NC TOY Treks 08-09

Words of Farewell

2009-06-29T09:32:00.005-04:00

I've had the opportunity in the last month to see the Broadway play Jersey Boys twice, once on Broadway and once in my own state, part of the Broadway Series South. At the end of the performance, which chronicles the experiences of the group known as The Four Seasons, the character Frankie Valli says, "People have asked me what stands out over my career. Was it the hit records? Was it the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction? I have to say, looking back, that it was all of it. All of it."

I feel the same way about my NC Teacher of the Year experience. Yes, there are some highlights that stick out, ones that people ask me about often. But really it was all of it - from the minute I was named Gravelly Hill Middle School's Teacher of the Year in April of 2007 until when Tony Mullen was announced the next National Teacher of the Year in April of 2009. All of it.

The Big Things That Got a Lot of Attention

1. Being able to visit the White House with the other State Teachers of the Year and shake hands with President Obama during his first remarks in the Rose Garden during his Presidency was BIG. It was a historical moment starring a historical President. We could hardly breathe with excitement. Prior to that we attended a reception at the Vice President's home and met and talked with Dr. Jill Biden and played with Champ, the Vice Dog. After that, a few of us were interviewed for three segments of the syndicated television show This is America. Surreal. All of it.

2. Being named a finalist for National Teacher of the Year is an honor that I still can barely wrap my brain around. Having met and worked with the other finalists and State Teachers of the Year I seriously feel the need to bow down Wayne's World style and claim "I'm not worthy. I'm not worthy." The best part was how excited my students were about the announcement. They felt that it was for them, and of course, it was.

3. Appearing on national television and being reunited with my first grade teacher Mrs. Warnecke was life-changing. Since that day, I have gained a forever friend and confidant and have had the opportunity to question my teaching practices: how can I make a difference to my students the way Mrs. Warnecke made a difference to me? Hopefully, the answer will appear in my book Finding Mrs. Warnecke, scheduled to be released in May 2010, another dream realized because of this experience.

4. Because of the Teacher of the Year program, I traveled to Europe for the very first time. The Center for International Understanding included our entire team, and we traveled to Denmark and Sweden. I was giddy with excitement from the moment I stood at the post office and applied for my passport. I've been home a week, and I'm still not over it! It was amazing...

5. I've had the opportunity to speak before the Education Oversight Committee of the NC Legislature, and just last week, I sat with a group of National Board Certified Teachers with the Speaker of the House as our audience. Also, our state senator, Kay Hagan, visited me at my school...which brought in policy makers from all over the county to my school that sits in a former blueberry field out in the country. Big stuff for us.

6. I was appointed by the Governor of NC to serve on the NC Professional Teaching Standards Commission. This was a huge deal to me as I had to be sworn in by a judge. And as part of the commission, I've had the opportunity to impact how teachers are evaluated in my state. It makes me very proud.

Other Things That Were Really Important But Maybe Didn't Get As Much Attention from the Media

1. The 2008-2009 Teacher of the Year Team members are my best friends. To think that I only really met them a little over a year ago is unbelievable to me. Just goes to show you how quickly kindred spirits can become close. And the same goes for the other State Teachers of the Year. I truly have made friends for life because of the Teacher of the Year program.

2. Several times audience members have approached me to tell me that my story made a difference to them. Some were current teachers; some were future teachers. One finalist for the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program referenced something she heard me say in her interview. She was later selected to be a NC Teaching Fellow. To have an impact on others in the way that the Teacher of the Year program has afforded me is so meaningful.

3. I've had the opportunity to serve on various Boards including being a Teacher Advisor to the State Board of Education. I also served on the Public School Forum Board, the World View Advisory Board, and the Twenty-first Century Professionals Committee of the State Board of Education. I'm excited that these folks really care about the "teacher voice."

4. There have been innumerable speeches - to future teachers, beginning teachers, veteran teachers, future principals, and most importantly, there was a "graduation" speech to the eighth graders of my school, a bittersweet moment at the end of my year.

The Funny Things That Made the Traveling Easier

1. Okay, it wasn't funny that I hit a deer. But it was funny that the schoolbus threw that deer at me...and that the deputy was so serious when he told me that all he found, as far as damage, was fur.

2. I was nervous at the beginning of my year when I attended my first Public School Forum Board meeting. I sat beside Dr. June Atkinson, our State Superintendent, and hoped I could string two words together and sound worthy of my role...then a huge storm blew over, and the power went out. Here we sat in this (very old) resort hotel in Pinehurst in the dark. It was quite comical as we all were stabbing at our pecan pie and missing our plates.

3. The funniest part of the year, bar none, was the Principal of the Year selection process. I had been away from home for a week, in Dallas, Texas, at the State Teacher of the Year Conference, when I came home to spend two weeks in a car with Dan Holloman, Alisa McLean, and Debra Morris. I have never laughed so much in my life! We literally traveled from one end of the state to the other, west to east...then northeast to southeast...then back west...until we were giddy with exhaustion.

4. I learned a great deal about my ability to push through exhaustion during this experience. There were days when I would have a breakfast keynote, a luncheon, and a dinner motivational speech...all in the same day...in three different cities. People would say, "Well, who makes your schedule?" That would be me. But it isn't as easy as it seems. Let's just say on one of these occasions, I scheduled one thing - the breakfast keynote. Before I knew it, the Principal of the Year luncheon was scheduled on that same day, and a National Board dinner was rescheduled (from a snow day) for that same night. But just when I thought I didn't have one more ounce to give, I'd look out at those smiling faces in the audience and get some energy...just enough to get me home.

5. I'm glad no one saw me fall out of that kayak at Ocracoke. I went home with bruises, but it was worth it for this city girl to get "back to nature."

6. I did go into a couple of schools and, as a means of introduction, say, "I'm the North Carolina Teacher of the Year, and I...." only to get a variety of responses like "And?...." or "Uh huh...." as if to say "Who cares?" I finally changed my introduction to "I'm the North Carolina Teacher of the Year and I only say that so you'll know I'm not a terrorist or a child molester. May I please see...." It worked really well.

7. I got lost...a bunch...my GPS was not always right on target. Like the time it kept yelling at me to "turn right, turn right." I was in Hoke County, and there was nothing right except a cemetery. I yelled back at it: "I'm not turning right!!!" That was the only time I got lost in the east, but I got lost in the west a LOT! GPS does not like mountains! I found out you really don't have to travel the corkscrew roads of Little Switzerland to get to Burnsville in Yancey County. I also found out that just because it isn't raining at home, it may be raining in Stokes County when you're lost and have to keep getting out to run into fire stations and convenience stores in an attempt to find King, N.C. at 5:57 PM when you're the keynote speaker at 6PM.

8. Speaking of rain, for a state that had been in a severe drought to the point where we were assigned days that we could wash our cars, it sure did rain on me A LOT!

There was the time I was traveling from Charlotte to Brunswick County and got caught in a rain storm in Monroe. I also got caught speeding in the state car, the only time a "concerned citizen" dialed that 1-800 number and turned me in.

There was that Saturday that I was to speak at the NCAE Convention....the same Saturday thousands of people participated in a race that required all of the roads to be blocked. I got to the Convention Center on time, but my hair was a big frizzball. Good thing they had giant screens so that all 2,000 of the delegates could see just how frizzy my hair really was.

I went through five umbrellas during my Teacher of the Year year...they'd break in half, get whipped by the wind, or I'd lose one here or there.

9. I only gained five pounds coming out of the classroom and eating at all those dinners, but I'm surprised it wasn't more. I've never eaten so many slices of cheesecake in my life. Cheesecake = dessert of choice on the conference circuit.

Goodbye and Thank You

There are so many people to thank for this amazing year. I included most of them on my farewell video, but just a thank you will never be enough. This experience has truly changed my life, and I am so lucky to have had this amazing opportunity.

This will be my last post on the NC TOYTreks blog. My year is complete. And although I have turned in my state phone and state car, I will always be your North Carolina Teacher of the Year 2008-2009.

Thank you, North Carolina. It has been a wild ride....ALL OF IT.

Just Like one of H.C. Andersen's Fairy Tales...

2009-06-20T18:44:00.017-04:00

On Friday, we took a two hour bus ride to get to Odense, Denmark, the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen. It was a beautiful ride through the European countryside as we passed fields of wheat, corn, rye, and barley as well as gorgeous views of water and windmills along the way.

We began the day at the Sct. Hans Skole (school). Then we met with our host families to spend the afternoon and night in a Danish household. I'll be telling the stories of those two days with pictures:

Here's the principal of the school, Lars Eriksen, as he tells us about programs there. I was surprised to learn that there is no teacher evaluation. He doesn't observe his teachers as we are accustomed to in America. And the students seem to have more freedom than our American kids - there were no hall passes; they just kind of walked around unsupervised much of the time. However, it was their last week of school, and they were turning in books and cleaning up, etc. We know our own schools aren't quite as structured at the end of the year.

Our tour guides were Viola (pronounced VeeOla) and Emma. You can see that Viola has on a scarf, a staple in the wardrobe of European girls.

They called this class "needles class" - they were knitting on some wooden frames.

The kids hammed it up in woodworking class. We were horrified to see them handling saws without goggles in such a laid back atmosphere. I would have been terrified that someone would get hurt.

This is the Teacher's Lounge, and you can see how many teachers would be in there at any one time. I asked where the students were, and I was told that the kids go out to recess alone - the teacher has free time then. One thing we do have in common - they love their coffee, but instead of someone making coffee every morning, they have a coffee/hot chocoloate dispenser in their lounges (like we have Coke machines.)

This is art class. We loved the fat colored pencils in the box. I was amazed that each color was in its place in the box. I pictured American children just throwing them back in there (or throwing them at each other.)

The school has a dentist office in it. All health care and education costs are paid by the government so they have dental care right in the school.

Our tour guides couldn't translate this to English - they just said, "It's something about teeth."

We have these signs in our schools, too. They say "Testing. Do Not Disturb."

We spoke to this class of sixth graders (our equivalent of seventh graders - they start at grade 0). They asked us questions about our school, our students, and our country. I didn't know it at the time, but Anders, from my home stay family, was in this class.

The school treated us to lunch, including several types of Danish beer (right there in the school!)

Here's our lunch - pork, herring (I'm not a fan - it was basically raw), new potatoes (a big deal in Denmark - the mayors issue proclamations when the "new" potatoes are ready), some kind of sauce that the Danish folk put on their meat, and homemade rye bread. For dessert we had a bowl of strawberries with fresh cream. It was so good I wanted to lap it up like a cat. They ended an already amazing meal with that famous "soft ice" ice cream, a vanilla version and a caramel.

After lunch our host families came to pick us up. Claus, the father, and Anders, the 13 year old son, were all smiles and made what could have been an uncomfortable meeting with strangers very easy. I told them I hoped my suitcase wouldn't take up too much room in the car, and Claus said, "There's no car. We're walking." The house was just around the corner from the school!

When we turned the corner, I saw Lise and Anna standing on the porch...more smiles. They were all so excited to see me, but I was the one who was really excited!

Just after I arrived, my host family treated me to Danish pastries - I can tell you that nothing we have in America (that we call "Danish") can compare to these authentic delicacies!

The first thing we did was head to the Hans Christian Andersen museum. The Danish are proud of their most famous writer, who they refer to as H.C. Andersen (pronounced "Ho See Andersen"), and there are tributes to him all over the town.

We were greeted at the museum by ducklings...appropriate since one of H.C. Andersen's most popular stories is "The Ugly Duckling."

The museum included a timeline to help us understand the life and times of the author. Here's a familiar person who was a contemporary to the author.

Numerous scultptors have contributed to the immortality of H.C. Andersen.

H.C. Andersen had a difficult childhood, growing up in poverty. He grew up to be a prolific writer and artist, but was aware that he was not very attractive. Anna told me that she learned in school that he favored his right profile - thinking it made him look better. It's reported that his story "The Ugly Duckling" is somewhat autobiographical.

Here's the street where H.C. Andersen's birthplace sits.

After visiting the museum, my family took me to dinner in this restaurant. The food was very good and was similar to what I eat at home - some beef that looked and tasted like what we call hamburger steak or chopped steak, new potatoes, and bread. Also included were sweet pickle slices.

The restaurants are rated in Denmark just like they are in America. But they don't get grades; they get smiley faces.

After we ate, we rode around the Danish countryside. Some storms came and went, and there were beautiful rainbows along the way.

Here's my wonderful host family on the coast of Denmark where they like to go and look for fossils. Claus, the dad, is in advertising; Anna is 15 and is graduating this week from "gymnasium" (our version of high school), Anders is 13, and Angelise (Lise) works with one to three-year-olds at a day care.

We passed an authentic, and still functional, wooden windmill on our site-seeing trip.

Thankfully most tourist sites in Denmark include an English version of the description.

We climbed into a tower for this spectacular view.

On Saturday we went to the outdoor market. That red O (with a slash through it) symbol indicates that the food is organic.

There's Odense's most famous son. Anna told me that this park (beside the library that in the past was where the "rich people" went to read) is where the teenagers hang out and drink beer. Teens can drink at age 15 in Denmark, but they don't drive until they're 18...so they don't have the drinking and driving problem that we have in the US.

These prams (strollers) were everywhere. For a country that uses smaller cars and has small hotel rooms they sure like extra large baby strollers. The children stay in these for years, eventually sitting up in them. Also, it is common to let the baby sleep outside in the yard in the pram so they can get fresh air. Danish parents put the baby out for nap and then go on about their day. By the way, after the mothers take maternity leave, the fathers get 14 weeks of paternity leave, two weeks of which overlap with the mother's maternity leave.

As we walked around the town, we came upon this outdoor line dancing class.

This is city hall in Odense; it looks very similar to city hall in Copenhagen.

There are Lise and Anna outside H.C. Andersen's childhood home.

And Claus and Anders on the other side.

Next we came across a protest in the square where signs read "Demokrat Iran." The protestors were peaceful, chanting in a language that was neither Danish nor English. Lise said, "If they want to get their message across, they should use one of our languages."

The crosswalk lights in Odense display the likeness of H.C. Andersen.

When we went to the market, Lise set the timer on the car windshield that indicates what time they parked (there's a one hour limit.) I asked her how they knew people didn't put the wrong time there. Evidently there is a strong honor code in Denmark.

And with that, my time had run out in Odense. I cried as I embraced my host family, knowing that I may never see them again, and if I do, it will be a long time. But on my first morning back at home, I received an email from Claus that included this picture:

We had just finished our lunch on the deck overlooking the gardens and greenhouse. Claus set the timer and ran around behind us while we laughed hysterically. I enjoyed my stay in Odense and will miss my host family. Thank you, Claus, Lise, Anna, and Anders. It was a life-changing experience...

I'll miss you, Denmark.

Nothing's Rotten...

2009-06-18T16:25:00.007-04:00

I remember the first time I read Hamlet. I was a junior at UNC-Chapel Hill, and I remember my professor hammering the literary idea of "tragic flaw" to us. "His flaw," he said, "was his inability to act, his inability to carry out the commitment he made to kill his stepfather." I thought it was heavy stuff, but I liked it, especially the funny (and long) soliloquy by Polonius and the fact that at the end, like most of Shakespeare's tragedies, there are dead bodies strewn all over the stage. Oh, and I still LOVE the fact that dying takes about ten minutes, all while the character dying is announcing his death...over and over.

At the end of that semester, I pulled my first all-nighter...studying for my Shakespeare exam the next day, an exam that covered about fifteen of his plays. That was the only time in my life that I ever drank coffee; I didn't like it then, and I haven't changed my mind in thirty years. But Shakespeare has been part of me ever since I read Romeo and Juliet in the ninth grade and Macbeth and King Lear in the twelfth. That habit, unlike the coffee consumption, has stayed with me for life.

So to have the opportunity to visit Kronborg Castle, the setting for Hamlet, in Elsinore (Helsignor) Denmark today was unbelievable. After changing tracks numerous times - the information coming across the speaker (and translated by a nice Danish girl) kept telling me to change to another platform. Finally I was on the "coastal train" - the one that follows the coast of the Baltic Sea from Copenhagen to Elsinore. It was beautiful.

Personally I think that a city's name should be spelled the same way internationally. Why don't we spell Copenhagen the way the Danish do? And the whole Helsingor/Elsinore thing is confusing...

As beautiful as that train ride was, it didn't make me gasp like I did when I turned right out of the train station and saw that castle. I thought I was dreaming.

The first thing I did was stand on the bridge over the moat. I remember learning about moats in third grade so this was an exciting adventure...to actually see one.

The mascots of Kronborg, a swan family that lives in the moat.

I can see how a moat protects a castle.

The castle's story dates back to a fortress, Krogen, built in the 1420s by the Danish King, Eric of Pomerania. The king insisted on the payment of sound dues by all ships wishing to enter or leave the Baltic Sea; to help enforce his demands, he built a powerful fortress controlling the sound. It then consisted of a number of buildings inside a surrounding wall.

Kronborg acquired its current name in 1585 when it was rebuilt by Frederick II into a magnificent Renaissance castle unique in its appearance and size throughout Europe. In 1629, a fire swept through the castle and some say it never regained its original splendor.

From 1739 until the 1900's, Kronborg was used as a prison. The inmates were guarded by soldiers in the castle. The convicts had been sentenced to work on the castle's fortifications. They were divided into two categories: those with minor sentences were categorized as "honest" and were allowed to work outside the castle walls; those serving sentences for violence, murder, arson or the like were categorized as "dishonest" and had to serve the full sentence doing hard physical labor inside the castle ramparts. Otherwise, they served their time under the same conditions: they all had to wear chains and spend nights in cold and damp dungeons.

When it was a prison, it was a pretty one...

I could almost see those prisoners there as I looked at the dungeon doors. I felt like I heard them. And I felt the spirit of Hamlet's father's ghost as he spoke to him in that regal setting.

My camera battery died before my interest did, but I'm forever grateful to the Center for International Understanding, that I've had this amazing experience this week. And now "to sleep, perchance to dream" - tomorrow we head to Odense to stay with a host family...should be fun!

Curious in Copenhagen...

