K-12 education in N.C. and the elections

Education in the United States is one of the biggest issues that is discussed very little when it comes to this election cycle.  This is especially true for primary education, considering that the presidential candidates, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, had been discussing mostly college education and student debt.  Clinton and Trump both have very […]

The gender pay gap in education

Women, and what they are being paid for their work, is now on the political agenda. Both of the presidential candidates on the Democratic side, Hilary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, have discussed the issue of women’s pay as a part of their individual platforms. As the election season is heating up, the gender pay gap […]

Perspectives on education: through the eyes of a female teacher

In an effort to see what it is truly like to be a woman working in the education field, the Western Carolina Journalist sat with local Smokey Mountain High School teacher Kristen Holt. This interview is a part of a multi-story project that attempts to bring to light the realities of being both a teacher […]

The history of women as teachers

Thinking back on your elementary, middle and high school days, you may find that the beloved teachers you learned from over the years were overwhelmingly female. Whether you realized it or not, women make up the majority of primary school teachers, a phenomenon that is only growing with time. According to data from the U.S. Department […]

Majoring in Elementary Education: Is it worth it?

Bent over a wooden table littered with textbooks and sheets of tattered instructions, a Western Carolina senior clicks incessantly on her keyboard, eyes glazing over from looking at the same computer screen for hours—or is it sleep deprivation that is causing her eyes to cross? Creating lesson plan after lesson plan, Jessica Shearin, an Elementary […]

The problems with standardized testing in WNC schools

Testing is something that has brought students together in recent years, especially as more and more emphasis is put on students’ end of grade test scores, not only for the students but for the schools as well. Students like the 4th grader Sara Rusi struggle with the environment of testing in the classroom. As she described […]