy Maxey, Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools.

Thursday was one of the busiest days yet - I had four places to be in one day! I could only make it to three of them, though, missing the State Board meeting on this day. I began the day in Greensboro again, this time at UNC-Greensboro, speaking to Teacher Cadet students from across the state. I was happy to meet several district level Teachers of the Year from my region.

After speaking to the group, I rushed out in the rain to drive to Raleigh to attend the Principal of the Year Luncheon. Mr. Van Pennell, Principal of South Brunswick High School, was named our state's best in a moving and exciting ceremony. I hopped back in the car and headed toward Franklin County where I was the keynote speaker for a dinner honoring National Board Certified Teachers. What a celebration! Judy Lassiter, the Coordinator for NBC in Franklin County, really worked to make those teachers feel like stars!

Here's Van Pennell, our state's new Principal of the Year!

I enjoyed the "star" recognition in Franklin County!

Well, that was a really busy week, but I've got another one coming up...a visit from a Senator, a TOY Banquet followed by a cross-state trip in the late hours of the night, a cake pick-up... Stay tuned - it's gonna be a WILD WEEK!

It's HOW You Live...

Yesterday I had the honor of hearing Cynthia Marshall, President of at&t North Carolina, speak at the NC Association of Educators Convention. After telling the story of her childhood, growing up in a housing project in California, Ms. Marshall repeated the words her mother had taught her: "It's not where you live; it's HOW you live." I think the delegates would agree that Cynthia Marshall is living with the right goals in mind. Her company promotes education across our state, including sponsoring the Teacher of the Year program. But back to the convention in a minute...let's go back to the beginning of the week.

I started (and ended the week) at my school helping National Board candidates "pack the box." What a celebratory atmosphere we had, after working for months to get those entries perfect! While I was there, I was able to participate in the poetry festivities that were being held in the media center. It was so fun to see my students' poetry projects and to partcipate in the games that were going on all around the room!

l participated in the "Wheel of Poetry" and even though I was an English major in college and felt pretty confident, they stumped me a couple of times..

My favorite project title was presented by my former GAP (Grizzly Acceleration Period) student, Isaac. The cover of his project read "The Meat Counter for the Intellectual's Soul" and had a picture of a huge cow on it. Under the cow, Isaac wrote "By the Esteemed Isaac Nance" and then "Read all poems and the title page with a bad British accent for comical enjoyment." You gotta LOVE middle school!

This week I returned to the University of North Carolina at Pembroke - this time to speak to the student interns (back in my day, they were called student teachers.) Over fifty interns were away from their classrooms to hear my stories about the importance of the student/teacher relationship. I always enjoy the students at UNC-P; they are committed educators who want to grow as teachers so they work hard at what they do!

The halls of the education building at UNC-P always send a message of the importance of teaching.

So...back to the convention. Since I was working with NBC candidates on Friday, I watched the NCAE Convention online (loving modern technology.) I was even watching when Sheri Strickland, the President of NCAE, said, "And tomorrow we'll have Cindi Rigsbee, the NC Teacher of the Year, speaking."

So I got up early and drove to Raleigh in plenty of time, except for one little problem: I was unaware that the Bank of America Raleigh Rocks Half Marathon would be right in the middle of my route to the Raleigh Convention Center! Needless to say, I was pretty stressed out after begging five different Raleigh police officers to let me turn right instead of left. But I got there finally and it was an amazing experience! With the music that was playing in the Convention Center Hall, I would say North Carolina educators had Raleigh rocking more than the marathon! After playing "Soul Man" to the introduction of Rodney Ellis, NCAE Vice President, I was introduced to a background of "Respect" by Aretha Franklin. I was dancing before I ever started talking!

Here's a picture I took from the podium. The audience is watching two big screens with my video of my appearance on Good Morning America, and there on the monitor I see my students...there's Courtney and Savannah and Jamal and Jalen...

And as I think about Cynthia Marshall's remarks, I'm reminded that last April she told us her story just as I was announced the new NC Teacher of the Year. While accepting, I turned to her and told her that I didn't grow up in the housing project but right across the street from it. Two weeks ago, when I was headed out to my National Teacher of the Year interview, I received an email from my sister. It held only two words: Represent Bluefield.

So, yes, Cynthia, I am trying to live up to your inspiring remarks as I travel the state. I try to think of how I live everywhere I go. Thank you for reminding me, although it's never far from my heart, that I am representing the Bluefield Housing Project in Durham, N.C. and 97,000 teachers every day. And thank you for everything you do for the children in our state.

Spring is in the Air...