2009-06-18T02:44:00.016-04:00

I'm finding that my first European Vacation (shout out to Chevy Chase) is resulting in more questions than answers. I want so badly to understand everything, and there's just so much I don't "get" here.

First, the language. I'm big on words. I'm an English teacher. And I'm mesmerized by this consonant-laden cousin of German. When I listen to the television broadcasters (well, I have to have some noise in my hotel room) the intonation sounds very American...not so much English, but American. Their cadence is similar, and they go up and down at all the same places. But the words are unrecognizable. I do know that "tak" means "thanks." I saw it on the trash cans at McDonald's. And I'm still working on understanding that O-with-a-slash-through-it-thingee. That one worries me a little...I can't figure out how to type it!

Next, Denmark is known for being the happiest place on earth. Being a modern welfare state, Denmark offers its citizens free health-care and education, among other benefits, and everyone feels the sense of the community that a country that shares all resources will feel. Only 2% of the budget is used for police, jails, and the court system, for goodness sakes! How much happier can you be?

But since we've been here, two people have jumped in front of moving trains to commit suicide (and we've only been here four days.) You see, Denmark also has one of the highest rates of suicide in the world. So how is it that the happiest people are also the UN-happiest?

And next, why is there grafitti everywhere? And I do mean everywhere! If it's not moving chances are it's been spray painted.

Well, on to a recap of the past couple of days...

I took my first European train ride yesterday. What an experience! I love the words here that remind me so much of the British (I've always wanted to visit England but haven't made it yet.) For example, I took a "lift" at the airport instead of an elevator. And when we got to the train station we were told to go to "Platform 5." I was immediately reminded of Harry Potter's Platform nine and three quarters and looked for a similar Danish version to no avail.

Our train platform - to Roskilde...

Harry Potter's platform to Hogwarts.

We traveled across the Denmark countryside to visit Roskilde, a quaint little town with cobblestone streets, the first gothic cathedral in Northern Europe, and our destination, the Viking Ship Museum. Roskilde was the first capital of Denmark, but it also is the home of five Viking ships that were sunk off the coast somewhere between 1070 and 1090 A.D. The ships were excavated and painstakingly put back together in a process that involved gently lifting and washing separate pieces, diagramming exactly where they were found in the water, and then making models of how the pieces should be put together to most closely resemble the original ships. This process took a lot of patience (and twenty-five years!)

Here's the train station in Roskilde.

Here's Roskilde Cathedral, the burial place for 30 kings and queens of Denmark.

The Danish folks like scale models; we saw several, but here's the entire city of Roskilde.

After following a little path from the cathedral, we stepped out to this view. That's the Roskilde Fjords, the place where the Viking ships were discovered in the 1960's. A fjord is an inlet created by glaciers, by the way.

Here's one of the ships...

and another...

The Danes encourage hands-on activities for their children (remember the toilet from a few days ago?) Here are some Viking costumes the children can try on.

And here's the Viking ship they can play on.

As we walked back through town, I thought this was a firetruck. On second glance, maybe it's a street cleaner.

After viewing the ships at the museum, my little group and I shopped a little on those cobblestone streets. Of course, we had already figured out, from our time in Copenhagen (and the $8 I paid for a muffin and Coke) that things are really expensive here. I looked at several tshirts in Roskilde shops but found none under $60. After experiencing my first "soft ice," (like our soft serve ice cream), we hopped back on the train and headed to the hotel to get our passports so we could leave the country and visit Sweden!

By now, I was getting this train thing down, and personally I think they're easier to navigate than the ones in New York City. At least here we're looking for cities, and all we have to do is ask, "Is this train going to Copenhagen?" if we're not sure which one we need. In New York you have to understand the numbered streets, and I don't.

So we settled in on the train headed for Malmo, Sweden (and, yes, I need one of those o's with a slash through it for Malmo!) The view was gorgeous as we traveled over the Oresund Bridge between Denmark and Sweden, the world's largest bridge carrying both road and railway traffic. While in Malmo, we explored and shopped a little (the prices were lower than in Copenhagen), and I was a little disappointed in a toy store when I found out that the Swedish word for Cinderella literally translates to "ash pot." Prince Charming and Ash Pot, what a pair!

Welcome to Malmo!

We came upon a huge square full of music and celebration.

The buildings are beautiful.

Got any money stowed away in a Swedish bank?

Again...there are flowers for sale everywhere in Denmark and Sweden. Each home must have fresh flowers on the table...but I haven't been able to peek in one to see.

We found our way back to Copenhagen by train, and then walked (way too far - it was right on the other side of Tivoli Gardens, but we went in the other direction) to find the Hard Rock Cafe. Sometimes you just want a cheeseburger. Next I'll be visiting the setting for Hamlet, Kronborg Castle...stay tuned...

Denmark, Part II

2009-06-16T17:35:00.013-04:00

Welcome to my home in Denmark - the CABINN, where the slogan is "Sleep Cheap in Luxury."

Our first mission once we got to Denmark was to explore! Although we hadn't slept in 36 hours, we walked to Tivoli Square to look around. There's an amusement park there that has rides that you couldn't pay me to get on! We walked around our first night here and tried to get acclimated to the (literally) foreign surroundings.

Copenhagen has flowers everywhere!

Here's Tivoli Gardens...one of the oldest amusement parks in the world. The word is that Walt Disney came here to look at Tivoli before he designed Disneyland!

City Hall...

Here's a statue of the country's most famous author, Hans Christian Andersen (known as H.C. Andersen in Denmark.) He wrote The Little Mermaid, The Little Matchgirl, and The Ugly Duckling.

There are MANY Danish folks riding bicycles around here! And when they leave them parked outside, they don't even lock them up - people are very trusting in Denmark...

There's water, water everywhere - canals, lakes, rivers (fjords) - it's beautiful!

Today we learned about energy, Denmark-style. We visited the RISO National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy and the Copenhagen Energy and Waterworks Place.

There are gorgeous poppy fields all over that can be seen from the train and shuttle bus as we go from place to place.

Here are our presenters at RISO - Stephanie Ropenus and Leif Sonderberg.

Here's a picture of the wind turbine up close and personal (and on the ground!) It's 40 meters long - much bigger than it looks up there in the air twirling around!

Here's the Director of the Energy and Waterworks Place, Jesper Steenberg, showing how he teaches children about water erosion in Denmark.

We were surprised to see how Jesper teaches the children about the sewer system:

he has them climb down into the "pipes" and look for rats! They also dig their hands into dark places and pull out items that shouldn't be flushed (some were embarrassing items that would wreak havoc with our students but evidently don't bother the Danish ones...)

Here's Jesper showing us how it's done. P.S. We thank Jesper for coming in specially for us - he is currently on paternity leave - for fourteen weeks! Gotta love Denmark!

One activity Jesper told us about was the role-playing the kids do at the Energy and Waterworks Place. We put on some of the hats that the kids wear as they represent the way that different countries use water. Of course, I put on the hat representing the USA - a Yankees hat...hmmm...I guess that's how they think of America.

We rode home from our exciting day in our "bustrafik!"

Later I walked to the mall, a scenic walk by the canal took me to the Fisketorvet Shopping Center right down the street from our hotel. Some musings on that experience:

1. It is unnerving to shop in a foreign country. The price tags make no sense. Even the mall hours posted (9-20) are confusing.

2. Every store plays American music. I shopped to Lady GaGa and Britney Spears. I would have felt like I was at home if I could have read the price tags and didn't have to take ten extra minutes to calculate the difference in currency in my head.

3. I saw stores I recognize: Aldo, H&M, and Pizza House (which looks just like Pizza Hut in my world.)

4. Everyone here speaks English. Because there are so few folks in Denmark (5.4 million), and Danish is so difficult to learn, they know they have to know English in order to communicate with the outside world.

5. Danish folk don't appear to love their water like we love ours. There are beautiful canals, but I haven't seen any kind of personal pleasure boats in the water, just a few cruise boats for tourists. And as I walked to the mall, I was basically alone on the gorgeous walkway that runs beside the water. If that canal were in my town, people would be sitting by it as long as possible (which is a lot in Denmark, by the way. The sun comes up by 3:30 AM and stays up until 10:45 PM.)

6. All women in Denmark wear these cute scarves wrapped around them. The mall was full of them! And I think they identify me as a tourist since I don't have one...because no one has tried to speak in Danish to me. Some guy at the mall stepped in front of me and said, "Oh, sorry" and then continued to speak Danish to his friend. How the heck was he able to determine my heritage so quickly, without missing a beat? I'm going to buy myself a scarf!

Here's an example of the scarves we see everywhere! There are all kinds of websites explaining how to tie them...

Stay tuned for another exciting post from Denmark...this time I'll be sharing our experiences at a Viking Ship Museum and on our trip to Sweden!

Velkommen Ven Til Danmark!

2009-06-15T10:28:00.010-04:00

I hope the online translator got "Welcome to Denmark" correct and my title doesn't say something nasty!

Well, here we are. The 08-09 North Carolina Teacher of the Year Team, minus our friends Janice and Frieda, and along with some new friends - educators from across the state - are international men and women of mystery! Our adventure had a rocky start, though. First...half of us met at Raleigh/Durham airport at 10:30 AM on Saturday, June 13th. The other half convened in Charlotte. The Charlotte folks flew on to Newark and then hopped on their plane to Copenhagen, but those of us in Raleigh sat on the runway for two hours...then were told to disembark due to weather issues, and a ground hold, in Newark. After we did get on our plane, we sat again while watching a rambunctious two-year-old run up and down the aisle, lie down in the middle of the aisle, and grab my water bottle out of my hand. Not only were his parents not reprimanding him, they weren't even paying attention to him! But finally seven hours later, we arrived in Newark to the news we had already figured out. Our flight to Denmark had left.

Bill and Lindsey were relentless while securing flights for all of us!

Our fearless leaders Bill Ferriter (6th grade social studies teacher at Salem Middle School) and Lindsey Molusky (Director of the Latino initiative at the Center for International Understanding) worked diligently with Hector, the Continental representative, to get us all to our destination. However, the end result would involve seven different flights through three different cities to get us there. And none of these flights would leave until the next day. Luckily, Continental gave us vouchers for a hotel room. Unluckily, nine zillion people had the same vouchers, and the hotel was an hour down the New Jersey turnpike. We endured fatique, hunger, and bathroom issues, along with a shuttle full of children (well-behaved this time) on our LONG ride to Fords, New Jersey. Once we arrived at the Holiday Inn there...at midnight...I felt a little anxiety after our driver hopped off and left us inside. He then jumped back in the driver's seat and drove away, with no explanation to us regarding his plans. I seriously felt that I was being kidnapped...or at the very least treated badly. I mean he could've told us where we were going! I updated my Facebook status that night by phone - "You won't believe this day! After fourteen hours, a (very) delayed flight, several near riots, and a highjacked shuttle bus, I am in Fords, New Jersey."

Here's the "Palace" - the huge statue in the courtyard is "some guy from India" according to the clerk who checked us in.

After arriving at the nearby Best Western "Palace" and checking in, we ordered pizza and choked it down as quickly as possible at midnight so we could get to bed! The next morning we rushed to get ready, did some more waiting (stood in the parking lot waiting for the shuttle for about an hour) then headed back down the turnpike to get to Newark. As I mentioned, we were now divided into several groups...the first group took a direct flight to Copenhagen, Ann (the outgoing Wake County Teacher of the Year) took a flight through Paris by herself, my group flew by way of Amsterdam, and the last group flew to Paris also. At this moment, we're still waiting for them to arrive, a day and a half after the itinerary indicates.

Our flight to Amsterdam was six hours long, two shorter than the straight-through flight would have been. We left at 6:30 PM, got a pretzel snack, then dinner right off the bat. I watched "Confessions of a Shopaholic" and read a little. It wasn't long before I figured out that I better try to sleep...but that was easier said than done. I did doze for a minute, but when I opened my eyes I could see the sun coming up. I looked at my watch, and it was 2 AM at home, then 3 AM...I pictured my husband and my dog all snug in their beds, and there I was sitting on a plane in broad daylight, just a few hours after I left the good ol' US. The time difference (and us jumping six hours ahead of our families) has possibly been the hardest concept for me to wrap myself around (well, that and the hijacker...)

As we descended in Amsterdam, I looked out the window and thought "This looks like Iowa." Interesting, because I've never been to Iowa. But it looked green and fertile and rural, and I pictured corn fields. As we got closer I saw the canals...Amsterdam is a beautiful city from the air, but I didn't see any more of it, except in the airport.

Welcome to Europe (phew, we finally made it!)

The Holland Store in the Amsterdam airport had all kinds of wooden shoes. They didn't feel very comfy to me!

Amsterdam likes pretty cows...notice the windmill on the cow below.

Our final plane - from Amsterdam to Denmark!

It was not long before we were back on a plane and headed to Denmark, and I have to say - the view from the plane was breathtaking. The windmills, the water...it was beautiful. We haven't ventured out yet, but I hope to see as much of that water as possible in the next few days.

Here's the view of the windmills from the plane...

Our hotel rooms are quaint and functional...well, at least if the occupants are functional. It took me awhile to figure out how to work the water faucets, the lights, the plugs...but I've got it now. And when my roommate, Trisha, gets here from Paris (that sounds really cool) I'll be able to help her!

Here's the view from my room - apartments across the street...

Tonight we're still waiting for the last of our group to arrive. It's been a long two days for them!I've had about one hour of sleep so I'll try to pry my eyes open to greet them upon arrival (if they get here in the next few minutes...)

Stay tuned for more of The NC TOY Team's European Adventure!

Virtual TOY

2009-06-14T16:35:00.006-04:00

I've been negligent about posting for the past couple of weeks, but I haven't been negligent about taking care of my mother who fell two weeks ago and broke her hip and elbow. Thank goodness I was able to handle some of my TOY duties virtually and with the help of other TOYs.

Before my mother's injury, I was able to brave the wind and rain and head over to Stokes County to help celebrate on a special night: Teachers of the Year, retirees, National Board Certified Teachers, and Teacher Assistants were being honored. It was a beautiful night, complete with dinner, balloons, roses for the honorees (and me), and music played by the high school band featuring theme songs from movies. There were gold stars everywhere, even on the floor, and it was a wonderful reminder that educators are so special. And I felt special, too, when I was given a basket full of Stokes County products, including Purple Sweet Potato Butter...yum

Here's my festive basket from Stokes County!

Next I was to go to Catawba County and help celebrate the closing of Sweetwater Elementary School, but since I was at the hospital with my mother, I wrote a tribute and sent a video for the presenters there to use. I told the story of my own elementary school, Bragtown, and about how it burned to the ground in 1991. I shared that schools are so much more than buildings and that nothing can erase the beautiful memories of our schools.

Next I was honored to have the opportunity, earlier this year, to choose a high school senior to receive the Teaching it Forward Scholarship to the University of Phoeniz. Each state Teacher of the Year was given this opportunity, and I chose my student Echo who I taught in seventh and eighth grade. After eighth grade, she moved to Asheville, and I had hoped to present the scholarship to her at her Senior Night at T.C. Roberson High School. But I was unable to attend. Thankfully, John Hall, the current charter school Teacher of the Year from Artspace Charter School in Swannanoa, was able to stand in for me. Echo sent me a video clip of the presentation, and John did a great job. I appreciate him taking my place on this special occasion.

Last Monday night, I delivered the graduation address to the eighth graders at my own school, Gravelly Hill Middle. This was a bittersweet moment as I watched those little "weinies" (as I called them in sixth grade) sitting in front of me so dressed up for their special night. I spoke to them about dreams and how to go after them, and I asked them not to settle for less than the best as they pursue those dreams.

Here I am just before the 8th grade graduation with my student Courtney.

Things continue to wrap up for me as North Carolina's reigning Teacher of the Year (only a few weeks left), but some of the best times are yet to come! The Teacher of the Year Team is headed to Denmark June 13-21! Stay tuned for updates on that trip...

Looking Ahead...

2009-05-24T12:24:00.005-04:00

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

2009-05-15T10:42:00.006-04:00

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...

2009-05-10T14:46:00.010-04:00

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!

Rose Garden Ceremony - Yes, That's THE Rose Garden

2009-04-28T21:39:00.014-04:00

I don't think there are words to describe such a surreal experience, but I'll try.

Today I was the last teacher on the bus headed for the White House because I spent some time emailing my colleagues at Gravelly Hill Middle School, and I was running a little late. I wanted to make sure, before the press release came out, to tell them that my friend and fellow finalist Tony Mullen would soon be named the 2009 National Teacher of the Year. I also wanted to thank them for their unwavering support this year as I have traveled the state on behalf of teachers. But, oops, the time got away from me...so I hustled out to the bus, and off we went!

Once we arrived, the security check began...actually, it started months ago when we sent in the names of our visitors along with our names and social security numbers...background checks, I guess. CIA clearance? Who knows?

Here I am, looking distressed...

At any rate, when they checked, my name wasn't on the list. I could feel the tears coming while I waited with two other teachers who were also missing from the list and the kind Teacher of the Year from Alaska, who was on the list, but who refused to enter without us. Magically, someone produced an updated list, and we were all allowed in.

By the way, two guests actually were not allowed in: the husband of Virginia Teacher of the Year Stephanie Doyle and the son-in-law of Missouri TOY Margaret Williams. Stephanie was seen pictured shaking the President's hand on many newspapers the next day, and I told her that kind of helped to make up for it, but not enough. I can't imagine how I would have felt if I had looked out over that crowd and seen no one familiar, no one there for me. As it was, my husband was an obnoxious photographer and can be seen on some publicity photos hovering over Michelle Obama's head.

There's David, fourth row, gray hair, camera in hand...just behind the First Lady and Jill Biden.

Since we had been detained, the rest of the group had made it to the Rose Garden, but our little group had to wait for a military escort. So we hung out in the Presidential library until our time to meet the others.

Next we lined up, in order of height (we had already practiced) and waited for the President to come out of a press conference - Senator Specter had just announced that he would be changing parties, so all of the press that had arrived for the TOY celebration had run inside to see what the President would say.

There I am on the right in the white suit.

Michelle Obama and Jill Biden were introduced first.

The President entered, saying "Hello, everybody!"

