TO:
NC Public School Teachers
FROM: State Superintendent June Atkinson
DATE: Aug. 22, 2013
Thank you for being a part of North Carolina's public school teaching corps. As we
begin the 2013-14 school year, our state faces a number of challenges, not the least of
which is continuing to improve the education that we provide to students. From the emails, calls and Facebook messages that many of you have sent to me, I know that you
are frustrated and also eager to do the best job that you can do on behalf of your
students. As we move forward in this school year, we will continue to seek ways to
support you more and to advocate for better working conditions and compensation.
While the 2013 legislative session is over, there is always next year's session and we
cannot give up on our goal of improving teacher pay and support. I know that all across
this state are many talented teachers who give their best work and efforts to students
daily. Thank you for elevating your profession.
Regards,
June Atkinson
In this Biweekly Teachers’ Message:
1. Teachers’ Biweeklyl Message Helps Keep Teachers in the Know
2. State Board of Education Meeting Highlights
3. Master’s Degree Pay Update
4. NC Teacher of the Year Welcome Back Message
5. Webinar Scheduled to Receive Feedback on Common Exams/Roster Verification
6. Resources for Differentiation, Global Awareness and Critical Thinking
7. LEARN NC’s Fall PD Schedule Online
8. The Power of Words Contest Targets High School Students
9. American History Teacher Award
1. Teachers’ Biweekly Message Helps Keep Teachers in the Know – If this is the
first time you’ve received an e-mail newsletter from the State Superintendent –
welcome! If this is old hat – welcome back! Every August, we retrieve teacher e-mail
addresses from our information management system to refresh our teachers’ e-mail list
so that we can communicate directly with teachers on issues of importance to you and
the teaching profession. You can expect to receive this message on the second and
fourth Thursdays of each month throughout the school year. You also will receive
separate messages concerning North Carolina’s READY and Race to the Top
initiatives. If you ever have any questions regarding the items included in these
messages (that don’t already contain contact information), please reply to this e-mail
and we will ensure that you receive a timely response. Also, please don’t hesitate to let
us know if you have any issues you would like addressed in future messages. We hope
you will find this communication beneficial.
2. State Board of Education Meeting Highlights - At this month’s State Board of
Education meeting, members approved the 2012-13 Cohort Graduation Rate report,
which noted another record high graduation rate of 82.5 percent; the proposed
temporary waiver of the paid employment graduation requirement for the Future-Ready
Occupational Course of Study; 21st Century Community Learning Center grants with
modifications; and changes to policy delineating the components of the READY
Accountability model to include Annual Measurable Objectives. Board members also
heard a presentation from the Governor’s Education Advisor Eric Guckian regarding the
Governor’s position on teacher salary issues and student assessments. A summary of
all Board action items is available online at
http://stateboard.ncpublicschools.gov/highlights/2013.
3. Master’s Degree Pay Update - At the State Board’s August meeting, State
Superintendent June Atkinson informed Board members that she bring to them a
recommendation for approval at their September meeting concerning Master’s Degree
Pay. The recommendation would temporarily change the department’s existing policy to
move the April 1 cut-off date for advanced degree certification to a later date to allow
those who are currently pursing their master’s degree to receive credit if they finish at
the end of the 2013-14 academic year. The General Assembly eliminated master’s
degree pay for educators that had not received the pay differential prior to the 2014-15
school year. We will update you once the State Board takes action.
4. NC Teacher of the Year Welcome Back Message - As the school bells start to
digitally ring in a new school year across North Carolina, I find myself struggling with
mixed emotions about the year ahead. I am eager for the upcoming year that is full of
speaking engagements, school visits and exciting opportunities (like meeting the
President and going to Space Camp!), but I also find myself occasionally saddened and
a little jealous as I hear about the hustle and bustle of the start of the school year for
teachers across the state.
As the North Carolina Teacher of the Year, I am out of the classroom for the next
year. Perhaps more times than I should admit, I catch myself gazing longingly at pens,
pencils, paper, markers, highlighters, staples and other goodies that I would normally be
purchasing at this time of the year. I slightly envy Facebook posts of coworkers that
show the finished projects they’ve completed in their own classrooms - a floral duct tape
covered podium, a new seating arrangement, or a shiny Word Wall just waiting to have
essential vocabulary words stapled to it. I have even scheduled a day to go to Grimsley
High School and help my coworkers put the final touches on their classrooms that will
warmly greet high school students on August 26.
When I think about the way I feel right now, I think I can best describe my emotions by
saying that I feel like a bit of a contradiction. I can best explain this contradiction through
my recent experience traveling abroad in Spain for much of August. While in Spain for
the wedding of a dear Spanish friend, I was frequently introduced in the following way
(the introductions occurred in Spanish so the following is a very loose translation): “This
is Karyn. She doesn’t speak Spanish very well, but she understands most of what you
say. The airline lost her luggage and she is a vegetarian. No, she does not eat fish, not
even dolphin or tuna. Pobrecita.”