I remember this time last year. We teachers would pass each other in the hall and say, "The sap is rising." There was a buzz of energy in the building as the weather turned warmer, and spring activities like baseball and softball took the place of indoor sports like basketball and wrestling. Well, here we are again, faced with preparing our students for those looming tests while they are more and more anxious to just get outside!

Evidently spring fever has gotten to me, too...I've been traveling and doing my Teacher of the Year presentations, but I've taken NO pictures. So you'll have to take my word for it - I've really been to these places!

Last Monday, I attended the Public School Forum's Board meeting at the North Raleigh Hilton. After an activity report which included a review of, among other things, the Teaching Fellows selection process, the Board was given overviews of the most current Finance Study and a report entitled "Learning from Ireland," information gathered when a delegation of North Carolina educators traveled to Ireland to study what the Irish are doing right concerning education. We also experienced wonderful presentations regarding the North Carolina Grantmakers Report on Education and MCNC's STEM Initiative. This was an action packed meeting that enabled me to better understand education initiatives in North Carolina.

On Tuesday, I traveled to Concord to speak to a group of Teachers of the Year from the area. These school district TOYs were treated to a beautiful dinner thanks to the North Carolina Automobile Dealers. After my remarks, there were gift bags and envelopes for the teachers. The gift bag was full of tasty goodies (I got one, too) and I heard that the envelope contained a gift certificate to the Grove Park Inn. Hey, where's mine?

On Wednesday, I facilitated a literacy workshop for teachers in Chatham County. I always love presenting in Pittsboro...the teachers there are so appreciative! And my successor, Regional Teacher of the Year Phillip Little, is a Chatham teacher...so my audience was excited about the possibility that he could be the next NC Teacher of the Year.

Thursday and Friday were office days for me, the first since December! I was able to work (for hours...) on an expense report and do a couple of phone interviews that I had not had the opportunity to do. On Saturday, I was back at it again, this time serving as the keynote speaker for North Carolina Central University's Education Symposium. The 21st Century Student in the Digital Age was a moving experience for me. After I finished my remarks, a teacher from the audience came over to tell me what my words had meant to her. "I've been struggling," she said. "And now I have a new energy for the classroom." Just as I hope to make a difference to my students, it's my goal to make an impact as a Teacher Ambassador for North Carolina. I'm always happy to know that I've made a difference to someone in the audience.

Now I'm into another week of traveling the state. I promise to take pictures this time, warm weather or not!

Back on the Road...

I returned home from Washington, D.C. on Tuesday night and hit the road running on Wednesday. I had the pleasure of speaking to the staff of Rocky Mount Prep School, and I knew I was in for a treat when I saw what they served for snacks - my favorites - cupcakes, popcorn, and Cokes! Rocky Mount Prep is a college preparatory charter school, and I found the staff there to be exactly what I needed as I de-stressed from my trip to D.C. The best part was when Mr. Pratt, the Headmaster, handed me my favorite devil's food cupcake when I left! There are so many perks to this job!

On Thursday, I had the honor of speaking to Teachers of the Year (current and past) and beginning teachers in the Rowan-Salisbury Public Schools. My Teacher of the Year Teammate Janice Raper, Northwest Regional Teacher of the Year, showed me around the school that her husband Ron helped open as Athletic Director three years ago. I have to tell you that I was impressed with the real (once alive) cougar in the showcase of the lobby of Carson High School! It was great to see Janice and have the chance to chat with her during a lovely reception, and I had a great surprise! My friend Amy Garrett, who I taught with four years ago, is now a teacher in Rowan-Salisbury, and she was there to cheer me on. I had the pleasure of attending Amy's wedding a few years ago, and I'm happy to see her settled and thriving in her new community.

Here I am with Amy, a teacher I recruited to my school four years ago.

I had so much fun with Janice Raper, the Northwest Regional Teacher of the Year and April Williamson, the current Rowan-Salisbury Teacher of the Year.

On Friday, I returned to my school to work with National Board candidates again, and they are putting the finishing touches on their portfolios that are due March 31st. They have worked so hard this school year, and I think next November we'll have some new NBCT's in our school!

Sunday was our Community Literacy Day, and this day was a real treat. Not only did we have an authentic Spanish cake for Patricia's birthday, we also learned salsa and meringue dancing. We really had a workout, thanks to Latino dance studio instructor Betto from Mambo Dinamico Dance Company! Today we tried to speak only in Spanish so Jenny and I were a little confused sometimes, but the language of dance is universal. So is the language of sore muscles evidently. Hopefully I'll be well enough for my numerous speaking engagements in the next few days...until then...adios!