The President greeted the guests.

After the Rose Garden ceremony, I was interviewed by the sponsor of the National Teacher of the Year Program, ING.

The view from the Rose Garden - it was an amazing day!

Thank you, North Carolina, for giving me this unforgettable opportunity..

P.S. You can view the event here.

Teacher of the Year, Recognition Week!

2009-04-28T10:09:00.011-04:00

I'm sure my life has never been as chaotic as last week as I prepared for my trip to Washington, D.C. I spoke in three different cities, all while trying to pack for the biggest events of my professional life and while attempting to complete, print, and mail a draft of my book entitled Finding Mrs. Warnecke.

Suffice it to say that I haven't cleaned my house in three weeks - can't wait to do that! So...I finally starting packing, and my husband could barely lift the suitcase. I took a pile of stuff out and put some things in the car (I was flying, but David would be driving up later...) Meanwhile I dropped my gown for the ball right in the driveway and just generally made a mess of things while trying to get out of town. Then I got to the airport and my luggage was still too heavy! But I whined and told the check-in attendant "But I'm going to meet the President!" and she let me go without charging me the $50 she had mentioned. Thanks!

In the terminal I bought UNC championship t-shirts for the President (he picked us to win on his brackets) and Arne Duncan, the Secretary of Education and a former professional basketball player. Then I saw former UNC star Eric Montross come out of the gate I was headed in to. I felt like that was an omen of the famous people I would see in the days to come...

Once I arrived in D.C. on Sunday night, I was so excited to see the other State Teachers of the Year - we all met in January in Dallas and have communicated in the months since, all what I call "kindred spirits in education." My first fun event was to jump in a limousine and participate in a beautiful nighttime tour of Washington, D.C.

Here I am with Tony Mullen, the Teacher of the Year from Connecticut and the newly named National Teacher of the Year, and the State Teachers of the Year from Minnesota, Louisiana, Maine, Colorado, and California.

Here I am at the World War II Memorial - I'm proud of the veterans from North Carolina, including many of my uncles and my husband's uncle Riddick who died during the Battle of the Bulge.

Monday we boarded buses and headed for a day at the Smithsonian as we are now "Smithsonian Ambassadors." We met briefly at the Castle, the Smithsonian's first building, before breaking into groups and visiting different museums. My group spent a few hours in the Museum of National History, and although we were able to see exhibits like The Star Spangled Banner, Dorothy's Ruby Slippers, and an exhibit depicting the life of Abraham Lincoln (including his top hat), most of the time we were in the repository, digging through artifacts in an extremely secure area. We were all given a box from our own states, and we were able to look through diaries, postcards, and letters and feel connected to home.

The Castle

My Smithsonian Group

The Climate-controlled Area for Artifact Collections, including Duke Ellington's Sheet Music

Artifacts from North Carolina from the 30's to the 50's

I brought sixteen pairs of shoes to Washington, but none as famous as these!

The best was yet to come, though, as we hopped on the buses again and headed to Vice President Biden's residence. We were so excited while the security guards were checking our identification - I watched the dog sniffing for bombs under the bus in front of us and realized that this visit was a very big deal!

Dr. Jill Biden was our hostess, and she was so sweet and gracious. A teacher herself, Dr. Biden spoke to each State Teacher of the Year individually, smiling for pictures, and thanking each of us for what we do. Our visit to the Vice President's residence was definitely something I'll never forget!

The VP's Home

When I first met Jill Biden, I talked to her about being a reading teacher (she's one, too!) and about being a stepmother, another thing we have in common. I told her that I've always admired her for the way she helped raise those two boys after they tragically lost their mother and sister.

The Vice-Puppy is named Champ - a name the Vice President's father called him as a child.

Finally my travel weary husband showed up and we walked to Luigi's, an authentic Italian restaurant, to have dinner before our big day Tuesday. Stay tuned for my experiences as I meet the President, the Vice President, and the Secretary of Education. Not exactly my usual audience of seventh graders!

Mountain Girl?

2009-04-25T08:27:00.012-04:00

My return trip to Hendersonville this week has made me question my usual choice of beach over mountains. As you may remember, I was in Henderson County in the fall, speaking at a National Board Certified Teachers' recognition. I returned to visit the neighboring town, Saluda, during the Principal of the Year site visits in February. But it was this third time heading west that inspired this poem:

Competition

Gazing with amusement
at a mountain scene,

being an ocean girl myself,

I challenged

the degree of beauty

I would find there.

But I looked

across that early spring range

and saw varied shades of green –

mint to forest to hunter –

and thought
those mountain leaves,

watercolor on parchment,

an autumn reversal

of leaf tone,

with clouds sitting

hilltop,

resting in the splendor,
the very portrayal of beauty,

I guess -

a challenge to those

flat-sand beaches

of the coast.

************************************

On this trip I developed a newly found affection for these hills of our state, no doubt thanks to the fine folks in Henderson County. I stayed in the Waverly Inn, a beautiful bed and breakfast inn, located in historic Hendersonville. I was impressed by the history of the building and even more impressed by the unending cake slices and homebaked cookies, not to mention the free flowing Coca-Cola machine (my favorite thing.)

After speaking to new teachers from the district at West Henderson High School, we all gathered in the school's cafeteria for a reception complete with cheesecake. It was there that I experienced a first. Moriah, an adorable little girl, asked me for my autograph!

Here I am with cutie-patootie Moriah, who said she wanted my autograph because "You're famous, and you know Hannah Montana!"

Later, a wonderful group of teacher leaders took me to dinner at Mezzaluna, and I enjoyed pizza and fellowship with teachers from the mountains of our state.

On Tuesday at EPFP, we celebrated our wonderful leader's birthday. Jo Ann Norris has been in education over 35 years, and she deserves more than a song and cake! We presented her with a picture of the group; however the photo was taken last week when everyone was in Washington for a conference that I couldn't attend. So I brought Jo Ann my Glamourshots picture (c. 1987). We all had a good laugh about that.

Here I am with Jo Ann and a picture of my 80's hair!

Wednesday I returned to Greensboro, this time to visit the MSA class at UNC-G. I spoke to them about developing teacher leaders in their schools and about what a teacher thinks makes a principal great. They were a wonderful, attentive group (they meet after school, well into the night) and I enjoyed my time there.

Next I traveled to Fayetteville State University to participate in the Excellence in Teaching Institute. Ruth Ann Parker, Southeast Regional Teacher of the Year, and I presented, together for the first time this year, to pre-service teachers. The Capel Arena held a class act of hospitality from the food to the student musical performers to the HUGE gift basket Ruth Ann and I were presented with. Thanks, Broncos!

Here I am with Ruth Ann earlier in the year at the NCCAT Gala!

Next week is one of the biggest weeks ever. I travel to Washington, D.C. for the naming of the National Teacher of the Year and HOPEFULLY we'll all get to meet the President, as former State TOYs have done.

Stay tuned to this blogsite - I'll be updating daily...

Winding Down the Year...

2009-04-18T22:03:00.007-04:00

A personalized gift basket of thanks for National Board Certification work...

This week ended about the same time as the next one is about to start...but I'm not worried about being tired...because all too soon there will be a new North Carolina Teacher of the Year, and I'll be saying that this year went by too fast!

I started this past week at Gravelly Hill Middle School with a more relaxed National Board candidate-in-waiting. My friend Kelly had mailed her portfolio weeks ago, and we were beginning preparations for her assessment center exercises. But first, she presented me with a huge basket that held gift cards and gifts galore...all of my favorite things! Now you know why Kelly is one of my GHMS BFFs.

On Tuesday, I served on the selection committee for the next Orange County Schools Teacher of the Year. It was a wonderful day, but a difficult one as we selected two finalists for the 2009-2010 Teacher of the Year. Of course, the teachers are some of the best you'll find, and it was an honor to sit and listen to them talk about their teaching. The new OCS TOY won't be named until May...so more on that later.

On Wednesday, I served on another committee. I was part of a group of OCS teachers who participated in the Title II audits. I was so excited to hear all of us sharing positive stories about what's going on in our schools.

Thursday was a day to get prepared for the National Teacher of the Year announcement next week. There were clothes and essentials to gather, and it took me all day to do it. More on those events next week!

Denmark native Sofus Simenson tells us all about his native country.

But Friday I was back on the road - but not far - I drove to Chapel Hill to meet with the Center for International Understanding and a group of participants from across the state. We'll all be going to Copenhagen, Denmark in June! We'll also visit a school and stay with a host family in Odense, the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen. I grew up listening to my great grandmother telling me the story of "The Little Match Girl" so I'm so excited to learn more about the author in Denmark. I'll also visit Kronborg Castle in Helsinore, the setting for Shakespeare's Hamlet. I can't wait to get to Denmark!

Panel members Jacob, Trina, and Anne talk about life in Denmark.

Saturday morning we ate breakfast in the hotel while watching some hungry ducks beg to come in.

The group met Friday and Saturday and made plans for our lessons we'll teach when we return. I hope my students are ready to learn more about Andersen's fairy tales, Hamlet, and Denmark. It won't be long before I'm back in that school doing what I love best - teaching middle school!

National Championship Week!

2009-04-06T13:21:00.009-04:00

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!

2009-04-04T20:58:00.008-04:00

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...

2009-03-28T12:27:00.005-04:00

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...

2009-03-19T11:10:00.004-04:00

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...

2009-03-15T23:50:00.010-04:00

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

2009-03-11T07:17:00.008-04:00

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...

2009-03-09T15:42:00.003-04:00

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.

The Fun Begins!

2009-03-08T21:20:00.005-04:00

A beautiful vase of tulips arrived to my hotel room today. Thank you, ING and CCSSO!

I arrived in Washington, D.C. yesterday (since it's close enough to North Carolina to drive in a few hours,) but I didn't feel quite like the festivities were underway until it was time for the other three finalists to arrive today. Well, tonight, Jon Quam, the Director of the National Teacher of the Year Program, met us in the lobby of our hotel so that we could walk to dinner, and it was then that Tony, Alex, and I found out that Susan was stranded in the airport in Chicago and wouldn't be joining us. We missed her cheerful presence, but luckily, her sign language interpreter, Cheri, was with us.

First Jon took us for a tour of the Council of Chief State School Officers building where our interviews and press conference will take place.

Tony and Alex test the chairs in the press conference room.

Next we entered the historic Union Station for dinner at BSmith's, a restaurant specializing in Southern cuisine and soul food...right up my alley! We all had a wonderful time and now are ready for our videotapings tomorrow and then dinner with the selection committee. Oh, and we're also waiting for Susan to get here! Can't wait to see her!

Here, Tony and Alex and I stand in the regal Union Station, a historic train station built in 1907.

Mrs. Rigsbee Goes to Washington

2009-03-07T21:01:00.006-05:00

I had a busy week at the State Board of Education meetings while packing to travel to Washington, D.C. for the National Teacher of the Year Selection process. I was witness to history at the State Board meetings this week as we watched Dr. Bill Harrison being sworn in as CEO of the Public Schools of North Carolina, and minutes later, named Chairman of the Board. It was an emotional meeting as the Board said goodbye to Chairman Howard Lee, who has chaired the Board for five years, and who brought an air of dignity to that role that will never be forgotten. He will now head up Governor Purdue's Education Cabinet. I'm excited about working with Dr. Harrison in my role as Teacher Advisor to the State Board of Education.

I rushed out of Thursday's meeting to drive to Montgomery County and present on "Literacy for Life" to the NCASCD meeting. I shared my "reading history" with the participants and offered ideas for reading strategies that they could use in their classrooms. I was emotional twice, once while reading aloud a story about my parents and later while viewing the video of my reunion with my first grade teacher Mrs. Warnecke. But suffice it to say that I was having an emotional week anyway, realizing that I was about to embark on one of the biggest "moments" of my life.

And that moment is here...I am in our nation's capital preparing to represent North Carolina teachers. We arrived yesterday, and apparently my husband thinks the best way to prepare for an interview is to walk 15 miles! After checking into the Liaison Hotel, we set out to take in the sights of Washington, D.C. on a beautiful first-of-spring day (it's hard to believe that just five days ago I was home on a "snow day.")

The Capitol is literally steps from our hotel!

We were a little late in the day by the time we started our sightseeing walk, but that made for a pretty sunset picture of the Washington Monument.

Thanks to Trisha Muse's fifth graders at Page Street Elementary School in Troy! They made me beautiful "good luck" cards so I sent them this picture of their cards' arrival at the White House.

Stay tuned for updates on the events of the next few days, including dinner with the selection committee, a videotaped response to questions, a "mini-keynote" speech, an interview, and a press conference. Also, tomorrow I have scheduled meetings with North Carolina Senators Hagan and Burr along with a visit to the Senate floor!

And as for my performance in the selection process...maybe when it's all over, I'll be able to do the Smarty Pants Dance ...

A Gala Week!

2009-03-01T08:20:00.010-05:00

Some weeks on this Teacher of the Year tour have been slammed with activity - one wonderful thing after another - until it's hard to absorb the wonderfulness before I'm off to another experience. Such it was this week...the Gala week! Back to that in a minute..

I started off the week on the beautiful campus of North Carolina Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount, N.C. I was the featured speaker for the Spring Symposium at NCWC which included nine current student teachers and 21 education majors. I shared my Expressions for Excellence in Education and some answers to their questions and concerns. These students were energetic and vibrant, and we'll be lucky to have them in our schools in NC.

Here I am with Dr. Patricia Brewer, Assistant Professor of Education at NCWC, and some of her education students.

I loved Dr. Brewer's door - her students illustrated their best teachers and the attributes they had. Oh yea, and there's a flyer about my presentation in the middle...not as cute as the illustrations!

I headed home from Rocky Mount and prepared for a couple of meetings in Raleigh on Tuesday. Then off again, this time to Salisbury to visit the West Teaching Scholars and participate in several activities with them. First we had breakfast, and I spoke with them on seeking leadership opportunities even as beginning teachers. That followed with a question and answer session; the Fellows asked compelling questions on everything from collaborating with colleagues to school safety. From there we walked over to the Ketner School of Business where I presented my keynote - Making Connections as a Teacher - a message about 21st Century teaching and the teacher/student relationship. Next we broke for lunch where I had the opportunity to sit with Catawba faculty and Hannah, a Fellow from my mother's hometown of Robbins, N.C. Hannah, along with the other Fellows at Catawba, remind me of the promise of the future of teaching.

Yep, there's the sign...I found Catawba College!

I always try to wear the school colors when I visit college campuses. Sometimes I don't get them exactly right (there are MANY colors of blue.) I was so excited to see that I perfectly matched the Fellows at Catawba!

On Friday, I had the pleasure to present to the entire student body of Wentworth Elementary School in Rockingham County. My lesson involved Character Education, and I read from the book Have You Filled a Bucket Today? (while I threw "stars" at the students from my "bucket.") The best way to end a rainy Friday - and a busy week - was looking out over the sea of little faces in the Wentworth Elementary gymnasium!

But, wait! The week wasn't over...I was honored to attend the Gala and Silent Auction for the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) on Saturday night. The Teacher of the Year team pulled our gowns and tuxedos out of the closet and headed to the Cardinal Club in Raleigh to participate in the auction that raises money for a place (actually two places - one in the mountains and one at the beach) that celebrates teachers by offering amazing professional development opportunities while nurturing souls and feeding weary minds and bodies. If you're a North Carolina teacher, and you haven't had an NCCAT experience, go to the website and apply today!

The NCCAT Golden Apple Gala was a festive event as evidenced by the ice sculpture and the dessert tray.

Here we are...members of the North Carolina Teacher of the Year Team 2008-2009. From left - Trisha Muse, Sandhills/South Central Region; Ruth Ann Parker, Southeast Region; Sonya Rinehart, Northeast Region; Renee Peoples, West Region, Cindi Rigsbee, Piedmont/Triad Central Region; and Bernard Waugh, Southwest Region (We missed Freida Baker, Paige Elliott, and Janice Raper!)

I was amazed at the items donated for auction - beautiful artwork, rugs, sports memorabilia (I would've loved the basketball signed by former UNC Coach Dean Smith) and trips galore! Trips to every beach in the state, along with trips to New York City and Paris, were available. I left with one happy husband who bid for, and won, a Richard Petty Driving Experience. Now David gets to go to Lowe's Motor Speedway and drive a race car at 185 mph. He acted like a kid when he found out he had won the bid!

Here I am with Trisha and Alton Ballance, NCCAT Fellow from Ocracoke Island.

Here I am with Southeast Regional Teacher of the Year Ruth Ann Parker.

I was so happy to see most of my TOY team members (others had health issues - we missed you guys!) But for those of us who were there...it was a happy reunion...and a reminder that we only have two more months together before a new team is selected. Where did the year go?

Congressman Bob Etheridge addresses the Gala group.

Here I am with Dr. Bill Harrison, newly named CEO of the NC Public Schools. I'm looking forward to working with him in my role as Teacher Advisor to the State Board of Education.

Well, another week is gone, and this upcoming week is packed with activities. On Friday I leave for Washington, D.C. for the National Teacher of the Year process! I'm excited about seeing my fellow finalists again, and I'll be able to go onto the Senate floor, thanks to my NC Senators Kay Hagan and Richard Burr. I'll be representing NC teachers as I visit our policymakers in our nation's capitol. It will be a great experience!

NBC Panic Mode and Other Exciting Engagements!

2009-02-20T14:11:00.006-05:00

Some of my week has involved helping National Board Certification candidates as they begin wrapping up their videotaping and writing for a March 31st submission date. So...what began back in the fall as leisurely discussions of reflective practice have now become fever-pitched cries for help. This is the time of the process when our confidence wanes and our emotions begin to take over. I've written about it previously, and although it's been five years since I submitted my NBC portfolio, I still remember that stress all too well.

This week I worked with National Board candidates in Orange and Granville counties: reading entries, offering videotaping advice, and providing encouragement. All of these teachers have been real troopers, as accomplished teachers are...continuing to plug away at their writing and reflecting while maintaining high standards in their classrooms at the same time. I'm looking forward to watching as they all send the packed "box" away, and we can participate in some quality celebrations before they begin preparing for the final assessments to follow.

