I taught in this area for 5 1/2 years before moving, so can give some insight into the schools. Cabarrus County has the best schools in the area. Hands down, no competition. The schools there are safe; they pump a LOT of money into the system, so we had resources like several computer labs, computers in every class, good software, etc. I loved teaching there and was so happy. We had great learning gains for our kids every year, and our scores were awesome.
As far as what's wrong in Charlotte Mecklenburg schools, I will tell you a few things I witnessed in 2 1/2 years of teaching in middle schools there:
- 7th grade student raped a mentally handicapped student at a football game & wasn't even SUSPENDED, much less prosecuted.
- Repeated setting of fires in the schools. One day, 6th grade students set the school on fire 4 times. ONE day.
- Way overcrowded schools - I had 36 kids in one class, and only 31 desks. We had to rotate out for who got the honor of sitting on the floor each day.
- Too many portables and all the problems that entails. The heating/cooling systems don't work right. One day, I had a 37 degree classroom - poor kids had to wear mittens, hats, and coats in class.
- Prescribed, one-size-fits-all lessons. Teachers weren't allowed to individualize, which means that we can't meet the needs of our individual students. At one school I was at, we weren't allowed to teach novels to the kids. They just wanted them to drill with paragraphs & then answer multiple choice questions. The focus is on testing, to the detriment of real education. No child will develop a love of reading by reading paragraph after paragraph & then answering multiple choice questions. (My subject is English, so this is a sore spot for me).
- Weapons - I've seen a kid drop his bookbag in the hall & have a gun come flying out.
- Out of control behavior - I have witnessed kids mooning other teachers' classes, kids bringing firecrackers to school, lighting them, and throwing them at teachers, etc.
- 27 security guards were sent to one of my middle schools, because the kids broke one teacher's arm. Another teacher was held down by the kids while they cut her hair. Another teacher's ankle was broken. I knew all of these teachers personally, and these things were all done by middle school children.
Beware of the actual school reports. The schools try to cover up many things that happen, because if a police report gets filed, it makes them look bad. Honestly, every one of these things happened at my school, to people I knew or to me, in only 2 1/2 years teaching at Charlotte schools. I taught in magnet schools with IB programs, so these were by no means the worst. I wouldn't send my beloved dog into a Charlotte school. There's a reason why all of the teachers are transferring to Cabarrus County.
Cheers!
Heather W
