Sunday’s Editorial page offers columns by Bryce Fiedler of Carolina Journal about Chromebooks — how school districts should cut unnecessary costs and ensure that screens don’t overshadow substance in the classroom.
Scott Perry shares a history lesson about North Carolina during the Civil War — that’s prefaced by passage from a book I discovered “The South Was Right” that I’d like to read if it’s available at the local library.
Other columns come from Keith and Pat Throckmorton of Hertford who write about choices and the definition of success.
It’s time to power down the Chromebook experiment
North Carolina’s largest public school district made headlines this spring after reaching an obvious but necessary conclusion: Supplying every kid with a Chromebook is not sustainable.
During the pandemic, the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS), like many others, started to provide all students with a district-issued laptop, known as a “one-to-one” policy. But with COVID dollars now exhausted, these costly, long-term commitments have become a heavy burden, as more school districts report deficits and other expenses like building repairs and maintenance stack up.
Wake County leaders are now rethinking one-to-one access, with talks of scaling back their device initiative. Other districts should follow suit. Instruction built so heavily around screens is not only a financial liability — it’s also taking a toll on students’ learning.
First, consider the many costs associated with these programs. When bought in bulk, low-end Chromebooks can range anywhere from $100 to $200, not including accessories like cases or headphones, or charging carts (used to power up multiple devices at a time). This becomes a hefty recurring bill once you realize the devices have to be replaced every three to five years, according to most schools.
That alone comes out to tens of millions of dollars every few years for a district like WCPSS, which is home to 160,000 students. Superintendent Robert Taylor told a board committee in May that “One-to-one is something that a district of our size just cannot afford,” and suggested focusing on “appropriate access” when it comes to technology.
But Wake is far from the only school community feeling budgetary pressure. When surveyed last year, 82 public school districts and 93 charter schools in North Carolina said they did not have the money to pay for replacement devices. And while Google has extended support for software and security updates to last 10 years, that doesn’t fix the issue of Chromebooks breaking or wearing down over time.
Thankfully, state lawmakers are taking notice. A bill nearing passage would require local school boards to report how frequently the devices break or need repairs. It would also disclose how much money districts spend on repairs annually and the total number of devices in their possession. This is a great first step to highlighting the fiscal impact of one-to-one policies. However, the price tag is just one side of a deeper issue.
A digital disadvantage
Many parents and school board members I speak with are uneasy about the proliferation of smart devices in classrooms. While they acknowledge the benefits of technology — from convenience to expanded access to information — they also have concerns about its effects on student development and learning, especially in early childhood.
Under most one-to-one policies, students are given a Chromebook starting in elementary school. It functions as a personal laptop that students use not only in the classroom, but often at home as well (though some districts, like Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, opt to keep them at school for K–5 students). Students are spending more time than ever in front of screens, as pen-and-paper instruction takes a back seat.
Emerging research suggests what many have long suspected: This is an inferior mode of learning. A compilation of 49 studies published last year found that paper-based learning led to higher scores on comprehension tests than for students who absorbed the material through a screen. In general, information appears to be understood less deeply when read digitally — especially among younger learners.
With less than 30% of North Carolina’s third and eighth grade students reading on track to be college- or career-ready, it’s time to power down the Chromebook experiment. We need a more balanced approach that strategically integrates technology access while reinforcing tried and tested instruction methods.
Instead of universal device policies, districts might consider:
- Eliminating one-to-one initiatives in elementary school and prioritizing pen-and-paper learning.
- Expanding opportunities for middle and high schoolers to take technology and AI elective courses, while minimizing computer time in core academic subjects.
- Providing district-issued devices only in exceptional cases, such as for students with learning disabilities.
As school Chromebooks age and financial pressures mount, local leaders need to be proactive. The long-term solution is to move away from blanket device policies and provide them on an as-needed basis. The Wake County School Board can lead by example later this year, when administrators are expected to make recommendations on a long-term device strategy. Opting for a significant reduction will cut unnecessary costs and ensure that screens don’t overshadow substance in the classroom.