I also enjoyed another trip to Ragsdale High School this week, returning to follow up on three earlier workshops on Marzano's Classroom Instruction that Works. This time we focused on "nonlinguistic representations," "reinforcing effort and providing recognition" and "cues, questions, and advance organizers." I had the opportunity to bring along seventh grade language arts teacher Kelly Kaplan to provide some credibilty to the workshop. Kelly is a former high school teacher who knows how these strategies work with older students and who brought numerous examples of student work to share. Kelly's nonlinguistic "masks" were beautiful products made by her students who read Bronx Masquerade, and she also brought along examples of the Frayer model that we use, in each of my school's classes, for vocabulary study. And Kelly's Word Wall nonlinguistics sparked an exciting discussion on the research behind successful Word Wall instruction.

Ragsdale faculty members partipate by sharing, and Kelly (the candy fairy) delivers prizes to participants.

Another treat this week was speaking to the beginning teachers and mentors of Onslow County Schools at Jacksonville High School. Besides those groups of teachers, I also had Central Office staff, school administrators, and students - future teachers - in the audience. Again, I spoke about the importance of building relationships with our students, and I think I had as much fun as the audience!

Another busy week has come and gone...way too quickly...and I realize that in two short months a new North Carolina Teacher of the Year will be named. I'm determined to work as hard as I can in what time I have left in this position to promote education in our state and to represent the amazing teachers I meet everywhere I go!

Speaking of that, I had the opportunity to congratulate many new Teachers of the Year this past week as schools are selecting their representatives. Congratulations to all of you, and good luck as you continue throughout the process!

Here I am with my buddy NaShonda Cooke, recently named Teacher of the Year at Glenn Elementary School. NaShonda is an amazing EC teacher, and we used to teach together years ago in a nearby middle school.

My school is in its third year of existence, and here are our three Teachers of the Year. Here I am with the current (and newly named) TOY, Melissa Barnhouse and the outgoing TOY Heather Walton.

Week Two of the Principal Road Tour!

2009-02-13T11:31:00.008-05:00

I just did a calculation - which is a stretch for a reading teacher - and figured out that I have been in a car for a total of 45 hours in the past two weeks. I've been west to the mountains, northeast to the outer banks, and southeast to the barrier islands. I've also traveled all around the middle of the state - to six different counties (one of them twice, thanks to snow.)

I started the week at my school working with our Hispanic families at our Community Literacy Center. This particular Sunday was really fun because the weather was beautiful so we took our lesson outside. I would point to various things and ask, "How do you say this?" or "Como se dice?" We discovered how to say words like "grass," "tree," and "road" in both languages and had stimulating conversations on how to say "mud" and "grate" in Spanish. Inside the building we got really lucky. Gravelly Hill Middle School's amazing art teacher, Victoria Buckner, had displayed papier mache animals all around the school's media center, and we were able to practice our Spanish-to-English versions of animal names. I learned so much! Now I know why there is a band named Los Lobos (the wolves) and why there's an Amarillo, Texas (amarillo means yellow.) Again, we had interesting conversations on what an otter is in Spanish...and a ground hog...and a weasel. We all looked pretty silly sticking out our teeth and acting like we were burrowing in the ground.

That afternoon, I met with the other members of the Principal of the Year Selection Committee, and off we went to Elizabeth City, N.C. "E-City" is on the northeast tip of our state and is a beautiful paradise surrounded by water. We met committee member Alisa McLean's parents at Captain Bob's - I ate shrimp and oysters from the North Carolina coast as we prepared for our day at Northeastern High School on Monday.

Northeastern High School - Elizabeth City, N.C.

Monday afternoon we set out on our longest trip yet. We were headed to Brunswick County so we were leaving one of the northeastern counties and driving to the southeastern-most point in the state. Keep in mind that this particular geographical area includes various rivers, swamps, inlets, and sounds so we were over water quite a bit. Water is really pretty, but bridges aren't my best friends. Somehow I kept my little Prius on the road, and five hours later we arrived on Oak Island.

South Brunswick High School - Southport, N.C.

After our visit to South Brunswick High School, we returned to the Piedmont area of the state, Alamance County, for another elementary school visit - we were at Eastlawn for the day. There I had two reunions. Shaneeka Moore, the Assistant Principal at the school, is a former student of mine (am I really that old?) To think that one of my seventh graders could potentially be my boss was a little too much to handle! I also was able to reconnect with Cathy Foust, Alamance County's Teacher of the Year for 2008. As the neighboring county's Teacher of the Year, Cathy and I were together at several events in 2008.

Eastlawn Elementary -Burlington, N.C. - the Eaglets!

Finally, we headed back to the same Charlotte hotel where we were snowbound last week. And we visited Sharon Elementary School which was not under snow at all. In fact, it was a beautiful day, and we soon drove back home after two weeks of being on the road. We all were happy to return to our families and our jobs, but we will miss the fun and fellowship that was the Principal of the Year Tour 2009!

More eagles! Sharon Elementary School - Charlotte, N.C.

Some highlights of our statewide tour:

-elementary children saying ANYTHING (i.e. "He's a good principal because he's healthy.")

-food! (school pizza, doughnuts, brownies, cake...)

-checking in and out of hotels over and over and over and over...

-watching major sporting events in hotels (the Super Bowl and the Duke/UNC basketball game)

-meeting Alisa's parents

-seeing entire school staffs dressed in school spirit attire to greet us

-seeing high school boys in three piece suits

-having ROTC greeters

-dealing with several mishaps - like getting trapped by luggage on a stairway and getting caught in a torrential rainstorm

-and most importantly...the thousands of school children, teachers, and amazing principals we met!

Thank you, North Carolina. It was an experience of a lifetime!

It's the "Principal" of the Thing...

2009-02-08T07:58:00.006-05:00

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...

Week Two of the Three Week Tour!

2009-02-02T21:11:00.008-05:00

I was unable to blog about the last day in Dallas at the National Teacher of the Year Conference because after all of the sessions - and a beautiful closing dinner - we had to pack and quickly get to the airport! Then I hopped in a car and began my travels all over the state of North Carolina for the Principal of the Year selection process. As a way of wrapping up, here are a few last pictures from the life-changing experience in Dallas:

Former National Teacher of the Year Mary Beth Blegen led a passionate discussion about teaching.

She started with a little "activity" - we were feeling kind of goofy.

We had some important media training (and practice) - here's Rebecca, the Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year, working on her interview skills with presenter Joe Lowenthal.

Here's Margaret Williams, Missouri Teacher of the Year.

Edney Freeman, the Teacher of the Year from the U.S. Virgin Islands, makes some comments.

My friend, fellow Carolina girl Jenna Hallman (South Carolina Teacher of the Year), is a very eloquent speaker.

Here we are at the Saturday night reception: Teachers of the Year from Colorado, Washington, D.C., Florida, and North Carolina.

Here I am with Dan Holloman, Coordinator for the Teacher of the Year Program in North Carolina, and a great source of support for me.

And finally, during one of the most emotional moments in my life: Mike Geisen, the current National Teacher of the Year, talked about me by reading from my portfolio and then introduced me as a finalist for the 2009 National Teacher of the Year. There are no words to express the way that I felt when I looked at that screen and saw "North Carolina" and "Gravelly Hill Middle School, Efland, NC." I just hope to make everyone proud by representing the teachers in my state and in my school in a way that honors them.

Dallas Day Four

2009-01-30T19:38:00.006-05:00

Today was a special day for me at the National Teacher of the Year Conference because today my friends from the Center for Teaching Quality were here to present on "Building Communities for Learning." Of course, CTQ is headquartered in Hillsborough, N.C., about two miles from my school. And my involvement with CTQ's Teacher Leaders Network has literally changed my professional life. So to be so far away from home and see these familiar faces made me a happy conference participant today!

Here's my virtual, and now face-to-face, friend Nancy Flanagan presenting to the group. Behind her you can see National TOY Finalist Susan Elliott's sign language interpreter and behind her, my other CTQ buddy, Alice Williams.

We continued our Home Room discussions today, talking about the balance between being a Teacher of the Year presenter and committee member while continuing to be a teacher. Our "leader" - National Teacher of the Year Mike Geisen - gave us insight into the job that he's been doing for the past year.

Next Susan Elliott, Tony Mullen, and I attended a meeting that enabled us to understand the finalist process. And Alex Kajitani was there, too; he joined us from California via conference call. His baby was born last night! We were given all of the requirements for what will surely be an exciting time in Washington, D.C. as we participate in the National Teacher of the Year selection process for 2009!

Here I am with my fellow finalists, Tony from Connecticut and Susan from Denver!

Tomorrow is another fun-filled conference day here in Dallas. Stay tuned for news about a very special and elegant dinner - I've heard it's a wonderful experience!

Dallas Day Three

2009-01-29T23:23:00.012-05:00

I began the day having breakfast with my friends from the Teacher Leaders Network! Here I am with Barnett Berry and Alice Williams of the Center for Teaching Quality and Nancy Flanagan, former Michigan Teacher of the Year.

It was another eventful day in Teacher of the Year land! We began the day with a slide show that included pictures of each State Teacher of the Year and each State Coordinator. When our pictures came up on the screen, we had to introduce ourselves and tell what we teach. Of course, teachers always go a little farther. For example, the Arizona and Pennsylvania Teachers of the Year, Sarah (we call her Sarizona) and Rebecca, inserted some comments regarding the little football game coming up on Sunday. So when I introduced myself, I just had to mention that I proudly represent North Carolina, the home of the Carolina Panthers who were spanked by Sarizona's team on January 10th. It was all in good fun, and each teacher tried to outdo the other by saying that his/her coordinator was the best. I introduced the North Carolina Coordinator, Danny Holloman, by saying, "My coordinator can beat up your coordinator." So it's on!

Today I sat with my buddies Cindy Couchman (Kansas) and Chantelle Herchenhahn (Mississippi)

After introductions, we were entertained with an overview of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) who runs the National Teacher of the Year program. We were given a history of the TOY program - the first National Teacher of the Year was named in 1952 - Geraldine Jones from Santa Barbara had only taught school for two years when she was given this national distinction. Next Lois Rodgers from CCSSO presented "Key Issues for Tomorrow's Schools" and we discussed "What We Would Tell Arne Duncan" - the newly named Secretary of Education.

We were in for a treat next when Betsy Rogers, National Teacher of the Year in 2003, spoke with her principal Margie Curry about their school - Brighton School in Alabama. Brighton, a low performing school for years, made a real turnaround after Dr. Rogers became a curriculum specialist there. It was inspiring to hear the stories of the kids at Brighton. One especially compelling story was about a kindergarten class that was overrun with snakes! We all squirmed at that story...

Ms. Curry is talking about her school as Betsy Rogers watches.

Another National Teacher of the Year (2007), Andrea Peterson, told her moving story. She was nine months pregnant when she was named National TOY! She told us, after reading a quote from The Phantom Tollbooth, that we've been "practicing for this all of our lives" - we have been practicing for this leadership role. Both of these former NTOYs were inspirational!

A discussion of education policy is always an eye opener, and Amy Starzynski from the Education Counsel in Washington, D.C. talked to us about the transition between Presidents and about the issues the folks in D.C. are dealing with related to education. After a brisk question and answer session, Jon Quam, our NTOY Director, explained what is coming up in the next year. Not only will we travel to Washington in April to be recognized by President Obama, we'll also travel to Alabama to go to Space Camp and we'll meet in New Jersey to work with the Education Testing Service. This will be our "Next Steps" Conference...we'll discuss what to do after our Teacher of the Year role is over as we continue to lead in our schools.

The question and answer session as we discuss education policy.

Next we broke into groups and went to "Home Rooms" - each National Teacher of the Year facilitated a group, and my group was led by none other than Mike Geisen, the current National Teacher of the Year. We introduced ourselves and talked about our passions in teaching. It was great to be able to share in smaller groups and to get to know each other better.

In the Home Room, Edney Freeman from the Virgin Islands talks while Deb Wickerman from Ohio listens.

Also, in the Home Room, we listen to National Teacher of the Year (2008) Michael Geisen speak about his passions in education.

Our dinner tonight was very special. It was held at the Texas Women's Museum, and when we walked in, we saw huge screens that displayed each of our names one at a time. After a few moments of networking with each other, we sat to listen to a special presentation from the sponsor of the dinner - the University of Phoenix. It wasn't long before we were given some amazing news - as our state's Teacher of the Year we will be able to choose one high school senior to receive a full scholarship to the University. I literally sat there and cried! I have so many former students who need this type of opportunity - now to choose one...

After a lovely dinner and a tour of the museum, we boarded the buses to return to the beautiful Hilton Lincoln Centre. Tomorrow will be another very packed day!

Dallas Day Two

2009-01-28T22:17:00.006-05:00

It is entirely possible that my brain cannot hold any more information today. The State Teachers of the Year spent an intense day learning about the SMART technology that we all received for our schools. There are many instructional techniques to learn; we just barely scratched the surface. But still, we learned so much, and we're eager to get back to our schools and practice!

Our instructor, Kimberleigh, shows us how to use our SMARTboards.

Dissecting a frog on the SMARTboard - amazing!

Kim, the Washington, D.C Teacher of the Year, practices her skills.

This afternoon our Teacher of the Year Coordinators arrived in town, and we had a festive Texas style dinner (including beef ribs and peach cobbler) to welcome them to Dallas. National Teacher of the Year Chauncey Veatch (2002) spoke to us about leadership. I'll always remember him telling us to take our Teacher of the Year roles and go after the opportunity to lead - to "pursue it like a missile seeks out heat." We left moved and inspired and ready to embrace the task he set before us.

Chauncey Veatch motivates the audience.

Dallas Day One!

2009-01-28T02:13:00.007-05:00

Here I am at the National Teacher of the Year Conference! It's 1 AM (which is 2 AM to my body), but I can't sleep. The ice is pelting against the window in this Southwestern city that is supposed to be warmer than home. So much for that...

I flew to Dallas through clouds that allowed zero visibility. At times I couldn't even see the wing to see if we were going to hit any birds. And once we got over the airport, we had to circle for 45 minutes because there was an airplane traffic jam, and we couldn't land. Finally, I was off the plane and pretty much starving. (I had fallen asleep during the six-pretzel-give-away, this being the first time in months that I was sitting in one place and not running from one thing to the next.) So I grabbed a pretzel before I went out to the baggage check, aka the point of no return, at least as far as food goes.

I wasn't in a hurry because it was noon, and our first meeting wasn't scheduled until 6 PM. So I decided to go get my luggage and then sit somewhere nearby to eat my tasty pretzel. And it was a first - when I got there, my luggage was there all by itself, riding around on the baggage carousel. At first I thought I was in the wrong place until I saw my husband's duffel bag I had borrowed - the one with the bright orange letters with my last name on it - riding around looking neglected.

Anyway, the pretzel ended my starvation jitters, and then I set out to find transportation. The nice people with the Teacher of the Year program had sent us a voucher for a shuttle. I had planned to catch a ride with my cutie patootie grandchildren (and their mother, my stepdaughter) who live nearby, but, alas, the ice storm was not conducive to dragging three kids out in the elements. So shuttle it was! When I stepped into it, I immediately recognized Sharon, the Teacher of the Year from Utah. (I had previously stalked the webpage with all of our pictures on it!) Soon we picked up teachers from Missouri, Mississippi, Delaware, Indiana, and Arizona and off we went to the Hilton Lincoln Centre!

After checking in and cleaning up everything I owned (my lotion and toothpaste had exploded mid-flight) I went downstairs and enjoyed fellowship with my new found friends. I also enjoyed Fritos, because again I was starving and dinner wouldn't come until three hours later. At dinner we introduced ourselves and talked and talked and talked. My life seems rather uninteresting next to Dorothy's - she's the Teacher of the Year for the Department of Defense schools. She lives in Germany now, but has taught in Poland and Guam, after a brief stint in her home state of Louisiana. Just the fact that she was sitting there talking to me when her body was pretty sure it was the middle of the night was amazing to me!

Jon Quam, the Director of the National Teacher of the Year program, welcomes us.

Here we are having an elegant dinner.

Tommorrow we'll learn all about the SMART Board package our schools received, and later in the week we'll go to the Women's Museum. But the highlight of today? When Sarah, Arizona's Teacher of the Year, told us that her kindergarten students are excited that she's going to meet our new President "Rock-Your-Mama." How will we ever top that?

It was interesting that so many of us chose to wear red on the first day. We also had on black pants, which we felt compelled to show the camera. However, I'm the only one still "mid-kick." Everyone else was a little faster on the return. Here you see the "Ladies in Red" - the Teachers of the Year from Mississippi (Chantelle Herchenhahn), Missouri (Margaret Williams), Colorado (Susan Elliott, another finalist), Utah (Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh), North Carolina (WooHoo - that's me!), and Kansas (Cindy Couchman).

Stay tuned for Day Two...

Snow Day!

2009-01-24T09:06:00.007-05:00

Those two words mean more to teachers than any other group of people! After a reflective Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, many teachers in North Carolina woke up Tuesday to a blanket of snow on the very roads they would have to navigate to get to school. So you know what that means - NO SCHOOL! And how timely...we were able to stay home and watch the Inauguration festivities without interruption. It was a beautiful festive day, and I stood in my den and saluted the flag and sang the National Anthem alongside my dog. And as wonderful as that was, I know it was amazing to share that experience with schoolchildren, too, so for those of you who were in schools that day, I'm sure the experience was just as meaningful, if not more.

There are a few words that carry the same impact as "snow day" and here they are: "two hour delay." I love those words. My brain works on a two hour delay so, to me, this is the perfect school day. After our snow day on Tuesday, we had our two hour delay on Wednesday, so we all arrived to work well rested after a long weekend.

On Thursday, I participated in an online meeting with the State Superintendent's Teacher Advisory Committee, the teachers from the current and previous Teacher of the Year teams. Due to budget concerns, we didn't all travel to our state capital as usual. Instead we "met" over the phone while viewing documents online. We are compiling statements concerning what we "believe" about teaching - these are called "We Believe" statements. James Bell, NC Teacher of the Year (07-08) and I will be presenting these statements to the State Board of Education in the next couple of months so we spent a good deal of time discussing each statement until we were sure that they represented our beliefs.
We also discussed a book we each read entitled Made to Stick. Authors (and brothers) Chip and Dan Heath write about the six principles needed to make an idea stick:

1. Simplicity

2. Unexpectedness

3. Concreteness

4. Credibility

5. Emotions

6. Stories

As teachers, it's important that we understand how to make our lessons "stick" with our students. This book uses entertaining examples to explain how that works - it's an interesting read for all of us who work with kids.

