We Win When They Win

On Wednesday, May 16th, thousands of educators will convene in downtown Raleigh to get the

attention of the General Assembly.  Some say that the teachers are just mad that they aren't getting paid enough and that they should have known what they were getting in to when they became teachers.  Some say they should be in the classroom on 5/16 because students are being neglected from a quality education that day AND that is why they became teachers...to teach kids.  Then others say "Hey, you get your summers off. What else do you want?"

This rhetoric is frustrating and causes educators to get angrier and angrier and has actually caused good teachers to walk away from education.  It has also cause normal functioning people to act recklessly and post inappropriate responses to others on social media and shout inappropriate and unbecoming chants at previous rallies (I have participated in about 4 since becoming an educator).

The solution to all of this? I believe it is as simple as remembering that if one group wins, it does not mean that the other group loses.  It just means that their win might be delayed. Let me explain.

Recently, state workers (not educators) stated that they did not believe teachers should get a raise because they have been getting more frequent raises then they have been.  The same can be said about the struggle between traditional public schools and charter schools.  Charter schools are "stealing our students and funding" so they are all bad.  We know this is not true but this is their reality.  Our schools, traditional and charter, could be so much stronger if we could work together and see each other as partners.  When one group wins (more funding in charter schools), the other can win (the additional funds makes it easier to collaborate and share ideas across schools and gives educators and parents options when selecting schools).  

As y'all know, I ran for HC School Board and lost by 82 votes.  I am disappointed because I know I would have been an awesome addition to the board. But what I am most disappointed in is the way my party handled me and the other candidate.  It seemed from the onset that I was not the best candidate because I worked in a charter school. A public charter school that is showing growth with students and has a mission to build disciplined artists that are able to positively impact the world. But the focused stayed on me being at a charter school and of course, they aren't part of the fabric of my party.

When our focus is not on the problem but on who wins and who will lose we can not solve the problem.

This is why I support the educators marching on Wednesday. Although their fight does not affect by pay or my school, it DOES affect the students of NC and my peers across the state who fight the good fight each day. I encourage each of you to STAND UP with our fellow educators to fight for the teachers and students in our state by wearing RED on Wednesday.

I hope everyone has had a relaxing weekend and I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow.

And to all the mothers..."Happy Mother's Day"!                             - Angela

To read about our Instructional Focuses for the coming two weeks, click HERE!

Week of Monday, May 14-Friday, May 18, 2018

Monday, May 14

• Future Chameleon Open House: Lower Elementary 12:30-2:30
• 5th Grade Planning 12:50-1:50
• Small Group SIT Mtg 3:30-4:00

Tuesday, May 15

• 3rd, 4th, 5th Reflections on Rolling Basis from 8-9
• 8:00-8:20- 3rd Grade
• Weir- Carr
• DeNoble- Akers
• 8:20-8:40- 4th Grade
• Majka- Carr
• McLaughlin- Akers
• 8:40-9:00- 5th Grade
• Fleming-Falls
• Samuelson- Carr
• Ezell- Akers
• 1st Grade to Library 9:45-11:00
• 3rd Grade Planning at 10:10
• Future Chameleon Open House: Upper Elementary 12:30-2:30

Wednesday, May 16

• #redfored Day: You can wear jeans on Wednesday if you wear a red shirt. Special Snacks will be served during EOG Training that day and we'll take a group picture at 3:20.
• PLCs (SST Focus; Please bring data)
• Kindergarten: 8-9
• 1st Grade: 9:05-10:05
• 2nd Grade: 10:10-11:10
• 4th and 5th Grades: 12:50-1:50
• Middle Grades: 12:55-1:55
• Spring Break Reward Picnics, during their lunch periods, for students who completed the challenge in April; A list of students participating will be share on Tuesday and their parents will have dojo sent to remind them.
• 4th Grade to Library 10-11
• EOG Training 3:30-4:30

Thursday, May 17

• 2nd Grade Math i-Ready
• Kindergarten Planning at 8:00
• UNC-P Visit 8:30-11:00
• PLCs (SST Focus; Please bring data)
• 3rd Grade: 10:10-11:10
• 2nd Grade Planning at 10:10
• Arts PLC 11:30-12:30

Friday, May 18

• 2nd Grade ELA i-Ready
• Kindergarten Planning 8-9
• Hill covers Honeycutt
• 1st Grade Planning at 9:05-10:05
• Admin Mtg at 9-10
• Samuelson to library 9:00
• Russ (Middle School) - Library Visit 9:15-12:00
• Ezell to libray at 9:45
• Fleming to library at 11:00
• 2nd grade - Library Visit at 1:00 PM

Reminders

• Final observations for the year should be done by end of week; please begin working on EOY PDP because we will discuss at your summative. Summatives will be scheduled for an hour and will fall between 5/21 and 6/4.