Bryce Fiedler is the director of Carolinas Academic Leadership Network (CALN). Before joining CALN, he served as the senior policy analyst for the South Carolina Policy Council.
‘The South Was Right’
Trigger warning for some weak minds, but food for thought…
An excerpt from the book, “The South Was Right” by James Kennedy and Walter Kennedy — The war for Southern independence was the culmination of the struggle between the forces of a strong centralized federal government and the forces of a limited central government, i.e., states’ rights. With the adoption of the United States Constitution, American republicanism, limited government with delegated central authority and the remainder of rights and the control of the states, was born.
With the advent of the Lincolnite Revolution, the government was changed from that of American republicanism to that of American imperialism. No longer a federal republic of sovereign states and limited central government, this country became a nation of unlimited federal authority with states existing as no more than mere geographical entities. This was the real beginning of the Yankee Empire which mirrored the growth of European imperialism.
This disastrous change in the type and nature of the United States government was foreseen by General Robert E. Lee. In a post war letter to Lord Acton of Great Britain, Lee predicted that with the defeat of the South, political power would be concentrated in a powerful elite in Washington DC. With all political power in the hands of the Washington elite, Lee said that America would become aggressive abroad and despotic at home.
History Lesson about North Carolina’s Role in the Civil War
BY SCOTT PERRY
JULY 1861: The Crossroads of War and Policy — July 1861, Northeastern North Carolina—coastal, agrarian, and strategically vital—found itself swept into the rising tide of the American Civil War. Though the cannons had only recently thundered at Fort Sumter in April, and the first major land battle at Manassas would not come until later that month, the region was already feeling the full weight of conflict. Here, the local, state, and federal actions began to clash—sometimes violently, sometimes through slow political strangulation. Below is a story and warning of how policy, geography, and divided loyalties shaped the course of life in this corner of the Confederacy.
North Carolina was slower than some of its Southern counterparts to secede from the Union. The state hesitated, hoping for compromise or neutrality. But after President Lincoln called for troops to suppress the seceded states in April, public sentiment shifted rapidly. By May 20, 1861, North Carolina had joined the Confederacy, the last of the 11 states to do so.
In Northeastern North Carolina, where trade and proximity to Union-loyal Virginia, as well as the Atlantic, created a complex web of loyalties, this decision was not universally welcomed. Pasquotank, Perquimans, and Chowan counties had significant Unionist populations. Many people in the Tidewater region had deep cultural ties to both the North and the South, and the plantation economy had not taken root as deeply here as it had in the Piedmont or the Deep South.
Once North Carolina joined the Confederacy, all aspects of civil life in the region became aligned—at least on paper—with Richmond’s agenda. But the reach of Confederate authority was far from absolute.
The region’s geography quickly brought it to national attention. Northeastern North Carolina is characterized by its extensive network of rivers, sounds, and coastal inlets, including the Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds, which connect directly to important inland centers such as Elizabeth City, Edenton, and Plymouth. These waterways provided natural highways into the Confederate interior, and Union war planners were aware of it.
In July 1861, the Union Navy was already preparing to tighten its grip on the Atlantic coast through the Anaconda Plan. This national strategy aimed to strangle the South economically by blockading its ports and seizing control of key rivers. The blockade had begun in name shortly after Lincoln’s April proclamation, but enforcement in the Albemarle and Pamlico regions was still in its early stages. Nonetheless, the mere threat of blockade was already causing a drop in commercial shipping and sowing panic among merchants and planters.
By midsummer, rumors spread in Edenton and Elizabeth City that Union ships had been spotted near Ocracoke and Hatteras Inlets. Local militias scrambled to shore up defenses, building earthworks and organizing volunteer companies. However, the Confederate state government was stretched thin and slow to act. Northeastern counties sent men but lacked munitions and training.
Under state and Confederate government orders, the coastal counties began raising companies of troops to serve in what would become the 17th and 33rd North Carolina Infantry Regiments, among others. In theory, these forces would protect the coast and serve in larger campaigns. But in practice, many of these early volunteers lacked proper arms and uniforms. In places like Camden and Currituck, local defense remained mainly in the hands of small, under-equipped militia units.