I ended the week with the opportunity to meet the new Dean of the School of Education at my alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dr. Bill McDiarmid. A UNC graduate himself, Dr. McDiarmid shared his vision for the School of Ed. He pledges to prepare more highly skilled educators by being in the business of making leaders. He also wants to address the dropout rate in our country and do a better job of working with kids from high poverty areas and those for whom English is their second language. I'm looking forward to working with the School of Education at UNC, as well as North Carolina's other state and private schools of higher ed as we prepare our colleagues of the future.

Next week is an exciting one for me. I'll be traveling to Dallas, Texas to spend a week with each of the country's State Teachers of the Year. It's my goal to post about our activities daily, although time will be limited. I hope to at least give you a little insight into what we're doing there. That way I'll take you with me!

Wish me luck as I go to represent you, the outstanding educators of North Carolina, on a national level...I'm off to pack my cowgirl boots!

A Week to Remember...

2009-01-18T15:03:00.010-05:00

Actually, every week I have spent as North Carolina's Teacher of the Year has been memorable. This one, though, included the elements of shock and surprise. I'll get to that in a minute. First, I began the week, as I do every other Monday, in my school. These days are precious to me, and I'm so glad my principal was one of the first people to go ahead and get scheduled early as I began developing my Teacher of the Year calendar. I enjoy my time working with National Board candidates, and at this time of year, they are deep into their writing and videotaping. So I spent Monday viewing tapes and reading entries. This is a growth process for me, as well as for the candidates, because I learn so much from reading about what these amazing teachers are doing! I also had a chance to visit with my students, which is a opportunity that means the world to me, and many of them yelled across the hall, "Mrs. Rigsbee, are you going to the chorus concert?" How could I say "no?"

But first, I attended the PTSA meeting and spoke to the group about the Community Literacy Center. I wanted to ensure that our parents are aware that we are meeting on Sunday afternoons in the event they want to volunteer or participate as learners as we work on reading skills in our community. Next I attended the chorus concert and was so proud to see some talented eighth graders on the stage singing. I thought back to them, as tiny sixth graders, and felt honored that I've had the opportunity to watch them grow.

This would be an important week for me as I knew the finalists for National Teacher of the Year would be announced publicly on Wednesday. I knew ahead of time that I had been given this honor; my State Superintendent had pulled me aside before the State Board of Education meeting last week. I was literally blown away at this news - I had no idea that it would even be possible for a reading teacher from rural Orange County to be considered in the running for National Teacher of the Year. I spent the remainder of that board meeting mulling over those kinds of thoughts and had a difficult time paying attention!

I was concerned, though, about the faculty and staff at my school finding out online or on the news. This honor is so much about them, the support they have given me, and the fact that they make me work harder and better because they are all such good teachers! So I asked the principal if I could say a few words on the intercom Wednesday morning and then if he would make the "big" announcement. He agreed so I drafted some very emotional words and tried to say/read them without crying. I told the entire story - from me being named my school's first ever Teacher of the Year - we were brand new that year - to the district process, then the regional, then the state process last spring. I did get emotional a couple of times, but I got through it. Then I asked the teachers if it would be okay if I came by each classroom and said "thank you" to every one of them. Next my principal got on the intercom and made the announcement, very loudly, "Mrs. Rigsbee is one of four finalists for National Teacher of the Year!" I could hear the students screaming all the way in the office so I couldn't wait to get out there and see them.

Here I am at the principal's desk, reading my thoughts over the intercom on the morning announcements.

Here I am with Cristie, the first classroom I came to, where I thanked the teachers and students for their support. Cristie and I joked that we had planned to dress alike.

I didn't have to wait long. When I got through the office door, there they were - 8th graders pushing and shoving to get to me, all of us crying like babies! I told them I'd soon be in their classrooms and then turned onto the first hall - the sixth grade hall. I could see my BFF, 6th grade language arts teacher Cristie, way down at the end of the hall. She was waving and yelling, "Get down here!" When I got there we were both crying, and one reason was because I had mentioned in my intercom speech that Cristie came back to school from maternity leave to speak to the Regional Teacher of the Year Committee about me. Her beautiful daughter, Whitley, was barely a month old! That's how wonderful the teachers at my school are! I continued down the hall, opening doors and hugging teachers and students, and by the time I got to the 8th grade hall, I found myself in the middle of a class change. Talk about a traffic jam! I was hugging and crying and trying to get kids to class, but it was difficult. I went in Jenny's room - Jenny was a first year teacher and my mentee last year - and when I came out, I was shocked to be looking face to face with Trisha Muse, the Sandhills/South Central Region Teacher of the Year! She had heard the news and driven all the way to my school from her house where she had taken the day off because she was sick! I was so excited to see her, and she walked with me from room to room, meeting all of my colleagues at Gravelly Hill Middle and hearing me tell the same stories over and over. It was a very special day, and I'm glad I was able to thank all of my friends before they heard the news.

Here's Trisha, after her surprise visit to my school, along with Alisa, the PE teacher, and me.

The rest of the week was a whirlwind of activity - two television interviews, a radio interview, and many calls, including calls from the Governor's office and from Chairman Lee of the State Board of Education, and hundreds of emails. Everyone has been so supportive and encouraging (I feel so unworthy of such a prestigious honor!) Thank you to everyone who has touched me as I have traveled on this Teacher of the Year journey. It has always been my hope to make you proud. I hope you know how much you all mean to me...

The Meaning of Meetings

2009-01-10T12:20:00.000-05:00

This past week has been one meeting after another for me, and believe it or not, I am thankful to have the opportunity to begin the year this way. These meetings are meaningful in that I vow to learn as much as I can at each and every one, while at the same time developing and nurturing those educational relationships that are so important.

I began the week meeting with our school district's Principal of the Year and talking about our philosophies and visions of education. If only I were certified to teach elementary school, I would love to work for her as she is an administrator who has the expertise to manage an exemplary school while at the same following her heart when it comes to nurturing her faculty and staff.

My next meeting was my weekly Education Policy Fellowship Program, and this week's speaker was such a treat! Dr. Jim Johnson, from the Kenan School of Business at UNC Chapel Hill, gave a compelling presentation on the changing demographics of our country and the impact on our schools. Again, I'm learning so much from just sitting and listening to experts who work and live right down the road from me.

Of course, this was a State Board of Education week, and it coincided with my first ever North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards Board meeting. Back in the fall, I was appointed by Governor Easley to serve on the commission, and it was an emotional moment for me as I swore to uphold the Constitution of the United States. I found the Board to be a group of committed educators who took me into the group with such compassion that I didn't feel like "the new girl." We were excited to be able to speak to the State Board of Ed on the successes of the new Teacher Evaluation instrument that is being implemented in thirteen school districts (including mine) this year.

I looked around the State Board of Ed meeting and realized that there were five (former or current) North Carolina Teachers of the Year in the room. Of course James Bell (07-08) and I are serving as Teacher Advisors to the Board, but also in attendance were Melissa Barlett (02-03 and National Finalist) who is a member of the State Board of Education; Diana Beasley (06-07) who after serving as a Teacher Advisor to the Board continued in her role as committee member to the 21st Century Professionals Committee; and Allison Ormond (03-04) who is a member of the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards Commission. Allison was a member of the Regional Teacher of the Year Selection Committee that interviewed me and visited my classroom last winter, and Diana was a member of the State Teacher of the Year Selection Committee last spring so it was like a family reunion for me. All of these wonderful teachers have been mentors and role models for me. I want to be like them when I grow up!

Here I am with James Bell, Allison Ormond, and Melissa Bartlett. Diana Beasley slipped away before I could get her in the picture...

On Friday I returned to North Carolina State University to meet with the Teaching Fellows there. This time my friends from Western Carolina University were there to visit, and I called in Teaching Fellows Alum and Sandhills/South Central Regional Teacher of the Year Trisha Muse to help me present. We offered our "Teachers Are Professional" (TAP) presentation and then enjoyed a brisk round of tap dancing (clogging) with award winning clogger Trisha. We had a ball and worked off the spaghetti dinner we had just eaten.

NC State Teaching Fellows are talented cloggers!

Trisha Muse, center, teaches us clogging steps while Jackie Smith, Western Carolina Teaching Fellows Director (right) practices.

I'm thrilled to continue to have the honor of representing North Carolina teachers in 2009. Happy New Year everyone! I'm off to another meeting....see you next week!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

2008-12-22T13:48:00.000-05:00

So I'm thinking...as I sit in the Central Office of my school district (where my Teacher of the Year office is located) that I wish every day in a school could feel like this time of year. Right now there are five cars in the parking lot, and everyone who's here is kind of laid back, chatting with each other. No phones are ringing, and even email seems like snail mail. It makes me think of the last week before winter break in our schools. There is still the sense of urgency, during this time of year, to ensure that students are meeting goals and learning, but there isn't such a sense of PANIC. Somehow we know we have a break coming up, and everyone seems to breathe a little easier and relax. If only schools could be like that every day!

I started this past week (Sunday) working at the Community Literacy Center at my school. We had ten people this time! The adults worked with my colleague Jenny on reading one of my favorite books, Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan. I spent time with some of our Hispanic students working on vocabulary and doing some diagnostic testing. Of course, as always, we ended the day with pizza and with everyone saying, "No mas!" We were full of food and fellowship!

On Monday, I worked with the National Board Certification candidates at my school, and I'm excited that they are progressing so well. They have begun videotaping lessons, and are working hard on their writing. It's exciting to watch these teachers growing professionally throughout this process.

On Tuesday, we held our Education Policy Fellowship Program Christmas gathering and had a "White Elephant" gift exchange. Let me just say that some folks were merciless in their gift stealing and trading, but we had a blast! Then...Wednesday was such a treat for me! I was able to return to my students and my school and help chaperone a trip to the NC Shakespeare Festival's production of A Christmas Carol. That message is timeless, and the eighth graders enjoyed it so much. Of course, lunch at the food court didn't hurt either. That night I attended my school's Christmas Dinner, and I was really happy to see all of my colleagues/friends again. I miss them so much and know that without them, I wouldn't have this amazing opportunity to represent them as North Carolina's Teacher of the Year.

After so much fun, I'm ready to settle down for a long winter's nap...well, after I finish shopping and baking and wrapping and decorating.

Happy Holidays, everyone! Enjoy your well-deserved break, and we'll meet again next year!

Desert Learning

2008-12-12T14:01:00.000-05:00

Yes, that says "desert" and not "dessert" although someone just came by to announce doughnuts are available in the break room! (Maybe after this post is done...)

So, yes, I just returned from the Arizona desert where I attended the Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP) Conference entitled "Leadership in Thought and Action." I flew out on Sunday, a five hour flight wedged between two total strangers, but it was worth it. The EPFP Conference was packed with thought provoking discussions about education policy and leadership. We began the week talking about the "Map of Future Forces," the KnowledgeWorks Foundation's contribution to thinking of education in the future in engaging and constructive ways. I have worked with the map before; as a member of the Center for Teaching Quality's Teacher Leaders Network, I am a member of a team of teachers looking at teaching in the future. We actually began our journey by studying the map and presenting to each other on the six "Drivers of Change." It was enriching to hear other perspectives on the map and on teaching in the future.

The three conference days were embedded with learning about "Exploring the Future," "Thinking Strategically across Systems," and "Connecting the Dots." We listened to compelling speakers, discussed with each other, and even participated in a simulation called "Earth II." We had to choose a hypothetical "leader" to move a representative group of us to another planet! A highlight of the trip was meeting and getting to know Jenna Hallman, the South Carolina Teacher of the Year. Jenna and I will be together again next month in Dallas for the National Teacher of the Year Conference. I was so excited to meet Jenna ahead of time so I'll have a friend there. And, of course you know, Carolina girls...the best in the world! (If you aren't from around here...that's a song!)

We on the Teacher of the Year team are aware of what's going on this time of year. Only last year we were waiting to hear the results of Regional Teacher of the Year selections. Well, it's that time again, and two new regional TOYs have been selected in North Carolina. On Monday, Matthew Bristow-Smith was named the North Central Region Teacher of the Year. He represents Edgecome County Schools. Today I had the honor of being present when my successor, the Piedmont/Triad Central Regional Teacher of the Year, was announced at Northwood High School in Chatham County. Phillip Little is the new regional TOY for my region, and this is quite a week for him. He's getting married tomorrow! I was happy to stand on the stage with Mr. Little's family as he accepted this amazing honor. And the best is yet to come...

North Carolina teachers, enjoy your last week before break! I'll be with my students for two days next week, and I can't wait! There's nothing like being around children at Christmas!

Countdown!

2008-12-05T14:04:00.000-05:00

Have you ever seen folks as eager for the holidays as teachers? I've heard it about seventeen times today: "Ten more days!!!"

As things wind down in the schools, the speaking engagements have tapered off for the Teacher of the Year, but that gives me some time to catch up on some things I've pushed aside for the past seven months - like finally getting moved into my office (my husband really wants those boxes out of the garage!)

This week I started with yet another interesting night at the Education Policy Fellowship Program. Dr. Robin Dorff, currently with the War College in Maryland, serves as the Executive Director at the Institute of Political Leadership. He spoke to us about being strategic leaders, and we hung on every word! We're all excited about our upcoming trip to the national EPFP Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. Fellows from sixteen other states will join us as we leave our loved ones here in the cold on Sunday to fly to the 70 degree desert! We have a packed agenda for three days of learning and fun...

This was a State Board of Education week in NC, and among other things, we discussed the opportunity principals and assistant principals will soon have to participate in the National Board Certification process. As an NBCT myself, I'm aware of the tremendous growth potential when working toward a goal like that. So I'm excited about the opportunity for administrators.

This week I spoke before the Education Oversight Committee of the North Carolina State Legislature. I have to say that I was a little nervous. I was speaking in support of our new Teacher Evaluation Process in North Carolina, and I was eager to talk about the positive changes that are being made. Something about that big room, and those important people who make our laws sitting there listening to me, was very exciting! I hope I represented NC teachers well.

Stay tuned for next week and a report from Arizona! Stay warm...

Welcome to Winter!

2008-11-23T07:38:00.001-05:00

This has been an unseasonably cold week...yesterday's Christmas Parade in Raleigh was held in the coldest temperatures in thirty years! And twice on my travels this week I was driving in snow flurries - not dangerous, just pretty!

This week began a little earlier than usual. I started on Sunday at my school working at our Community Literacy Center. It all started two years ago when I asked my class to identify the setting of a novel we were reading. When they couldn't, I prompted them with "it's a state that begins with an "a." The first answer called out? "Australia!" The next? "Africa!" It was at that moment that I thought of a Community Literacy Center to help our students (and their families) build prior knowledge and strengthen literacy skills. Last Sunday, second year teacher Jenny and I worked with a Hispanic family on English skills - and they helped us with our Spanish! My dream for this project is that we will soon offer homework assistance and reading strategies to our students while continuing to work with English Language Learners. We had a great time while eating pizza and getting to know our students' families.

I again had my every other Monday visit to Gravelly Hill Middle School, working with National Board Certification candidates. But I had to scoot out early because I had to the honor of speaking on Monday night at the North Carolina Exceptional Children's Conference. I had an adrenalin rush (fear or excitement?) when I walked in and saw table settings for 1,000 people! Then I looked up at two huge screens on either side of the podium. The thought of my face up on those screens made me a little uneasy, but soon I began talking with teachers and felt more comfortable. I was there to help honor "Teachers of Excellence," one EC teacher from each school district in NC. I was excited to help present plaques and offer congratulations to them. Our EC teachers are so important in our schools, and what they do for our students is beyond amazing!

Each EC Teacher of Excellence saw themselves on that big screen as their pictures scrolled prior to the ceremony.

Tuesday was School Innovation Day in North Carolina. Schools all over the state opened their doors so the public could come in and see the innovative projects that teachers are using to teach our students in this 21st Century world. I visited Smith Elementary in Burlington where students were watching teachers using interactive white boards for instruction and were incorporating the use of iPods in the classroom. Some students I saw in the computer lab were typing away on their own blogs - these were fourth graders! Also, a monitor in the lobby highlights student work, all day, every day! As usual, I enjoyed my time in a school (since I miss my own students so much!)

On Wednesday, I traveled through the SandHills of North Carolina to Richmond County (Hamlet) where I presented to all of the district's Teachers of the Year and the new teachers in the district. Then Thursday, I made it back up the mountain (to Hendersonville) to speak to National Board Certified Teachers who were being honored. Both small North Carolina towns are beautiful and full of friendly people - I'm loving this state!

Friday was so exciting because the Teacher of the Year team got together again. This time we met with LEARN NC, the folks who put together the website that helps teachers with all kinds of resources. As the homepage indicates: "LEARN NC gives you what you need for K–12 teaching and learning, when and where you need it — lesson plans and teaching strategies, classroom text & multimedia, and online courses for teachers and students." We discussed the idea of a virtual platform that will make it easier for us to "meet" as a team, and we were given a "tour" of the site so that we can share the LEARN NC resources with other teachers.

Happy Thanksgiving to all North Carolina teachers! I am so thankful for this opportunity to represent you as I travel around this beautiful state!

Four Day Week But Still Busy!

2008-11-16T15:06:00.000-05:00

This week began with another visit to a college campus - this time Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina. The Teaching Fellows program there is only in its second year of existence so I was speaking to freshmen and sophomores, but they were an excited group of teachers-to-be, and I was very impressed! They were dressed professionally while providing student representatives to introduce me and pronounce me "an honorary Campbell Teaching Fellow." I have to tell you...that felt pretty good!

On Tuesday, schools and offices were closed to acknowledge Veteran's Day. I was happy to keep all veterans in my thoughts, but especially my brother who is a Vietnam Vet. Some of my most traumatizing childhood memories are of our trips to the airport to deliver my brother to the planes that would take him to dangerous places. Thank goodness he always came home safely.

