TEACHERS' MESSAGES 2007

MAY 24, 2007 - Teachers' Biweekly Message

As the 2006-07 school year comes to a close, I want to thank you for your efforts this school year. Because of you, there are children who are reading that could not do so in September. There are children who felt lost in mathematics and now understand their work. There are children who had few aspirations, and now they have many. Your students also may have taught you some lessons about patience, wonder, enthusiasm and curiosity. In my experience, a school year is a learning experience for the students, and also for their teachers. This is the last biweekly issue of the Teachers' Email Newsletter before summer break. We will send this publication once a month beginning in June and resume our regular publication schedule in September. Until then, please watch your email for the "Friday from Jones Street" legislative update to stay informed about General Assembly activities, and enjoy some time to replenish and recharge for the fall.

Regards,
June Atkinson

In this Biweekly Teachers' Message:

1. Farewell Message from 2006-07 NC Teacher of the Year
2. Watt, Howell Named to State Board of Education
3. North Carolina School Districts Receive Two of Nation's First Hybrid Buses
4. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' Teacher Named History Teacher of the Year
5. Students Receive Scholastic Art Award
6. Integrating Technology in the 6-12 Social Studies Classroom Professional Development Reminder
7. Gang Symposium to be Held
8. Smithsonian Institution Offers Resources for Teachers
9. Article of Interest

Farewell Message for 2006-07 NC Teacher of the Year

It is hard to believe that this whirlwind of a year is almost to a close. Traveling the state from the mountains to the beach and back quite a few times, I can honestly say that our children are in good hands! It has been an honor and a privilege to be a voice for NC teachers.

I am excited to see a State Board of Education that has vision and courage to set the tone for our future. I am impressed by the dedication and commitment from our Department of Public Instruction. I am proud to be in a state where the General Assembly really listens and is willing to fund good educational ideas. I am thrilled to be appointed by a Governor "who gets it" to the Professional Teaching Standards Commission to have a say in what constitutes good instruction and how our focus is where it should be-student learning. I am energized by working with pre-service teachers in our fine institutions of higher education. Their excitement and positive outlook is refreshing.

Meeting the other state teachers of the year at various conferences this year made me realize how North Carolina truly values its teachers and its children, our future. We have business and industry that support educational endeavors and strive to celebrate what happens in classrooms all over our state. The fact that North Carolina has educators, legislators, and the business community working together makes us unstoppable. The sky is the limit.

I wish to thank my amazing Regional Team: Coleman Bailey (Pitt Co), Bill Ferriter (Wake Co.), Shayne Madison (Winston Salem-Forsyth), Marianne Leek (Clay Co.), Luke Hyatt (Anson Co.), Debbie Stuckey (Robeson Co.), and Jay Strope (Onslow Co.) for their undying support and devotion to "the cause." They are wonderful role models for all-friends for life. I am excited to have met my successor, James Bell (Edenton-Chowan) and his stellar team at this year's Teacher of the Year selection. They are all champions for education and will carry the torch with pride.

Professionally and personally this has been a year of growth for me. I learned more about educational policy than I have in 25 years of teaching. I have embraced the role of teacher as leader and enjoyed the opportunity to have a voice for what is best for our children. I am slowly but surely conquering my anxiety concerning public speaking. It's easy to be a cheerleader for education when you are passionate and genuine about what children and learning mean to you. We are all raising honorable individuals that will lead us through an uncertain 21st century with integrity, creativity, and grace. They will be versatile, innovative, and open to new ideas. In a dynamic, continuously changing world, our bar of expectations is set high.

I am confident that our children will be on a constant quest for knowledge and skills to power us over any hurdle. With all of us behind them, they cannot fail. We teach them to be responsible for their actions, to be good citizens, to form a culture that celebrates differences, embraces change, and is undaunted by what is difficult. The world belongs to those who care deeply, who dream boldly, and who work steadfastly.

I appreciate the honor of representing all of you as your 2006-07 NC Teacher of the Year. It has been an unforgettable life-changing experience. Have a productive rest of your school year, and enjoy your summer break. Take time to rest, recharge, and renew---you deserve no less!! Diana Beasley, 2006-07 NC Teacher of the Year

Watt, Howell Named to State Board of Education

Gov. Mike Easley recently named Eulada Watt of Charlotte and Kevin Howell of Raleigh, to the North Carolina State Board of Education. Watt is a Special Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte serving as a liaison to university departments and community organizations. She also is Executive Director of Minbanc Foundation, Inc., which provides training scholarships to employees of minority and women-owned banks to advance their professional expertise and personal skills. She fills the position on the State Board of Education formerly held by Jane Norwood, whose term expired in March. Kevin Howell assumes the position on the Board formerly held by Edgar Murphy, whose term also expired in March. Howell is assistant to the chancellor for external affairs for North Carolina State University. As one of 10 executive officers for the university, he is responsible for providing information to state, county and city leaders on the mission and goals of N.C. State. Members of the board are appointed to eight-year terms.

