Teachers

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Teachers in Berkeley County will stage a one-day walkout Wednesday. Berkeley County Education Association President Jim Keller announced the walkout in a fax received by The Herald-Mail early this morning. "The immediate goal of this walkout is to express our frustration with the state government over lack of funding and to get a special session of the legislature to address this crisis," Keller wrote. "Our ultimate goal is to be able to have a highly qualified teacher in every classroom so we can provide the high quality education the students of Berkeley County are entitled to. We must be able to retain and attract highly qualified teachers in order to attain this goal.

scottb@herald-mail.com The Washington County Teachers Association, which represents 1,500 employees, has ratified an addendum to its contract with the Washington County Board of Education, Association President Claude Sasse said Tuesday. The changes, which include a pay raise, will not be effective until the Washington County Board of Education votes on the adoption of the addendum. That vote is scheduled to occur at its Aug. 3 meeting, Board President Edward Forrest said.

Wagner backs higher pay for teachers Editor's note : This is the seventh in a series of stories about Washington County Board of Education candidates. By TARA REILLY / Staff Writer Board of Education candidate Bernadette Wagner's plans to improve the Washington County school system are plenty. Her ideas include raising teachers' salaries, creating a mentoring program for newer teachers, increasing teacher reimbursement for continuing education and consolidating health insurance plans of Board of Education, county, city and Hagerstown Community College employees and other local groups to save money.

Recipients of the Nellie and Lake Lytton scholarships awarded by the Washington County Retired Teachers Association are: Tracey Forsythe, a Williamsport High School graduate who will attend Delaware Valley College; Molly Haas, a Williamsport High School graduate who will attend James Madison University; Sean Clark, a Boonsboro High School graduate who will attend West Virginia University; Kassandra Lawrence, a Williamsport High...

scottb@herald-mail.com WASHINGTON COUNTY - Second-grade teacher Debra McPherson does not expect to get much sleep on Aug. 24, the night before classes resume in the Washington County Public Schools system. McPherson, 51, one of about 1,500 teachers in the school system who returned to work Thursday, said she uses her nervousness to build a rapport with her students at the start of each school year. "I am a seasoned educator but every year I get butterflies in my stomach," said McPherson, who teaches at Pangborn Elementary School.

Teachers take Gov. Wise to task By DAVE McMILLION / Staff Writer, Charles Town MARTINSBURG, W. Va. - Teachers and school administrators took Gov. Bob Wise to task over several of his education proposals Wednesday, including a requirement that county school systems offer students 180 days of instruction or risk losing state funding. About 18 teachers and administrators from Eastern Panhandle school systems talked with Wise during a education roundtable discussion at Martinsburg High School.

Thursday, Oct. 21 8 p.m. on NBC "Joey" "Friends" was a tough act to follow, and it's no surprise that Matt LeBlanc's spinoff series hasn't been quite its equal in pleasing the critics or attracting viewers. But it's still a success - NBC moved quickly to guarantee a full season. 8 p.m. on PBS "Time to Choose" Jim Lehrer anchors a pre-election special focusing on how people in 17 communities (taped at town-hall meetings) feel about campaign issues, especially the war on terrorism and economic policy.

In the mid-1970s when I became local news editor of The Daily Mail, I found that reporters responded best to my direction if I treated them not as subordinates hired to carry out my orders, but as members of a team. My role wasn't superior to theirs, any any more than a quarterback is superior to a running back. We were a team, but, as on any team, someone has to take the leadership role. That's the kind of teamwork I saw recently when I visited Hagerstown's Eastern Elementary School recently, to see some Student Achievement Specialists in action.

SPRING MILLS, W.VA. - Berkeley County fourth-grade teachers Melissa Golliday and Wendy Bird are among the more than 4,000 teachers across the nation that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. officials announced are receiving Teacher of the Year honors this week. Golliday, a first-year instructor at Potomack Intermediate School, and Bird, who has taught at Mountain Ridge Intermediate School for two years, were surprised with the honor on Tuesday. "Honestly, I thought we were in trouble for something," Golliday said after being presented with a plaque and flowers in the school's gymnasium.