Throughout this legislative session I have commented on the crazy seemingly outlandish 'doings" and behaviors of the representatives participating. Their job has been a difficult one in determining what to do in attending to the needs of the state while balancing a budget in difficult economic times. However, it has been obvious that the majority of this group had an agenda or a bucket list they had been saving for decades to reform and undo the laws of the Ole North State. It makes one wonder why people have flocked to this state to live and work since the 1950's if it had so much that needed correcting!!
Some of the laws that have been undone and some that have been passed seem to be part of a political agenda that is vindictive. It makes me think of a "Gotcha Plan." One is left to wonder how long it will take the other party to undo what this group has spent so much doing in this session.
I do not pretend to be an authority on politics or economics but I am not exactly stupid either. Considering myself more of an Independent politically, I often can see both sides of an issue while trying to weigh which side has more to gain and which more to lose when a bill is passed or changed. It would seem to me that this would be the job of those elected. However, as constituents, we all feel our area or district will profit more if legislation goes our way rather than looking at the big picture of what is best or better for the state.
Perhaps I have a one-sided or lopsided view of Education and how it has been dealt with by this legislative session but I prefer to think otherwise. I spent many years in a career in the field. Personal experiences carve their meaning on your soul. I have had experience(s) teaching school in three states. I started so many years ago that I can remember difficult days that teachers today can only fathom. Pay was little, materials were few, support was meager at best if at all, yet we loved what we were doing. Some of us were born with the desire to teach hidden deep, deep, inside of us. Thus, we persevered throughout difficult days and years. Today due to advances of society in regard to women, teachers are not sticking with a difficult career but are ready to move to another field when their expectations flounder. The handwriting is on the wall yet politicians refuse to see. In this legislative session tenure has been pulled from teachers. Why?? My view is that teachers having tenure presents evaluators with the task of not just appearing in a classroom and flipping out an evaluation or perhaps not appearing and flipping out an eval but documenting a number of times a weakness or problem, of or, with an individual after having met with him or her individually initially and providing an avenue for training and or correction and then re-evaluating. The preferred way is to fire an individual on the spot without due process. The latter leaves open avenues to be discussed in another post.
Another issue is the removal of increased pay for advanced education. I can visualize teachers fleeing with this their plight. Who wants to further their education and skills at considerable cost plus an investment of time and energy when it doesn't seem to matter? What happened to the talk about improving teaching techniques for the benefit of students or the ever popular Quality Education??? Apparently it doesn't matter to these legislators. Another "bragging point" has been the number of teachers in North Carolina with National Board Certification proving their abilities. Not important, now!!
Another sore spot is the encouraging of parents to find other means of educating youngsters with the implication that public schools are not desirable. The insinuation is that better education can be found by accepting vouchers to charter and private schools and that the state should fund these by taking these funds out of the public education funds. While legislators have lots of jargon and rhetoric to support this, it is difficult to understand. It would seem that they might have considered taking funds from another source rather than the public school allotment to support privatization.
What a convoluted mess!!! Who has an answer for this??
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