While the above introduction might seem rather unrelated to my new school year, it is
surprisingly apt. You see, I feel like I currently exist in a world of contradictions. I am
one thing, a teacher, but I am also another, a representative. Much like the way most
Spaniards could not understand my choice to be a vegetarian, I am now in an inbetween position where it is sometimes hard to describe to others exactly what I will be
doing for the next year. Like my lost luggage (still lost after more than seven days), my
past seven years as a teacher are so much a part of who I am that even though I am
not presently in a traditional teaching position, those seven years are the personal
belongings that define me. Yet, unlike the ending of most of my introductions in Spain,
“Pobrecita,” I do not feel like I am “unfortunate.” Instead, I feel delighted to have the
opportunity to expand my classroom beyond the four walls that are lined with posters of
great authors and works of literature to the unlimited bounds of education in North
Carolina. This year will be incredibly different, but it will also be one of tremendous
possibilities and opportunities. It is a time when educators need a representative voice,
and I hope to serve as that representative. While I may not be decorating the four walls
of my classroom at Grimsley High School this week, I am placing the finishing touches
on speeches, researching changes to educational policy in our state, and planning and
preparing for my upcoming school year, one in which I hope to learn and share just as
much as I will teach.
I feel like my introduction upon my return from Spain to the United States as the new
school year begins should be the following: “This is Karyn Dickerson. She loves
education and wants to talk about it with others. She is a teacher but she is not teaching
in the classroom this year. No, that does not mean she is not a teacher, it just means
her classroom got a lot bigger. Yes, she is also a student. And a representative.
Afortunada.”
If you want to read more about my journey this year, you can follow me on Facebook,
http://goo.gl/4wsNRe; Twitter, https://twitter.com/kdickersonnctoy; my website,
www.karyndickerson.com; and/or my blog, http://karyndickersontoy.blogspot.com.
5. Webinar Scheduled to Receive Feedback on Common Exams/Roster
Verification - The NCDPI and NC Association of Educators will host a webinar on
Tuesday, Sept. 17, from 4-5:30 p.m. to receive feedback on the 2012-13 administration
of the Common Exams and the Spring 2013 roster verification process. Teachers may
register to participate at http://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/251489857. Once you
register, you will receive an e-mail message with participation directions. If you have
any questions in the interim, please e-mail them to educatoreffectiveness@dpi.nc.gov.
6. Resources for Differentiation, Global Awareness and Critical Thinking - Skills
students will need for college and career readiness include global awareness and
critical thinking - with and without technological tools. How widely are these embedded
within instructional delivery and learning? How often are teachers using data to
differentiate? Visit http://bit.ly/si2013p21 for resources to assist teachers with using the
framework for 21st century skills to differentiate instruction and meet the needs of all
learners. For more information, please contact Lynne Johnson at
lynne.johnson@dpi.nc.gov or Jessica Garner at Jessica.garner@dpi.nc.gov.
7. LEARN NC’s Fall PD Schedule Online - LEARN NC’s fall schedule of online
professional development courses is available online at
www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/7698. Whether educators are interested in picking up credit
hours in cultural awareness, co-teaching, literacy, ESL, or American history, there is
something for everyone. In addition, LEARN NC is offering multiple sections in Moodle
Training and Teaching Online Courses. LEARN NC’s online courses, which are aligned
to North Carolina’s Professional Teaching Standards, eliminate travel expenses and
substitute-teacher costs normally associated with staff development. Online
professional development allows teachers to participate at a time and place most
convenient to them, and collaborate with colleagues via a variety of easy-to-use
electronic forums.
8. The Power of Words Contest Targets High School Students - To commemorate
the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential
Library invites high school students to share their thoughts in only 272 words – no more,
no less – about either Abraham Lincoln or Gettysburg/Gettysburg Address. Essays will
be judged on creativity, originality, use of language, and appropriateness to theme.
Three winning students will receive $2,500 scholarships. An additional $2,500
scholarship will be awarded to the school with the highest number of participants.
Students’ essays must be submitted via e-mail to 272words@alplm.org from Sept. 1Oct. 1. Full contest details are attached.
9. American History Teacher Award - The Tom and Betty Lawrence American
History Teacher Award, sponsored by the National Society of the Sons of the American
Revolution, recognizes an outstanding history teacher whose instruction on the
Revolutionary War Era from 1750-1800 demonstrates educational efforts in the
classroom that exceed and excel above current accepted curriculum requirements. The
award winner will choose a trip to one of four seminars valued at $1,400. Award
information and application are attached. All applications must be submitted by Dec. 31
to be considered.
If you'd like to review past Teachers’ Biweekly Messages, please visit
www.ncpublicschools.org/teachersarchive/ .