MARY ANN WOLF: Words of hope from N.C.'s teacher, principal and superintendent of the year

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is the "Final Word" by Mary Ann Wolf from the Sept. 9, 2023 broadcast of Education Matters: "Meet the 2023-24 N.C. Teacher, Principal and Superintendent of the Year." Wolf is president and executive director of the Public School Forum of North Carolina.

For this week's Fiinal Word we are so pleased to hear from our Teacher of the Year, Principal of the Year and Superintendent of the Year about what gives them hope.

Donna Bledsoe, Wells Fargo N.C. Principal of the Year: "What gives me hope is the work being done in North Carolina with early literacy, particularly with the LETRS professional development for all staff. I believe that this will show great dividends now and well into the future with our literacy gains and helping students achieve beyond even 12th grade graduation. So we are really looking at the hope of impacting years and generations to come with that work."

Kimberly Jones, Burroughs Wellcome Fund N.C. Teacher of the Year: "My students give me hope. In a time of great change, I truly believe the kids are alright. Their hearts, their minds, their understanding, and acceptance of diversity– their innate sense of equity and desire for access and appreciation for all is beautiful, and it is leaps away, advanced to where I was at their age. I'm always excited when I see how accepting, loving and supportive my students are to each other. That lets me know that while we have problems to solve, we are in good hands."

Don Phipps NCSSA/NCASA/NCSBA N.C. Superintendent of the Year: "I have tremendous hope when I see what's happening in our classrooms, when I see what's going on in our school buildings and when I see what's happening in our community. If you spend any time with our students, if you interact with them, or if you see what the professionals in our buildings are doing, you’ll know we have wonderful folks. The young and the adults in the building are doing wonderful things. I've also seen the incredible partnerships being formed outside of the school boundaries that allow us to leverage resources within our communities to do the very best we can. When I see the work of people, and I see the energy of these individuals and the true commitment that they have it gives me great hope."

Mary Ann Wolf: Thanks so much to each of you. And for what gives me hope I'm going to come back to the three of you because you are amazing leaders, you are dedicated and I have been able to witness what you give every single day. So thank you for what you do for kids across North Carolina.

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