TEACHERS' MESSAGES 2008

OCTOBER 23, 2008 - Teachers' Biweekly Messages

Innovation is underway in public schools across North Carolina, but it sometimes seems that these innovations are among the best kept secrets in the state! Well that is going to change. The 2008 School Innovation Day Tour is Nov. 18 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at a variety of schools statewide, and legislators, news media and others are being invited to come out and see the innovations firsthand. Each local school district has been invited to submit at least one innovative school or program for visitors to see on Innovation Day. This is a part of the 2008 American Education Week observances in North Carolina. To see a list of innovative sites, go to www.ncpublicschools.org and look under Highlights for the Web page of innovations.

Regards,
June Atkinson

In this Biweekly Teachers' Message:

1. Greetings from the NC Teacher of the Year
2. North Carolina Graduation Requirements Web Site Up and Running
3. 2008-09 National Board Application Deadline Approaching
4. Personal Financial Literacy Teacher Survey
5. North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Conference
6. Annual NC Technology Educator Awards
7. LEARN NC Offers Online Course

Greetings from the NC Teacher of the Year

Greetings from the North Carolina Teacher of the Year Team! I know you have now settled into your school year and are developing those all-important relationships with your students. I am enjoying meeting and working with many of you as I travel the state, and I am proud to continually say that I represent the best and the brightest, the teachers of North Carolina! Many years ago I was given a poster for my classroom. It hung by my desk for years, until it eventually disintegrated into pieces. I saved the most important piece, a quote about a teacher by John Steinbeck: "In her classroom, our speculations ranged the whole world. When she left we were sad, but her light did not go out. She had written her indelible signature on our minds. I suppose, to a large extent, I am the unfinished manuscript of such a person. What awesome power lies in the hands of a person such as that." When I first read that quote, I was immediately thrown back to 1963, into a damp basement classroom with my first grade teacher, Mrs. Barbara Warnecke. Because she was able to see beyond my appearance and social status and offer me unconditional regard and affirmation, I became the "unfinished manuscript" of all that she taught me that year. Within each of us lies that same "awesome power." In recent years, my classes have studied the words to Natasha Bedingfield's song "Unwritten" - "Today is where your book begins/the rest is still unwritten." I tell my students that the rest of their educational lives begin today, and they themselves can write the ending to their books. I had an amazing opportunity this past September. I was reunited with Mrs. Warnecke on "Good Morning America." Since that time, I have heard thousands of stories about teachers who have made a difference, teachers who have changed lives. It is such an honor to work in a profession that provides us with the opportunity, and, yes, even the responsibility to be that teacher who makes a difference. You are leaving your indelible signature on every student you teach, and they, in turn, are writing the books of their lives. Thank you to Mrs. Warnecke and to all North Carolina teachers who are impacting students' lives. As Parker J. Palmer wrote in "The Courage to Teach," "Teaching is the finest work I know." Cindi Rigsbee, 2008-09 North Carolina Teacher of the Year

North Carolina Graduation Requirements Web Site Up and Running

Explaining the high school diploma requirements for students and their families just got a bit easier with the launch of the North Carolina Graduation Requirements Web site at www.ncpublicschools.org/gradrequirements. This site provides one place for parents, students, educators and counselors to see course and credit, testing and performance requirements for all students, depending on his/her ninth grade entry year. In particular, under the Resources button are brochures, charts and other materials that can be downloaded and shared as appropriate. Periodic visits to this site are encouraged as new materials are developed and added, particularly under the Resources button.

2008-09 National Board Application Deadline Approaching

Oct. 31 is the deadline for North Carolina teachers planning to seek National Board Certification to complete the online application at www.nbpts.org and then complete the online application for NC funding. Guidelines for applying for National Board Certification in North Carolina can be accessed at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/recruitment/nationalboardcertification/. Initial National Board candidates will pay a $65 processing charge to NBPTS before they submit their application. North Carolina pays the assessment fee of $2,500 for all candidates who meet North Carolina eligibility criteria.

Personal Financial Literacy Teacher Survey

During the 2007-08 school year, the NCDPI included Personal Financial Literacy (PFL) instruction in Civics and Economics courses. It is the intent of the Personal Financial Literacy initiatives to change attitudes and behavior of students, not to test knowledge. In order to expand this program and make it as effective as possible for teachers and for students, DPI staff would like for teachers to provide feedback on last year's initiatives. Civics and Economics teachers and Social Studies Department Chairpersons are asked to complete this survey, which is available online at www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB228CCRVA4UL, along with additional information about Personal Financial Literacy. The survey will be available through Nov. 24. Questions regarding the survey should be directed to Esther Dunnegan at edunnegan@dpi.state.nc.us.

North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Conference

The North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics will hold its 38th Annual State Conference on Oct. 30-31 at the Koury Convention Center/Sheraton Greensboro. For conference details, including registration, please go online to www.ncctm.org.

Annual NC Technology Educator Awards

Nominations are now being accepted for the 20th Annual NC Technology Educator Awards. The purpose of the Technology Educator Award is to recognize individuals who have provided outstanding leadership in planning and implementing instructional technology into the ongoing school program. Awards will be made for administrators and teachers. Please visit http://www.ncwiseowl.org/it/educatoraward/default.html for additional information and a nomination form. All nominations must be received by 5 p.m. on Nov. 11. Awards will be given at the NCETC Luncheon on Dec. 4. Nomination forms should be emailed to Cathy Mathews at cmathews@dpi.state.nc.us.

LEARN NC Offers Online Course

Too often, students don't understand the rich historical background of African American history or the legacies of the movement in the more recent past. They often know the major civil rights figures like Martin Luther King, Jr. or Rosa Parks, but they don't grasp the complexities of civil rights leadership, or the experience of the students in SNCC, the freedom riders, or the everyday people who marched, boycotted, protested and volunteered to make the movement happen. This course will explore the movement from all of these perspectives using, where possible, first- hand accounts from the people who lived this important history. The Civil Rights Movement in Context begins Dec. 2 and is worth 3 CEUs. There is a $225 registration fee. For a full course description or to register, please visit http://www.learnnc.org/courses/current/civrightscontext_12_08_Walbert

 

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