Happy Birthday to Patricia!

Norberto (Betto), the dance instructor, and Fabiola, GHMS eighth grader, smile for the camera.

Patricia (Fabiola's mom), Melissa (GHMS 8th grader), and Dolly (Melissa's mom) smile for the camera.

A very talented group of dancers...well, at least a very hard-working group of dancers!

Wrapping Things Up in DC

Our last events in the nation's capitol were celebratory, nervewracking, exciting, and stressful, but in usual National Teacher of the Year fashion...first class all the way!

The finalists were invited to a lovely dinner at the Hotel George and were able to meet the selection committee while dining in elegant surroundings. The committee included representatives from fifteen of the most prestigious educational organizations:

American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
American Association of School Administrators
American Federation of Teachers
Association for Childhood Education International
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
Association of Teacher Educators
National Association for the Education of Young Children
National Association of Elementary School Principals
National Association of Secondary School Principals
National Association of State Boards of Education
National Education Association
National Congress of Parents and Teachers
National Middle School Association
National School Boards Association
National School Public Relations Association

Here we are walking to the Hotel George for the dinner. I had this idea that we would walk across the street like the Beatles in Abbey Road, but we were about to get run over!!!

After the entree, Alex, Tony, Susan, and I changed places so that we could chat with other members of the committee. At the end of the evening, Jon presented each of us with a beautiful crystal apple.

We left feeling that we had just met colleagues in education, not "judges."

But despite the nice social evening, I still found it impossible to sleep before my morning interview. After dinner, Jon handed us two questions for the press conference that would take place at 11:15 AM, but I didn't want to prepare for that until my speech and interview were over. So I tucked those away and left the hotel on Tuesday morning to walk over to the Council building for my interview.

The first think I noticed was that after two days of beautiful spring-like weather, it was COLD in D.C. on Tuesday. Good thing...it woke me up! I entered the conference room, delivered my speech, and then sat through the next hour and answered each of the committee's questions. Many people have asked me "how did you do?" And as per usual after I'm in an interview situation, I think of a thousand things I should have said. And although I was relieved that it was over, I was terrified about the press conference! I hadn't prepared as much as I would have liked...so I sat in a side office while Alex was delivering his speech and planned a few answers.

Still...it was a little unsettling to walk into a room full of reporters with their notepads (not to mention the selection committee!) But I immediately saw Kim Worthy, the amazing D.C. Teacher of the Year in the front row, and I was so excited! Of course, we haven't seen the other State TOYs since our trip to Dallas, but we have talked on our GoogleGroup and can't wait to reconnect in D.C. at the end of April.

As each of us answered the two questions we were previously given, I listened to my esteemed colleagues from California, Colorado, and Connecticut and thought about how they are each eloquent, knowledgeable speakers...and if I had to choose one, I couldn't! They are amazing in their own ways, and I feel blessed to be among them.

I'm glad I have pictures of the press conference thanks to D.C. TOY Kim Worthy! My camera was in my purse shoved in a closet in the Council building...

By noon on Tuesday, I was finished and ready to head back home while Susan and Tony prepared for their interviews and Alex and Kim got to know each other over lunch. David and I were scurrying to get home before the kennel closed so that we could get Jasmine! She, of course, was glad to see us, but exhausted from four days of Doggie Day Camp...but she better rest up. She'll be back again at the end of April as we travel to D.C. to reunite with all of the State TOYs during the President's official announcement of the National Teacher of the Year! It will be another amazing moment in our Teacher of the Year journey...

There are no words...

I started the day with a brisk walk to the Council of Chief State School Officers building where I was to be videotaped as part of the National Teacher of the Year process. Just as I approached the building, I looked back over my shoulder and caught a glimpse of the Capitol building looming behind me. I thought about the honor of walking in this place and representing teachers in North Carolina. Later in the afternoon, a Senate press representative would ask me how it feels to be a finalist. I answered by saying, "The words you always hear...humbled and honored...aren't even close to the way I feel every time they introduce me as the Teacher of the Year from North Carolina. There are no words..."

The state flags were flying in a brisk wind in Washington, D.C. today.

The videotaping was relatively painless this morning. The questions related to me and what I had written in my portfolio. I do have a tendency to ramble when I have a lot to say, but other than that, I guess I did okay.

After that, David and I headed over to the Senate office buildings to meet with the North Carolina senators.

Here I am with Senator Richard Burr, R-NC

And here with freshman Senator Kay Hagan, D-NC.

The next stop is dinner tonight with the selection committee...I'm excited to meet the folks who gave me this amazing honor.