NC SPIN episode #901 - Air Date 02/07/2016
Published February 5, 2016
Watch NC SPIN online! Join us this week when we present a special program on public education that was recorded a couple of weeks ago at the January 2016 Public School Forum’s Eggs and Issues breakfast.
February 7, 2016 at 7:25 am
Vickie Woodford says:
I have been teaching in NC since Aug 1999. My students have met or exceeded growth every year since the current testing model was put in place. I teach at a minority school. I really love my job and my students but remaining in the classroom is extremely difficult on so many levels. The state expects me to get my teaching materials from the Internet. They expect my students to be able to access the web at home to learn. Problem. Not all of the families that I work with have the type of access required for their students to be successful. Phones provide limited access to materials posted on line by teachers. Also, I really don't think that the state of NC really cares about teachers. The law makers are clueless. If they really cared they would provide enough money for schools to use a combination of printed and electronic materials. If you want us to go totally digital, provide enough money for me to have a class set of tablets or small computers in my room. Sharing with 4 other teachers is ineffective. Then there is the issue of salary and tenure. I feel like yesterday's garbage when I think of my pay and how the state values me. My daughter just began her career after just 2 years in a community college and she makes just $5,000 less than I do. I am happy for her but I feel even more valueless. Law makers say that teachers like myself are important, prove it. Show me and my coworkers that we are important. Give us the resources we need and pay us what we are worth.