North Carolina School Districts Receive Two of Nation's First Hybrid Buses

Charlotte and Raleigh area students will be the first students in North Carolina to ride to school on a plug-in hybrid electric school bus. With up to 70-100 percent more fuel efficiency, the nation's first hybrid school buses are the first steps in helping schools manage high fuel prices and transportation costs. The hybrid school bus also helps keep the air clean by reducing diesel engine emissions by up to 90 percent. These buses are part of the 19 hybrid buses among 10 other states nationwide awarded by Advanced Energy http://www.advancedenergy.org/, a Raleigh-based non-profit corporation that initiated a buyer's consortium of school districts, state energy agencies and student transportation providers.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' Teacher Named History Teacher of the Year

Congratulations to Suzanne M. Blaszak, a fifth grade teacher, at Providence Spring Elementary (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools) for recently being named the NC Preserve America History Teacher of the Year. Blaszak's students don't simply recite historical facts; they express themselves and their knowledge through intelligent conversations, debates, writings and visuals. She will be competing for the National Preserve American History Teacher of the Year, which will be announced later this year.

Students Receive Scholastic Art Award

First Lady Mary Easley recently presented three North Carolina high school students with the Governor's Student Excellence Award at a reception at the Executive Mansion. The Governor's Student Excellence Award honors the creativity and high caliber of artistic work by North Carolina high school students. Congratulations go to Kasey Baranova, a senior at Enloe Magnet High (Wake County Public Schools), John Sabacinski, a senior at Myers Park High (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools); and Kim Jones, a 7th grader at Enka Middle (Buncombe County Schools). The winning artwork will be displayed at the Executive Mansion for the next several weeks. Founded in 1923, the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards are the nation's longest-running student recognition program for the visual and literary arts.

Integrating Technology in the 6-12 Social Studies Classroom Professional Development Reminder

Social studies teachers are reminded that if they want to participate in the year-long professional development, "Changing the Way Teachers Teach: Integrating Technology in the 6-12 Social Studies Classroom," they need to email the registration form and a letter of support from their principal or supervisor by May 31. For a more detailed description and a registration form, please go online to http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/socialstudies/middlegrades/. Please contact Fay Gore (fgore@dpi.state.nc.us or 919.807.3954) or Lewis Nelson (lnelson@dpi.state.nc.us or 919.807.3835) if you have any questions.

Gang Symposium to be Held

Communities in Schools of North Carolina will hold a symposium on "Addressing Street Gangs" on Friday, June 8, from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., in the Simpson Lecture Hall Auditorium, Thomas W. Simpson Administration Building, Asheville Buncombe Technical College, Asheville. There is no registration fee, but you must register to attend. Space is limited. To register, please call 919.832.2700 and ask for Katie Carrington. You also can email your name and contact information to kcarrington@cisnc.org. Please place Gang Symposium in the subject line. The registration deadline is June 1.

Smithsonian Institution Offers Resources for Teachers

The Smithsonian Institution is making curriculum planning and teaching easier for teachers across the nation by offering over 1,200 free educational resources online. SmithsonianEducation.org now includes a feature that aligns those resources to standards of learning in every state. Teachers can enter the name of their state into the search engine and find lesson plans, virtual exhibitions, photographs and artwork, and databases of research information that apply to their curriculum. The state standards are correlated to all subjects. The Smithsonian will regularly update both the resource bank and the state-standards correlations on the site.

Article of Interest

The following article from the PEN Weekly NewsBlast may be of interest to teachers. For Georgianne Walsh, of New Jersey, a beloved raccoon puppet known as Chester acts as the official greeter for her kindergarten students every morning. In Las Cruces, N.M., Toni Gross's preschoolers are endlessly intrigued by a mouth-shaped puppet named Besos that Gross uses to demonstrate oral movement when teaching speech and language. These puppets, simple hinged paper devices, were all inspired by an innovative Web site called Puppetools.com. Brainchild of a boundary-busting educator Jeffrey Peyton, Puppetools provides a wide array of resources designed to introduce teachers and students to a stimulating world of educational play centered on puppetry. You can read all about it in "Getting Serious About Play as a Learning Tool in Classrooms," available online at http://edutopia.org/talk-hand.

 

If you'd like to review past Teachers' Biweekly Messages sent to the listserv group, just go online to http://www.ncpublicschools.org/teachersarchive/ .