Classrooms | WUNC

#TeachingInNC: 'The politicians who control state government have changed, but the politics haven't'

By Terry L. Stoops • Oct 31, 2014

Terry Stoops is the Director of Education Studies at the John Locke Foundation — Twitter

Contributions to the superb #TeachingInNC project are, to quote baseball great Yogi Berra, déjà vu all over again.

The names of classroom activities are different, but children today are engaged in tasks that have cycled in and out of public school classrooms for decades.

Whether it is group work, hands-on activities, student-led discussions, or focus on "real world" skills, it is a good bet that previous generations of experts have promoted it, teachers have employed it, and children have suffered through it.

#TeachingInNC: 'Low teacher pay comes at a high cost for schools and kids'

By Mark Jewell • Oct 31, 2014

When I look at these tweets from our amazing educators and students, a big smile comes across my face. It makes me reflect back to my own career as a NC public school teacher.

I have worked in education for 27 years. I started in 1987, teaching in my home state of West Virginia. But by 1997 I was in the classroom in Guilford County, lured to North Carolina because of her reputation as a leader in innovation and classroom practices.

#TeachingInNC: 'Beyond the vision, you have to have hope that you can achieve'

By Howard Lee • Oct 31, 2014

I found that a lot of the responses were inspirational, and I am big on inspiring students. I thought the attempt was being made to get students really excited about learning, and I really like that.

There was one post that was about success. The teacher talked about helping students find their dreams. I am in the midst of writing a paper about dreams, hope and faith, and this is what I am writing:

Dreams inspire, hope motivates and faith sustains.

(Note: Lee points out several posts that are by teachers talking about inspiring students.)

Fact Check: Clearing Up 7 Common Core Claims

By Reema Khrais • Apr 7, 2014

East Chapel Hill High School students — Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools

The new Common Core standards have been met with growing criticism from many state leaders, teachers and parents. The standards were initially adopted by 45 states and introduced to North Carolina classrooms in 2012. They’re meant to replace a hodgepodge of state standards with one set of clear, consistent goals for what students should learn in Math and English at every grade level.