Tuesday night brought a provocative presentation to the EPFP group by Judge Manning of the Leandro Case. It was certainly thought provoking to hear him speak of the history of the case and the outcomes.

On Thursday I participated in The Celebration of Teaching at UNC-Charlotte. There were 350 audience members, including area high schools represented by their Teacher Cadets, members of the Teaching Fellows program, and as a special treat, my daughter was in attendence. Kelli is a doctoral student at UNCC, and she was on campus and able to hear my presentation.

Here's a picture taken by Kelli from the balcony. She sat up there and clicked nonstop like paparazzi!

I left Charlotte and drove five hours to Brunswick County, where, on Friday, I spoke to principals at the Principal of the Year luncheon. I just may have met the nicest people in the world in Southport! They were all so appreciative of me being there, and even though they were there to celebrate their principals, I felt celebrated, too!

Next week is a long one...I'll be speaking at the Exceptional Children's Conference, visiting Innovative Schools, speaking at a Teacher of the Year announcement and National Board Certified Teachers meeting, and attending a meeting with the Teacher of the Year team at LEARN NC. Wow...I think I'm tired already...

Welcome to November!

2008-11-10T10:04:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned in the last entry, I walked my way into November by participating in the Reading Rocks walkathon on Saturday, November 1st in Fayetteville. The bad news is that I lost my camera there so there won't be any original pictures for this entry (the good news is - the nice folks in Cumberland County Schools found it and Fed Exed it back to me - yes, I just made "Fed Ex" a verb...)

The walkathon included 15,000 people who walked a mile and a half route through historic downtown Fayetteville. I had the honor of walking with Cumberland County Schools Superintendent Dr. William Harrison and CCS Teacher of the Year Karen Koonce. It was amazing! High school bands were positioned at check points throughout the walk, and they energized us and kept us inspired along the way. Also, local historians stood streetside and pointed out important sites on the walk. I noticed that several of them made reference to buildings that had once stood there before "the Great Fire." Some of those buildings seemed to be located across the main part of town from each other. I couldn't imagine a fire that would burn the entire city, but here's what I found on wikipedia:

"The "Great Fire" of 1831 was believed to be one of the worst in the nation's history, even though, remarkably, no lives were lost. Hundreds of homes and businesses and most of its best-known public buildings were lost, including the old "State House." Fayetteville leaders moved quickly to help the victims and rebuild the town."

Here's a picture of the old State House "borrowed" from the internet.

More from wikipedia - "The Market House, completed in 1832, became the center of commerce and celebration. The structure was built on the ruins of the old State House. It was a town market until 1906. Slaves were sold there before abolition. It served as Fayetteville Town Hall until 1907. The City Council is considering turning the Market House into a local history museum."

The Walkathon experience was amazing! I was even interviewed (live...yikes!) by a local television station. I've never met so many nice people, and this reading teacher was so excited to be part of raising money for resources for reading in Cumberland County.

I spent the beginning of the week in schools, specifically my school, Gravelly Hill Middle School, and the high school we feed, Cedar Ridge High School. I always enjoy being around teachers and "breathing in" students. At CRHS, I worked with the videography class who taped me for a spot on the Western Carolina University School of Education website. I was reading my Expressions for Excellence in Education. The students were very professional, and I enjoyed the process (although I don't like seeing myself on camera!)

On Wednesday, I participated in the World View Program's board meeting. If you don't know about World View, check it out here. These folks do such a good job of educating teachers on global issues and sharing strategies for teaching students about the world around them.

The first Thursday of the month is always special - it's the day of the State Board of Education meeting. It's incredible to realize how many issues are discussed and voted on that affect teachers and students day-to-day. Among other things, we received a full report on our state's AYP status now that the test scores have been released. You can always find minutes of the Board meetings on the Department of Public Instruction website.

I spent the end of the week and part of the weekend working with the Center for Teaching Quality and teachers from all over the country in a discussion of what teaching will look like in the future. We recognize that we have to stop thinking of brick and mortar schools and figure out ways to work smarter, not harder. Technology may be the key, but there are many issues to consider when we think about the future of teaching. At any rate, I think I'm a wee bit more wise (actually a LOT wiser) having had the opportunity to collaborate with some of our country's best teachers.

And last, this is a shout out to our team member and first ever Charter School Teacher of the Year, Freida Baker, who is spending more time than she would like with an oncologist these days and who will be having surgery soon. We love you, Freida, and your team is here for you! Hang in there, and call us if you need us!

Schools - Where More than Imaginations Run Wild!

2008-10-31T16:47:00.000-04:00

Okay, so that title actually comes from the North Carolina Zoo where the Teacher of the Year team met today. Back to that in a minute. First, let me recap a very busy, but fun, week!

After a much needed office day on Monday, I attended the Education Policy Fellowship Program Graduation on Tuesday. This gala event honored the Fellows from last year's EPFP group, among them the NC Teacher of the Year for 07-08, James Bell. The event was held in the Cardinal Club, a beautiful venue with a breathtaking view of Wake County (from the 28th floor). The food was amazing, and the program was entertaining...including our education Governor James B. Hunt, Jr. as the speaker. Of course he needed no introduction, this signer of the Excellent Schools Act and former Chair of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and he delighted the audience with his ideas about education and his occasional reference to the upcoming election and the candidates. I made my way across the room to shake his hand, as did a couple of dozen others, and when I told him that I'm a teacher, he said, "Well, let me hug your neck!" And he did. This man really cares about educators, as was apparent during the many years he held office in NC.

On Wednesday, my State Car was rolling..starting the day in Johnston County at the announcement of the Milken Educator award. This honor, bestowed upon Teaching Fellow alum and fourth year teacher Bryan Holley, is a always a complete surprise to the recipient and the school. They only knew that there would be an "announcement." There were camera crews everywhere; also, congressmen, commissioners, school board members, State Superintendent June Atkinson, and other dignitaries were present. But the most fun to watch were the students of Corinth Holders Elementary School who sat patiently and waited, not even knowing why...until the announcement came that one of their teachers would be given a check for $25,000! Of course Bryan was humbled beyond words, and I do believe the tears were genuine. We were all crying!

Here the third graders at Corinth Holders sing for the audience. They were precious!

Superintendent Atkinson speaks to the students, congratulating them on their math scores.

Congressman Bob Etheridge announces the Milken recepient. The students hold up the "numbers" to show the prize, and the new Milken Educator holds the "check."

I skeedaddled out of Johnston County to make it to a conference seven counties away - I was the scheduled luncheon speaker for the NC Alternative Schools Conference! I made it just in time to eat a lovely meal, speak to the group about the important jobs that Alternative Schools do by giving students a "chance," and then the best part of all happened: a teacher from my very own school system, Stan Farrington, was named the Alternative School Teacher of the Year. Of course, Stan teaches some of my former students who are now at the Alternative School so I was extremely excited for him!

Here he is, Stan Farrington, the North Carolina Alternative School Teacher of the Year.

On Thursday, I met with the Public School Forum Board as we continued our Study Group work. This group, which is working like a legislative committee, has been charged with determining ways to ensure that education is seamless in NC - from P-12 and between the university system, the community college system, and the P-12 community. My hope is that I will be as bright as the veteran educators on this committee one day in my future.

The highlight of the week was yet to come - the Teacher of the Year team held a sleepover at Trisha Muse's house on Thursday night. Trisha lives a stone's throw from the zoo - I told her that I believed I saw an elephant in her backyard! After the fun sleepover, we met at the zoo to plan our 2009 Teacher of the Year Symposium. But first...we were able to witness some fun Halloween festivities. The gorillas were given paper mache pumpkins filled with treats - carrots, apples, cheese, etc. and they were so cute digging into them. The elephants were also given real pumpkins which they stomped and lifted with their trunks. There were news crews around and cameras everywhere. We were excited to be a part of this event.

Bernard models our shirts, a gift from Paige. The front reads "North Carolina Teacher of the Year Team, and the back says, "What's Your Superpower? I Teach." Awesome.

Bernard hangs out with our team mascot, Alvin, who was adorable in his pumpkin costume (Alvin, not Bernard.)

Paige and RuthAnn relax before our big day at the zoo!

There's Sonya, RuthAnn, Janice (with husband Ron) as we take the tram to the gorillas!

This gorilla was pretty curious about the paper pumpkin. Later, he noticed another one in a tree.

Another exciting part of our visit to the zoo was the fact that we were able to tour Zoo School. The Zoo School is part of Asheboro High School and is a hands-on, authentic learning environment that enables students to focus on science studies in an outdoors environment. Every child should be able to learn this way!

Here we are, the North Carolina Teacher of the Year Team (but we were missing Renee and Freida who couldn't be with us.)

This has to be the coolest note I've ever seen left for a class!!!

This was another awesome week in TOY-land, but it's not over yet! Tomorrow I'll be walking in the Reading Rocks Walkathon in Fayetteville. Over 20,000 people participate in this event, from babies in strollers to wheelchair participants to rest home residents who "rock" in rocking chairs. The walk raises over $150,000, all for literacy materials for Cumberland County Schools. As a reading teacher, I can tell you that nothing excites me more! Now as for the walking part...well, I guess I'll make it the whole mile and a half. Hmmm...maybe the rocking chair would be a good idea for me, too!

Fall Is Here!

2008-10-25T19:48:00.001-04:00

Most folks recognize autumn by the changing colors, but educators are aware it's fall because the "honeymoon" is definitely over in the schools. Children who showed up timid and reserved in August are raring to go in October. And that first workday comes, but it's not long enough to get grades done and lessons planned. Fall in a school...it's a beautiful time of year.

My first grade teacher, Mrs. Warnecke, is a very talented photographer. This past week she sent me a gorgeous picture of fall foliage:

All of those leaves remind me of the countless school bulletin boards I've seen with different colors of leaves and childrens' names written on them. Man, I love a school!!! And I had the opportunity to begin this last week in mine! I worked with National Board candidates again and talked with some new teachers about their Individual Growth Plans. The best part was that I got to eat lunch with some of my favorite students. Jenna is a student I "adopted" last year in our "Adopt a Student" program. Jenna was being raised by her grandparents when her grandmother became sick last year, spent a great deal of time in the hospital, and eventually died in the spring. Jenna's a trooper, though, and her personality and her grades never faltered. I love that child! Another of my special students that I had lunch with is Courtney. She was part of my "lunch bunch." Every Friday four students I didn't teach would come to read to me (and to one of our autistic students) during lunch. Courtney always brought her big smile and bubbly disposition to my room. I miss these girls so much!

I sandwiched myself between Jenna and Courtney. Also with us are Kayla, Lizzy, Stephanie, and the two Samanthas.

After school, I helped facilitate a district level National Board Certification meeting, answering candidate questions. I always enjoy working with others on this process because I remember how many questions I had!

Next I rushed home to meet Trisha Muse, Sandhills/South Central Regional Teacher of the Year, who would be presenting with me in Greenville the next day. Trisha and I have combined our efforts - me...speaking about Teachers As Professionals (TAP) and Trisha...tapping her way into the hearts of the audience by clogging. We presented to the Clinical Teacher Conference in Greenville and had a blast! Then...back home...and I headed to Raleigh for EPFP.

Here I am with Trisha and Sonya Rinehart, Northeast Regional Teacher of the Year, who also presented at the conference. I was so happy to be there with both of them. Ruthann Parker, the Southeast Regional Teacher of the Year, presented also, but we missed her...we had to scoot out early!

Trisha had her red tap shoes on!!!

Trisha had the participants up and clogging!

On Wednesday, I returned to Ragsdale High School in Jamestown, N.C. to do a followup presentation on Marzano's Classroom Instruction that Works. The Assistant Principal is my friend Jean who was a science teacher in my school many years ago. Her new staff is great to work with, and I'll be going back in February!

The next day I had a real treat - I presented to the Teaching Fellows at Western Carolina University. This was my longest trip yet...five hours one way (and up a mountain)...but it was worth it! The students were professional and eager to talk about teaching. I made plans to meet with them when they visit Raleigh in January!

Here are the awesome Teaching Fellows from Western Carolina University!

Well, another busy week has come and gone, and I'm still loving this job. The educators in North Carolina are the best in the world!

Gotta Go to Boone!

2008-10-18T14:35:00.000-04:00

My husband and many of my friends attended Appalachian State University. Several of my children's friends headed to "App" although my children all went to school on flat ground (UNCC, UNC-CH, ECU, and UNCG.) I, too, attended school in the Piedmont area of the state, but have heard App Alumni say these words for as long as I can remember - "Gotta go to Boone." It seems as soon as anyone who went to school there comes down the mountain, all they want to do is go back! Trisha Muse, Sandhills/South Central Regional Teacher of the Year, is one of those people! Trisha is the only person I know who was actually born in Boone (her family moved to Moore County later...) She then received her bachelor's and master's degrees there and was a Teaching Fellow and Homecoming Queen! For that reason, there was no way that I was going there to speak to the Teaching Fellows without taking her with me! And we had a grand time! We spoke about being professional educators, then Trisha gave us all a clogging lesson. We are so excited about this presentation that we'll be repeating it next week at the Clinical Teacher's Conference in Greenville...stay tuned!

Here are Trisha, Diana Beasley, and me just after the presentation. Diana is a recruiter for ASU and one of my favorite people in the world. As the North Carolina Teacher of the Year in 2006-2007, she is my mentor and friend, and we were delighted she was there.

I headed back down the mountain that night since my week was so packed, but I hope to go back again when I can stay longer. On Tuesday, I spoke to the Hillsborough Kiwanis Club at the Occoneechee Steak House. I had a wonderful audience - full of questions about teaching and the Teacher of the Year program. When I left, they presented me with a Kiwanis Cookbook, which I will put to great use! That night I attended my Tuesday night EPFP meeting where Ann McColl spoke on Constitutional Tales. Her stories of the writing and revising of the North Carolina constitution were riveting, and we hung on every word!

Thursday of this week I spoke to the education students at Peace College. My friend Carolann Wade is the director of teacher education there, but she also is married to a buddy of mine since junior high school...good ol' Robbie Wade (he's now "Rob" but always "Robbie" to me.) Carolann is the National Board Certified teacher leader that I want to be when I grow up, and I appreciate her inviting me to speak to her students!

This coming up week is another big one as I'll go back to Greenville for the third time in a month, I'll work with National Board candidates in my county, I'll return to Ragsdale High School in Guilford County for a Marzano's followup, and then I'll make my longest drive yet - to Western Carolina in Cullowhee! More on that next week..

West to East and Back!

2008-10-12T14:34:00.000-04:00

I love beginning the week at my own school working with my best friends! On Monday, I was hanging with the Grizzlies, working on National Board Certification with new applicants and checking in with the new teachers. I had promised them a list of "Tips for Overwhelmed Teachers" which I typed up and emailed to them. Second year teacher Jenny said, "I was too overwhelmed to read them." She promised to get to it soon...

Here I am with Will, the President of the Teaching Fellows Association at NC State.

Monday afternoon I was standing before a sea of red at the North Carolina State University Dean's Reception for their Teaching Fellows. Education majors in their freshman, sophomore, and junior years were there to hear my remarks, and I made many new friends that day. As I drove away, three of them stood on the curb, waving, and yelled out, "We LOVE you!" I love you, too, Wolfpack students!

I left Raleigh and did something I've never done before, and I have to admit that it felt a little weird. I was due on the other side of the state, four hours away, in Asheville. So I drove through my own town to get there and didn't have time to stop and hug my husband or pet my dog. It felt strange, but I kept on driving up that mountain until I reached the Personnel Adminstrators Conference. The next day I was the luncheon speaker, and I spoke about how important these folks are to a school system. I played the theme song from the commercial "Real Men of Genius" and read a list of thank you's as if we were in a commercial, too.

When I left the Personnel Administrators Conference, I headed over to T.C. Roberson High School to see my former student, Echo. I taught Echo as a seventh grader before she moved from Durham to Asheville, and she's now a senior! I surprised her with my visit, and we both were teary-eyed and happy to see each other.

Here I am with ECHO, ECho, Echo....(that's what I always called her.)

The Rock Springs Center in Greenville...

On Friday, I headed to Greenville (second time in as many weeks) to attend the National Board Certified Teachers Regional Summit. This meeting was held at the beautiful Rock Springs Center. Teachers were treated to a celebratory luncheon - white tablecloths, candles, and very special guests including the State Superintendent, Dr. June Atkinson, State Board Member Kathy Taft, and NC Legislator Marian McLawhorn. It was a beautiful day and wrapped up a busy week on a very elegant note.

My message was about NBCT's and Leadership.

Thank you, Pitt County, for a wonderful NBC experience!

Tomorrow I'll team up with Trisha Muse, Sandhills/South Central Region Teacher of the Year and ASU alum, at Appalachian State University. We'll be speaking to the Teaching Fellows there about being professional educators. I'm also speaking to a local Kiwanis Club this week and to education students at Peace College. I have another fun week ahead!

Massive Awesomeness!

2008-10-03T22:24:00.000-04:00

To borrow a phrase from James Bell, the 2007-2008 North Carolina Teacher of the Year, our new accountability plan, an answer to the Blue Ribbon Commission on Testing and Accountability's Framework for Change, is "massively awesome!" Including "essential standards" and formative, benchmark, and summative assessments, the program was developed by over 300 people at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. As Angela Quick, Chief Academic Officer at DPI, made the presentation at the State Board of Education this week, it was apparent that everyone in the room was thrilled with the plan. New standards will be written that will narrow and deepen the curriculum, and new assessments will be developed that relate to those essential standards. Communication and professional development are two key parts of the new plan so stay tuned for more information in your school districts.

Prior to the Board meeting this past week, I attended the Licensure Appeals Panel in Chapel Hill and the Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP) in Raleigh. John Dornan, the President and Executive Director of the Public School Forum, spoke to the Fellows about education policy. It was a stimulating presentation in light of the upcoming election.

