Officers and interested members of District 8
of NCRSP held their annual spring meeting at
West End Methodist Church. Sandi Keyser, who
made all the arrangements gave us a hearty welcome.
Gene Griffith, our Legislative Chair, introduced
N.C. Representative Deb McManess. Her credentials
as a 10 year Board of Education member from Siler
City speak well for her. It's no surprise she is a strong
advocate for teachers: she is the granddaughter,
daughter, and mother of teachers.
Rep. McManess is on the same wave length
as educators. She recognized that our number
one goal in school remains to make students
lifelong learners. Nothing less will prepare
citizens for a constantly changing economic
and social landscape in America.
Some of her key points:
- Teacher salaries cannot remain at 48th in the nation. She had recently spoken with a teacher who was now earning the same salary as 17 years ago (this followed recent freezes, furloughs, and loss of bonuses).
- The inequities of merit pay will lead to morale issues. She cited the experience of her own daughter, whose system is piloting such a plan-- with discouraging results.
- The legislature itself is need of education regarding education issues and needs. "They have no clue," she said.
Pam Deardoff, NCRSP's lobbyist, followed with an equally
informative session, covering items that impact our retirement
system and the State Health Plan. She urged us to be aware of
the real danger of losing our nationally acclaimed defined benefits plan.
The remainder of the meeting included a
memorial program, volunteer and Gold
Star recognition, officer nominations for
2013-2015, and of course, Sandi's world-
renowned gifts and door prizes!
*********
Just a few days later, Moore County's unit
of NCRSP held our spring social meeting at
the Table on the Green Restaurant.
Sandi Keyser welcomed our group, then
introduced our guest speaker, Dr. Lorna
Clack. During her many years as an educator
she had been a teacher, principal, central
office supervisor, and board of education member.
In each of those roles, her advocacy for children
has always been paramount. That advocacy extends
to schools and educators as well.
We all enjoyed Dr. Clack's anecdotes filled with
wit and wisdom in equal measure.
She highlighted the amazing technological changes
for the studentsof today by noting,
"they won't know what 16 mm or 33 rpm mean."
Here are some things she said she learned after
moving from the classroom to the central office:
- Not everyone who nods their head and says "yes" means it.
- 99.44% of teachers are doing a fine job.
- Talking to adults is harder than talking to children.
- You must build on success one step at a time. Educational change is complex and can't be done all at once.
- Believe in people, trust them, and most of all-- be happy yourself-- it's an internal thing that is in your hands.
As she reviewed her own career, she tossed
out pearls of wisdom:
- Every teacher should have a good chair!
- Fundraisers have no place in schools.
- Treat everyone with integrity and respect-- they'll never forget it.
- Because everyone has been to school, everybody knows exactly how a school should be run!
Dr. Clack volunteers in school every week. And just as important, she calls or writes a legislator every day. We were delighted to hear her say that when we reconvene in the fall she will be joining our group. She will even take responsibility for publicizing NCRSP meetings AND legislative issues in The Pilot.
Following Dr. Clack's remarks, there were still more highlights. We received a very gracious letter of gratitude from one of our scholarship recipients.
Thomasina Murphy, our historian, shared our award-winning Gold Star scrapbook, which she, Sandi, and other members had spent untold hours compiling.
As we wrapped up our business for another year
and got ready to enjoy a fabulous meal, some of
Dr. Clack's words of inspiration were still on our
minds, and should spur us to redouble our efforts
of advocacy:
"Education is the most powerful weapon to change
the world, along with abiding faith in God."