In addition, this week I had the opportunity to make two presentations - in Greenville I spoke to an auditorium full of Teacher Cadets at East Carolina University. These future teachers were eager to hear my answers to the question Why Teach? Today in Granville County, I presented an overview of Marzano's Classroom Instruction that Works. I had two sessions during Granville's Professional Development Day, and these teachers were some of the nicest folks in the state!

Next week I'll be speaking to Teaching Fellows at NC State, Personnel Administrators in Asheville, and then heading back to Greenville to the Eastern Regional National Board Summit. More miles on the state car = more North Carolina educators to meet! I'm loving this job!

What a Week!

2008-09-27T16:17:00.001-04:00

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!

2008-09-19T19:48:00.000-04:00

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!

2008-09-17T19:51:00.000-04:00

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

2008-09-16T08:37:00.000-04:00

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

2008-09-11T20:38:00.000-04:00

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!

2008-09-02T17:44:00.000-04:00

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.

Welcome Guest Blogger - Trisha Muse!

2008-08-31T19:39:00.001-04:00

Okay, so Trisha's not really a guest. This is, after all, the blog for the entire Teacher of the Year Team! But I am excited about hearing from the other Regional Teachers of the Year to see what they've been up to. Today we go on an exciting journey with Trisha (the Sandhills South Central Region Teacher of the Year.) She's been busy! Read the following excerpts from her Teacher of the Year journal!

July 30, 2008
Chatham County Schools
Central Office
Pittsboro

After talking with Ruth Ann Parker (the Southeast Regional Teacher of the Year) once on the phone and on a million emails we had created our first professional development opportunity for lateral entry teachers in Chatham County. We shared ideas and we arranged the perfect schedule and presentation for the new educators. Our participants were going to play a Human Bingo game for an ice breaker and then we were going to use Ruth Ann’s 10 tips for survival “Survive and Thrive” using Gilligan’s Island for the entire group. Afterwards, we were going to have a break out session with elementary school teachers going with me and the high/middle school teachers going with RuthAnn. I planned to share my Wizard of Oz comparison with the educational journey along with classroom management ideas for our young students. Hopefully, inquisitive questions would be asked and we would help these teachers feel at ease. Of course, I was going to use Beth, my sister, and my Daddy as my perfect examples of successful lateral entry educators!

I picked out my new bright red suit (it was short-sleeved too since it was so hot) with my red ballet slippers; it was the perfect match! I was excited about traveling to Chatham County, especially since two of my rival high schools are located in this district (Jordan Matthews Jets and Chatham Central Bears). There were butterflies in my stomach all the way down Hwy 64 East because this was my first Regional Teacher of the Year experience. I had become used to making simple keynote speeches for my county, but providing insightful information to other teachers seemed more overwhelming. I wanted my workshops to be intriguing and not boring and redundant.

I arrived 30 minutes early and was excited to see one of our other Teacher of the Year team members, Wake County’s Paige Elliott, the North Central Region Teacher of the Year. She is always so pretty in pink! She is an extremely busy lady and she amazed me with the stories from her Mexico trip this summer. While we were “catching up”, I discovered that we were only speaking with two teachers! Okay, so I became relieved but felt crazy for being so nervous prior to this session. No need for my 50 copies…haha! Both teachers were high school teachers, one in PE (we shared many connections because he knew many Chatham Central people) at Jordan Matthews and the other one taught Family Consumer Sciences.

RuthAnn arrived and was also very surprised so we did what all teachers do every day, remain flexible and make adjustments. After eating lunch, we talked to the teachers one-on-one about effective strategies we used and we all felt comfortable talking about the joys and challenges of our profession. I was also able to use my Wizard of Oz PowerPoint to emphasize my important points, so I was glad that hours of work were not wasted.

An hour early, we dismissed our participants. I hugged RuthAnn and we laughed about how nervous we had been the night before. I guess some would call this workshop a “flop,” but it definitely gave me a preview of the upcoming year.

August 18, 2008
Stokes County Schools Convocation
West Stokes High School
King

At 4:00am, I eagerly jumped out of bed ready for my first "out of Montgomery County" inspirational keynote speech. I said my speech notes over and over again while I was getting ready before leaving the house at 5:00. It was extremely difficult to come up with the perfect topic to address with teachers on their first day back to school. I know teachers’ minds are racing with a to-do list a mile long, so I wanted to make my speech inspiring and motivational. I had become a master with my Wizard of Oz speech preparing for the state TOY competition, but it is geared more towards new teachers. I constantly would think of what to say in my mind for weeks, but I did not put my thoughts together until Saturday night. I wanted to use my quote by William Arthur Ward “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” I also used this quote in my video, so this was perfect to remind all of us WHY we teach. Of course I added the cute stories of my students because I can’t help but smile when I talk about them.

So why visit Stokes County for such an important event, especially since it isn’t in my region? I would have to thank Cindi for this one because she was over booked and asked all of us if we would help her. I quickly responded and told her that I would do it. Cindi was thrilled and provided Melisa Jessup (the Executive Director for Human Resources) my contact information and also informed her that I was a clogger. Well, the clogging part was intriguing so Ms. Jessup suggested showcasing my clogging. I am out of shape, so I talked to Mr. Kryzalka about taking our SMASH-n-CLOG program on the road. We had initially planned to take our large group of sixth graders, but our middle schools decided to have an orientation the same morning. So we chose some of our best former students and cloggers…all seventh graders and now they are definitely middle school girls: Mary Winston, Cullie, Erynn, and Susanna. Mr. K and I worked on a routine that would be simple to learn, but amazing to watch. We practiced for four days experimenting with a variety of patterns and beats until we came up with a 6 minute “smashing” routine. I even started the program with morocco’s counting 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and…We mastered our parts and Mr. K accompanied us on the drums. We were ready!

So back to today…I arrived to Page Street at 5:35 (5 minutes late for my mother) to meet the other members of my group. Mr. K’s van was loaded to the ceiling and all of the ladies rode with Cullie’s dad, Sam, in the Honda Pilot. Susanna and Cullie in the very back, Mary Winston, Erynn, and Mama in the back, and I was the co-pilot for Sam in the front since I am the car sick one. The girls watched teenage movies, 13 Going on 30 and even Legally Blonde 2. Of course I couldn’t turn around and watch the DVD player, but the best part was listening to the sweet girls giggle and laugh. Then listening to my mom just as tickled as they were…

We stopped at McDonald’s for a quick breakfast and the girls shocked me again how much they had grown up by drinking coffee (the iced kind, but still CAFFEINE)! Mr. Kryzalka of course didn’t eat anything; he is such a health nut! We arrived to King at the perfect time and we were impressed with the beautiful new West Stokes High School. My mom was excited because they were the Wildcats, just like her own mascot in high school in Ellerbe. The girls wanted to run up the stairs the first thing because they had never been in a school that was 2 stories! We reminded them they had to act like ladies, and I did go with them on a quick tour after our performance. We walked into the new gymnasium covered in colors purple and gold and we found our own little corner where we would perform. There was also a stage placed in the center of the floor supposedly where I would make my speech.

As soon as I entered the halls in that school, I could feel the energy and enthusiasm of teachers. Anyone could tell that the 18 schools in this district were a family and everyone had a smile on their faces. I loved how everyone seemed so laid back and just down to earth…welcome to the mountains! I also had never seen so many tall and skinny men! Random…but I did notice…haha! I instantly found Melisa with her beautiful smile and welcoming hug. She told me where we would be and where the girls could sit.

Mr. K and Sam, along with the maintenance staff, set up all of our trash cans, pots, pans, basketballs for our SMASH program. The girls rushed off to the bathroom to get ready (now to put on makeup) and were jumping around since Melisa had just given them Chick-Fil-A and McDonald gift cards. I saw the early bird teachers arriving at least 45 minutes before 9:00 while the others waiting until the last minute after breakfast to enter the gym.

I expected to find my stomach in knots prior to my speech, but I was more excited to share my first day back with such an exceptional school system. Before the convocation began, the distinct school board members, administrators, county Teacher and Principal of the Year, and myself lined up in the hall to march into the gym. I felt so important! There were several of us who sat on the stage, so at that moment I saw hundreds of educators staring straight at me…okay, so maybe I became a little nervous then. However, I became more comfortable after listening to the encouraging words of their county Teacher of the Year and Principal of the Year. They even used some of my quotes that I was going to emphasize. After an hour, it was my turn. The best part of my introduction today was when Melisa Jessup said, “Cindi Rigsbee, our NC Teacher of the Year, said that even though Trisha Muse is the youngest TOY of our team, she is one of the most dynamic teachers she has ever seen!” When approaching the podium, I could tell everyone in the audience was hot and restless so I used my teacher voice and asked everyone to stand up and take a stretch break. That was helpful! I sailed through my speech smoothly, only stuttering a few times. I revolved my speech around the reason why I teach (since we already had to create a video for the state TOY process this past April), and of course I talked about my students! I introduced Mr. Troy Kryzalka, my partner in crime, and I made sure that everyone in the gym realized that he deserved the Teacher of the Year recognition.

Mr. K took over the microphone and I quickly tied my clogging shoes and placed a morocco in each hand. SMASH had started...counting 1-2-3-4 my four girls entered their “stage” perfectly and Mr. K played the drums and the keyboard. Yes, it was extremely entertaining when I started clogging and bouncing a basketball at the same time. This sounds like a circus, but the educational aspects are amazing. We received a standing ovation and I immediately hugged my girls for doing such a great job. It took us an hour to leave the gym from the many caring hugs and compliments received from our performance. Can’t forget the offers to also transfer to Stokes County!

After loading the van, we headed home…we still stopped at Olive Garden in Greensboro to eat to celebrate such a wonderful day! Mr. K and I returned back to Page Street on Cloud 9 and even more excited about a new school year. This was the perfect start to a new year.

The same night, I went by my dad’s house to tell him about my exciting day in Stokes County and he jokingly reminded me that the Stokes County was originally Cindi’s gig. Okay, so I was the substitute, but am grateful to have been selected as the second choice today. Thanks Cindi!

August 25, 2008
The FIRST day of school is always a vivid memory for me whether if it was when I entered 2nd grade for the first time with my rose embroidered skirt, to my freshmen year at North Moore High School, or the first time second semester that I trudged in the snow to get my first class at Appalachian State. Now, I have first days every year and I still get nervous (and excited). Being on the teacher side doesn’t make a difference. Daddy still gets anxious and he has taught over 30 years. Teaching is probably one of the few professions that you get to start over after 180 days. If you have a horrible year with a class who can’t get along 5 minutes, you just count down the days. Then pray and hope for the next year to be better. Well, I consider myself blessed this school year because I already knew my students even before they walked in the classroom door. This group is one that made me cry for a week before we left for the summer. I even took them to Washington D.C. during the summer, which made us more attached. I just tell them I graduated to fifth grade, so of course they have already asked if I am going to sixth grade too (which the answer is NO)! The educational term for this is "looping" and research has shown that remaining with the same class over 2-3 years is beneficial to the students’ academic success. So I hope this will prove to be true in our situation. I did lose 3 of my students due to transferring, but I have gained 4 more who will be great additions to our classroom family. It made my life so much easier with writing names on rosters and looking through cumulative folders because I have the same children.

Our Accelerated Reader Theme this year revolves around the Wild West. So our halls look like a corral with cowboy boots and lassos. I can’t wait for the country line dancing and horse riding (even though I am terrified of horses). We also welcomed new administration to Page Street with a new principal and assistant principal. You can now walk in our building and feel the excitement from teachers and students.

Well, this first day was not spent “getting to know” one another; we spent the entire day catching up. Sometimes, there was a little too much chatting about our summer activities but I had to remember how special these kids were and the positive connections that were still evident among each individual student. I did notice how much they had grown over the summer, and they were becoming young adults. My fifth grade team tells me to wait until next year to notice more changes (they are then 6th graders). Even Cesar, who rarely spoke last year, is now a strong leader with group discussions. Garrett, another extremely shy student, has completely come out of his shell and shared stories from his summer. This is the best part about my job--seeing children gain confidence in themselves to excel in academic areas and life in general.

Even though most of the students knew what I expected, it was still important to discuss classroom rules and procedures to ensure a successful school year. I found it funny that the students kept asking if we were going to the same things last year (because we had such a great time with our wax museum, luau, Special Loved Ones Day, ballroom dancing at the nursing home), and I reminded them that we had new curriculum concepts so we would enjoy experiencing new projects and activities that align with the fifth grade.

Even though we know each other very well, I am sure there will be many changes evolving this year to make us have a greater appreciation for one another. I will also grow professionally from another school year along with my Regional Teacher of the Year responsibilities. Change is inevitable in our profession, another reason I love my job!

August 31, 2008
At the end of last school year, I had the opportunity to speak with our Montgomery County NCAE members at our annual breakfast. As usual, it was difficult to know what to say especially to many of my closest friends and colleagues. Plus, the night before Papaw had been rushed to the hospital so it had become a late night to start writing a speech. Therefore, I spoke about the importance of family, emphasizing a family within our classrooms and schools. It was only a 10 minute speech but it obviously inspired our NCAE representative. Now I know that I have made an impact on other teachers to make a difference!

Here is the email received:

Dear Trisha,Thank you again for speaking at the MCAE End-of-Year Breakfast. Over the summer, I thought a lot about your remarks about creating family with our students, and I wanted you to know that as I begin a new year, I am on the lookout to do just that at my school with my students. It is a bit more challenging at high school, but some felllow teachers and I are discussing starting a Ladies of Distinction group, with some of the girls who so desperately need positive attention and role models at school. Wish us luck, and know that your message inspired us to put finally plan and proceed with something we had been talking about someone else doing, and do it ourselves! I wish for you a positive and productive year, and hope that our paths will cross again. Thanks for the inspiration!

As you can see, Trisha has been extremely busy making a difference in our state. Thanks, Trisha, for sharing, and keep up the journaling. We'll want to hear more!

Finally...Children!

2008-08-28T20:08:00.000-04:00

Okay, I was patient. I wanted to go bouncing into a school on the first day! (But I waited for things to settle a bit.) Finally, today, I was able to feel the energy that only a school full of children can emit. I visited Mr. Everett's AIG class at Belville Elementary in Leland, N.C. What a great group of kids!

The classroom is in a brand new wing of the school; it's beautiful, and they're still putting finishing touches on everything. This school is big, over 800 students, so the new wing will definitely come in handy. As I walked in, the students were intently working. As soon as Mr. Everett told them to return to work after my presentation, they were immediately quiet and all business. But in between, these fifth graders looked at me with such enthusiasm - they really were listening to every word.

We talked about the fact that this is a special day - on August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his I Have a Dream speech. We, of course, talked about dreams, as I am prone to do on almost any occasion, and I shared some student stories and some stories about my personal children and me.

As we finished up, I prepared to give out some prizes I had brought - some pens, stickers, and super cool squishy pencil grippers. But I was suddenly surprised! The class had gifts for me: a beautiful plant, a Belville Sharks notepad, and a Belville Elementary tee shirt! I was so excited!

Here are Gabby and Ke'Andre' presenting me with gifts. Thanks so much, guys!

Thank you to Mrs. Coston, the principal at Belville, for allowing me to visit during the first week of school. And thanks to Mr. Everett and his wonderful students. Have a great year, Sharks! Hopefully, I'll be back soon!

I Do Solemnly Swear...

2008-08-26T20:16:00.000-04:00

Following are some words that I never in my wildest dreams thought I would read on an email - "You are going to be receiving a call from the Governor's office." Then, in my dream, the phone rings, and I hear "You will soon be receiving a letter from the Governor." The next thing I know I have the envelope in my hand, and I'm reading:

"It gives me great pleasure to appoint you to serve as a member of the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards Commission. Pursuant to General Statute 115C-295...."

I am so honored, I can't believe it. Only a few months ago, I couldn't even get Li'l D to sit in his seat! And to make this dream even dreamier, I have to get someone to execute the oath. A list of dignitaries is included in the letter - the mayor, a judge, a legislator. I know in a heartbeat who to call...my buddy Jimmy.

The Honorable James E. Hardin, Jr. is a Superior Court Judge in North Carolina. He also was the prosecuting District Attorney in the highly publicized Michael Peterson trial. But to me, he's Jim, one of the smartest, nicest guys around. President of my senior class and captain of the football team, Jim has been my friend since, as he put it yesterday, we were twelve. The ceremony couldn't have meant any more to me! I was moved to tears at the opportunity and by the fact that a man highly respected by so many was able to take the time out of his (very important) day to be a part of mine.

Jim administers the oath and signs the paperwork. Then David and I pose with the judge.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

2008-08-24T13:24:00.001-04:00

There's a song around Christmas time that refutes my claim, but to educators this is the most wonderful time. Imagine having a job that is brand new and different every August...new faces to look at, new ideas to try, new children to love. Such it is with those of us who teach. I have loved feeling the electric buzz of energy in schools this past week: teachers are reading over class lists and imagining what those names represent: will they be happy, challenging, bright, struggling...just who are these people that we'll spend the next 180 days with?

After beginning the week in Hickory on Monday, I had the honor (and emotional opportunity) to work with the new teachers in my own school. I presented kind of a "this is the culture of Gravelly Hill Middle School" speech to acclimate them to the expectations of our school and to answer any questions they have had. It was hard, though, to not be able to run to my classroom and check an email here and there; I don't have one of those this year, and that felt very strange! The new teachers were wonderful, though...so full of energy and ready to try ANYTHING! To add to the emotion, I attended Open House the next night and watched from the wings as the staff was introduced. My students from last year, or course, were all hugs and "we wish you were here!" and I was so happy to see them. My principal excused the teachers to their classrooms and then introduced me, and for the third time in as many days, I got a little weepy. But now I'm just excited about the year to come and looking forward to meeting teachers all over the state and, hopefully, making a difference.

On Thursday, I presented an overview of Marzano's Classroom Instruction that Works to 120 teachers at Ragsdale High School in Jamestown, N.C. This was a treat on so many levels! First of all, my sister lives right down the street from the school. I was able to spend the night with her and catch up on "sister stuff." The next morning I bounced down the stairs to find breakfast made and a little treat bag for me to take to the high school. I was so proud I showed it to the teachers! Another reason I was excited to be at Ragsdale is because my friend and former teaching buddy Jean Ransom is the Assistant Principal. Jean and I taught for seven years together (in two different schools) and she taught science to two of my children! We had time to catch up with each other during lunch between sessions. And last, Ragsdale is simply a very special school. The current principal, Dr. Rogers, has been there for 17 years, and she is only the third principal ever in the school's 50 year history. This school has been the "place to be" in terms of athletics and academics for as long as I can remember. So to think that I had the opportunity to work with the staff is a real thrill!

The RHS teachers perform a non-linguistic representation of how carbohydrates turn to fat in the body. Good stuff!

And later, I was so excited to visit my old high school...

I cheered many nights on this gym floor - some of the happiest times of my life!!!

On Friday, I visited the Gorman Learning Academy Preschool. Believe me, if you want to see classroom management at its finest, watch three teachers facilitate lunch for 30 two-year-olds. And I thought seventh graders were wiggly! Next, I visited my alma mater, Northern High School, in Durham, N.C. (Go Knights!) I love the place (I was voted Most School Spirited in 1975!) And I was so excited to see that nothing had changed. My locker looked the same, the gym floor was just as shiny, and the cafeteria that made the best vegetable soup, homemade rolls, and cinnamon buns looked like I could just sit down and eat lunch with my friends.

As it was, I was there to see friends! I met with Blake Rahn, who I taught with last year, and who moved to my former school to be a high school teacher. I also had the chance to see the excited faces of three members of the Duke MAT program, who I had spoken with back in June. They are interns this year at Northern and had already met Blake and exchanged stories about me. (Yikes!) In addition, I was happy to chat with NHS Principal John Colclough, a colleague from several years back. I interviewed with him when he was a middle school principal, but now he's a Knight!

My last trip of the day was to visit a middle school in Wake County, but, alas, I never found it! (I did find several others, though...) My husband is getting me a GPS system for my birthday next week, and I can't wait. These first two Teacher of the Year months have been a little stressful as I have traveled through unfamiliar terrain. But after next week, no school is safe! I'll be everywhere!

Have a great first week, everyone. I'm there with you in spirit!

Back to School

2008-08-18T19:01:00.000-04:00

Catawba County Schools has many Hmong students, and they delighted us with a dance performance this morning!

If you've never visited the lovely Catawba County in the foothills of North Carolina, you're missing beautiful landscape and some of the friendliest people you ever want to meet. This morning I had the opportunity to speak to new teachers, their administrators, Central Office staff, and the Catawba County School Board. My message was one that I repeat to new teachers often - that every child is someone's "dream come true." I described my "First Day of School Motivational Dream Speech" and shared a few stories about students who have really touched me as a teacher.

I am so thankful to the folks in Catawba County for helping me through what turned out to be an emotional day. As I was speaking, I was well aware that my colleagues at Gravelly Hill Middle School had reported for the first teacher workday without me. I could feel the energy, the buzz of excitement in the halls, as my colleagues welcomed each other back from summer break. I was aware that there would be no bulletin board designing for me, and even though I was across the state, I felt a little sad that the Grizzlies had started a new year. But the hospitality of the Catawba County educators eased my sadness...I brought home beautiful pottery from Hickory potter Tammy Leigh Brooks and a basket full of bathroom goodies (and a teacher fairy!) Thank you, Catawba County Schools! I hope to visit again soon...

On my way home I had a real treat! I took a right in Rowan County and ended up at Janice Raper's school! Janice is the Northwest Regional Teacher of the Year, and she and her school family, with bandanas still secured around their necks, had just returned from a morning of team building out at the ranch. Their new motto - "Saddle up for Success: Lasso Your Learning" can be seen at the entrance to the school and hanging in the halls. I was so excited to meet Janice's colleagues; we literally walked hand in hand around the school so that I could meet everyone! And I loved Janice's classroom - I want to be her student! I told her that I'm coming back when the students get there - Hurley Elementary School is a warm inviting place, and Janice Raper's classroom is one reason why!

Here's Janice (second from right, in green) with a few of her teaching buddies (minus the bandanas!) That's Tiffany Smith (far left), Tish Hatley (second from left), Janice, and Glenda Brooks (far right.) All of these friends of Janice's are teaching some lucky fourth graders in Rowan County. Have a great year, guys!!!

Welcome to Teaching!

2008-08-12T17:39:00.003-04:00

(Chatham County's new teachers participate in "Musical Riddles!")

Imagine this: you step behind a podium and look out at a sea of faces. Those faces are happy, excited, hopeful, and intent. They have a job to do, and they have come to do it. These are our newest colleagues, and they have reported for duty. I have had the opportunity this week to meet some of North Carolina's new teachers, and I am thrilled to have had that honor.

The teachers in the Alamance/Burlington school system are spending their first three days focusing on "Poets and Pirates," the theme for their Beginning Teacher Induction. For my presentation, I chose to focus on poetry and the way that teaching involves sharing "pieces of ourselves" just as poets share when they write. The new Alamance teachers endured my attempts at Dr. Seuss-i-ness, and I explained my five tips for teachers that were recently printed on Teacher Magazine online. They were a refreshing group, all smiles and energy, and the students of Alamance County will be lucky to have these new teachers.

Next I traveled to my home county of Orange to do a presentation on "The Professional Educator." I had an exciting plan, and I had a partner in crime (Jenny, my mentee from last year), but I just couldn't do it. Here's what we had planned: I was to walk in (late), on my cell phone, wearing jeans, flip flops, and a wrinkled t-shirt. While Jenny introduced herself and talked to the teachers about her first year, I had planned to be the frazzled presenter, disorganized and stressed out. After a few minutes, I would apologize for my dress, saying I had been working in my classroom (I don't have one of those this year) and then I would excuse myself to change clothes. I would return in a somewhat inappropriate dress, one more suited for "clubbing" than teaching. After a few more minutes I would slip out and return in appropriate professional dress, ready to get the reactions of the participants.

But...I just couldn't do it! Oh, I wore the jeans and wrinkled t-shirt. I chomped on gum like it was the last piece on earth. But about three minutes after I arrived, I had to confess to this roomful of shocked educators. I was just too scared that they would really think I was like that! I was shaking all over; I felt physically sick. I realized, after the fact, that being considered "professional" just means too much to me. So much that I can't even fake it.

So I explained the idea to the new teachers, excused myself to change clothes, and then returned to continue my presentation about dressing as a professional, marketing ourselves as professional educators, becoming involved in our professional organizations, and speaking positively about our profession. These new teachers were eager to learn everything they could so they asked provocative questions, and we had stimulating conversations.

I was excited to return the next day to discuss Classroom Management. Many times student discipline is the most difficult skill for new teachers to acquire. As I have said before, some things just take experience. As I have learned along the way, many problems I have encountered in my career were problems that I had seen before...maybe the students had different names, but as years went by, I knew what had worked and what hadn't, and I "tweaked" as I learned. The new teachers in Orange County shared their classroom management experiences from their student teaching, and they were impressive as they wrote out their management plans. I can't wait to visit them in their classrooms!

I finished out the week with the Chatham County Schools' new teachers, and they were a delightful group of first time educators! I shared my Expressions for Excellence in Education and my First Day of School Motivational Dream Speech, and we threw a couple of "move around" activities into the mix. Something unexpected happened at the end, though. I was saying, as I do to every teacher group, that I would love to visit their classrooms this year since I won't have a class of my own. Before I knew it, I had gotten a little weepy, and I had taken a couple of Chatham County teachers along for the ride.

Now that the teacher workdays are coming up, and many "early birds" are already in the schools, I'm starting to fully understand that I will not have a classroom this year. So watch out, North Carolina teachers, I'm going to need some classrooms to visit so that I can "breathe in children." Hopefully, I'll be coming your way!

This is definitely the time of year that veteran educators like me get excited about the new energy in our schools. Welcome to teaching!

My First State Board of Education Experience

2008-08-08T21:35:00.000-04:00

One of the roles of the North Carolina Teacher of the Year is to serve as a Teacher Advisor to the State Board. This week I had the honor of representing North Carolina teachers by sitting on the Twenty-first Century Professionals Committee (TCP) and by participating in the activities of the full Board meeting. The Board has determined that their work is determined by five priorities: TCP; Globally Competitive Students (GCS); Healthy, Responsible Students (HRS); Twenty-first Century Systems (TCS); and Leadership for Innovation (LFI). These committees meet prior to the Thursday Board meeting which includes remarks from the Chair, the Superintendent, and the Deputy Superintendent.

Let me begin by saying that the individuals who are in place to make decisions impacting teachers really do "get it." They are well aware of what is happening in the classrooms across our state and are committed to do what's right for educators and students. At the same time they are knowledgeable on the mandates of public school law and are bound to uphold those laws during their decision making. It is apparent that they take their duties very seriously, while also being a warm, open group of professionals who made me feel welcomed from the minute I arrived.

I'd like to take a minute to mention just a few of the decisions that were made. First, there have been changes approved for the North Carolina Writing Assessment. Directed by "A Framework for Change: The Next Generation of Assessments and Accountability," the NC Department of Public Instruction was given the charge to develop a new writing assessment system that would replace the annual on-demand writing tests of the past. During this meeting, the Board approved paper and pencil products for 4th grade and electronic submissions of writing products for 7th and 10th grades. Be on the lookout for details of the new writing assessment as it is piloted this year. Professional development online modules will be available in September.

In other news, the legislature passed (and the Board approved) the use of mentor funds for full time mentors in school systems. Teachers who have achieved National Board Certification may apply to become full time mentors without penalty of losing the 12% pay differential. DPI will be organizing a committee of stakeholders to discuss the training module for full time mentors.

I'd like to end on a personal note: as I mentioned, the Board made me feel a part of their community immediately. I was presented with a State Board pin, mug, bag, and plaque, and treated warmly by everyone I encountered. I did, however, leave exhausted from a great deal of mental activity and in pain from the seven blisters my shoes left on my feet (this teacher does not wear heels often!)

It was definitely a positive experience, and I'm looking forward to meeting with the State Board on a monthly basis.

Love is in the air...

2008-08-06T19:43:00.000-04:00

As promised, members of the 2008-2009 North Carolina Teacher of the Year Team showed up to celebrate the marriage of Kelly and Jason in Salisbury on Saturday. Kelly is the daughter of Janice Raper, Northwest Regional Teacher of the Year (and a beautiful "Mother of the Bride.") Trisha Muse, Bernard Waugh (and his lovely wife Kristen) and I (along with my daughter, Kelli) joined the festivities at St. John's Lutheran Church in historic Salisbury, N.C. The wedding was beautiful, and I got extremely choked up when I saw the tears in the groom's eyes when the bride began down the aisle on the arm of her dad, Janice's handsome husband Ronald. What a fabulous reception! My daughter was especially partial to the macaroni and cheese (that went along with the good ol' Southern barbeque!) Many enjoyed the Lebanese cuisine, too, a tribute to the groom's heritage. We, as the NC Teacher of the Year Team, are grateful for the new friendships we have made and are happy to be able to share some of our most important moments with each other!

To the East and Back...

2008-07-31T15:53:00.000-04:00

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

2008-07-22T20:20:00.001-04:00

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

2008-07-15T18:19:00.000-04:00

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!

2008-07-09T20:53:00.001-04:00

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!

2008-07-08T15:29:00.000-04:00

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!!!

And So It Begins...

2008-06-26T20:30:00.001-04:00

Today I was in a Teacher of the Year whirlwind, and I loved it! I'm tired, and my brain is spinning with information, but I'm beginning to get the idea about what the next year of my life is going to be like.

I got up a 5:30 AM to get ready for a 7:00 breakfast meeting with the Hillsborough Rotary Club. I made it in time to eat one of the best pancakes I've ever had, and then I spoke with the club about challenges in education, a topic they had chosen for me. I was pleasantly surprised at the outpouring of suggestions and offers for assistance that the members gave me after hearing about my dream of opening a community literacy center for the parents and students of my school. I explained that this center will be a place where students can work on their reading skills while their parents are studying English or maybe trying to strengthen their own reading. I left there with a handful of business cards, names, and phone numbers - all from people who offered to help. And I thought I went there to do something for them!

Also, I was very moved when the President of the Rotary Club handed me a certificate informing me that a book had been placed in the Orange County Public Library in my name. Epossumondas Saves the Day, a funny little story about a possum who finds the missing ingredient for a birthday cake, is now my book, sitting on a shelf in our county's library. It was all I could do not to cry on the rest of my pancake. As a reading teacher, I was so grateful and moved by the gesture.

I left Hillsborough and drove to the other side of the county to Chapel Hill (the Southern part of Heaven) and attended my first License Appeals Committee meeting at the Center for School Leadership Development. Again, I gained more from this meeting than I brought in as I learned about State Board of Education policy and licensure issues.

After meeting briefly with my friends in the North Carolina Model Teacher Education Consortium office, I headed back to Hillsborough to meet with my Assistant Superintendent to discuss Beginning Teacher Orientation. Next I headed to my school and talked through some ideas for teacher training with my principal.

When I finally returned home, ten hours after I left, I realized that I had grabbed an envelope out of my box while I was in my school building. I reached in my bag and quickly opened it. It was a congratulatory letter from the Governor. THE GOVERNOR!

What a day...

Smile for the Camera!

2008-06-23T19:08:00.000-04:00

One of the first duties of the North Carolina Teacher of the Year is to be interviewed for a television show on UNC public television called "North Carolina Now." Today was my day, and I can tell you, it was quite the experience! I was first led to the "Green Room," and I thought Wow, they really have these! Next the microphone was clipped on my lapel, and a little box (I'm sure there's a more scientific name) was placed on my back under my jacket. Mitchell Lewis, News Anchor for North Carolina Now, then came in to brief me on the questions he would ask. They were all predictable - "How did you feel when you were named NC Teacher of the Year?" "How has teaching changed since you started?" Easy, right?

Well, let me tell you...no matter how easy the questions are there is something unnerving about three huge cameras pointed right at you. No matter how many times you've been asked these easy questions, those spotlights make you a little queasy.

But nine minutes later, it was over, and now I'm going through each question (and answer) in my head. Did that sound professional, I'm thinking...or Why didn't I say -----?" I guess it's up to North Carolina to decide...Wednesday, June 25th at 7:30...for all the world to see.

Submitted by...

Cindi...on the education road in NC

Forever Friends...

2008-06-21T18:22:00.000-04:00

Christy Albertson - Stoneville

Frieda Baker - Wilson

Ruth Bass - Roxboro

Joyce Best - Wilson

Mary Kay Cooley - NCCAT

Sambra Desrosiers - Oxford

Lena Donlon - NCCAT

Carol Earnhardt - Winston-Salem

Patricia Edmondson -Rocky Mount

Rhondra Fleming - Kinston

Jennifer Garrish - Ocracoke

Carolyn Hiatt - Colfax

Jean Matthews - Ahoskie

Trisha Muse - Asheboro

Bethany Orr - Mooresville

RuthAnn Parker - Clinton

Melissa Pearce - Clayton

Renee Peoples - Whittier

Janice Raper - Salisbury

Cindi Rigsbee - Durham

Sonya Rinehart - Edenton

Bernard Waugh - China Grove

Anita Winn - Gates

Leaving Ocracoke

2008-06-21T17:11:00.000-04:00

Thursday night was a very special evening for our Teachers of the Year. We had the opportunity to hear from Martin Garrish and his friends who shared stories of the island culture through music. We sang, we danced (especially our resident clogger, Regional Teacher of the Year Trisha Muse,) and we laughed until we cried.

Teachers are members of a community of kindred spirits, and we were so blessed to spend the week with each other. Our sincere thanks goes out to Mary Kay Cooley, Center Fellow for NCCAT at Cullowhee and Lena Donlon, Program Associate for NCCAT Ocracoke. You ladies, along with Alton Ballance, Scott Cole, Phillip Howard, Ken Wells, and Martin Garrish, made this group of teachers proud to be educators! Thank you for the knowledge, the laughter, the renewal of spirit, and the newly found friends. We are forever grateful.

Goodbye Ocracoke...

Sharing Ocracoke

2008-06-21T13:22:00.001-04:00

Thursday was a special to day to those of us who are "mainlanders." First, native Ocracoker Alton Ballance (and a Center Fellow at NCCAT) shared the history of his home island. We were spellbound hearing stories of how hurricanes and wars affected Ocracoke. It was so interesting to hear about the culture of this part of our state and the politics that are involved when making decisions about a world that is somewhat disconnected from those who govern it. Luckily, Alton has served as a County Commissioner and has had a great deal of impact on decisions made affecting the people. In addition, he is the author of Ocracokers, and an expert on the island's people, so he is responsible for sharing the "story" of Ocracoke with others. Next, we met with another native, Phillip Howard, who is an Ocracoke historian. His ancestry traces back to William Howard, Blackbeard's quartermaster. We listened to fascinating stories of the island's people and history while walking the historic streets of the town.

After another gourmet lunch, we met as NC Teachers of the Year to plan a symposium for the coming year. Using the "Lotus Diagram" we were able to narrow our brainstorming into four "petals" of the lotus. Everyone had such great ideas:

WHO - District TOY's, BT's, policy makers

WHAT - Networking, Celebrating, Sharing, Mixing and Mingling with Policy Makers, Reflection, Round Table Discussions

WHERE - 3 Regions/Piedmont, Coastal, Mountain, Community College Campus, UNC System Schools, Trinity Place, The North Carolina Zoo

WHEN - Although several dates were discussed, it was decided that our symposium will take place in the spring, after each district level Teacher of the Year has been selected.

We will continue this important work that we started at NCCAT and hopefully will be able to offer a powerful symposium for teachers in our state.

During the next part of our last full day, we were thrilled to hear comments from Ken Wells, a former principal and superintendent, on the subject of Leadership. Ken, who believes that change is driving public schools, shared many interesting points:

1. Adapting to change is the most important characteristic of a leader.

2. Leaders must learn to listen.

3. Leaders must "get out of the office."

He continued by telling us that North Carolina's new evaluation standards will open professional dialogue between teachers and administrators.

After Ken's enlightening presentation, we all met out on the deck to for a reception. We ended the evening with a delicious steak dinner that made teachers feel appreciated and celebrated.