Moreover, Confederate policy favored moving troops toward Virginia and western North Carolina, where Union threats were more immediate—or so it seemed in the summer of 1861, leaving the northeastern coast exposed.
One Confederate initiative that had an early impact on the region was the impressment of supplies. Beginning in the summer of 1861, local Confederate agents, under both state and national authority, began requisitioning food, horses, and tools from civilians to support the war effort. This led to growing resentment in areas where loyalties had already been uncertain.
Although slavery existed throughout the region, it took a distinct form here compared to the large plantations further inland. Small farms dominated the coastal counties, and enslaved people were often employed in fishing, lumbering, or small-scale agriculture.
Federal policy would soon begin to erode this structure. Even in July 1861, word of Union advances and anti-slavery rhetoric from the North started to reach the enslaved population via coastal sailors, newspapers, and rumors.
Moreover, some enslaved people began slipping away through the porous marshlands toward the coast, seeking the protection of the Union blockade. Although Union forces had not yet arrived in the region by July, they were en route. This prelude to emancipation—what would become known as self-liberation—was already underway.
The summer of 1861 brought a sense of impending doom. Churches divided over secession. Families split—one son joining the Confederate army, another fleeing to Union-held territory. The economy, previously based on coastal shipping and agriculture, staggered under inflation and uncertainty.
Edenton, once a proud port town, saw ships rot in the harbor and trade routes dry up. Court sessions were disrupted by wartime confusion. Some schools closed; newspapers became more political, more shrill.
For many civilians in counties like Bertie, Tyrrell, and Washington, the daily reality became one of watching and waiting—preparing homes for war, hiding valuables, wondering if Union troops would burn farms or Confederate authorities would confiscate grain.
Though no major battles occurred in northeastern North Carolina in July 1861, the groundwork for later events was being laid. By February 1862, Union forces would launch the Burnside Expedition, capturing Roanoke Island and much of the region. But the roots of that success—disorganization, divided loyalties, strategic neglect—were already visible in the heat of July.
A Region at the Edge of a Knife — In July 1861, Northeastern North Carolina stood at a crossroads. State policies had aligned it with the Confederate cause, but the national Union strategy threatened to reclaim it by sea. Confederate leadership failed to appreciate its vulnerability, and many of its people were unsure which side to back. The Civil War had begun, but for this region, the real test of loyalty, identity, and survival was beginning.
Scott Perry is a local business owner, writer and historian.
THE MOST CRITICAL WORD IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IS CHOICE
BY KEITH THROCKMORTON
Philippians 4:8 (KJV) “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
We make countless choices and decisions in our everyday lives. Some are conscious, and some are unconscious. Those many options direct the future of our lives. On other circumstances and occasions, our choices impact other people.
Sources suggest that the average person makes an eye-popping 35,000 choices per day. Assuming that most people spend around seven hours per day sleeping and thus blissfully choice-free, they make roughly 2,000 decisions per hour or one decision every two seconds.
Some people choose to live for the present and disregard their future. They are successful, and their earnings are more than moderate success. Some people leave their current achievements and gains to choose careers outside of their recent success.
Here are two examples of success and failure: famous singers from the late 50s and early 60s. They both were described as “Teen Idols” because of their music and popularity. With their fame, they were role models for the day’s youth. Both had big hits that are still played today. However, these artists went in entirely different directions due to their life choices. One lived a positive role model life, and one did not.
I will reflect on the “Teen Idol” that went in the wrong direction; he is J. Frank Wilson. His big hit was “Last Kiss,” recorded in 1964. He grew up with a Navy colleague of mine in Lufkin, Texas. Unfortunately, Frank made wrong choices, got hooked on prescription drugs and alcohol, and ran out of money. My friend last saw Frank working in a clothing store before his death from substance abuse. Frank’s bad lifestyle choices and failure to look beyond his stardom resulted in his demise.
The second, “Teen Idol,” was focused on his life beyond music. His 1958 hit “Susie Darlin” was a classic hit, as was “Last Kiss” by J. Frank Wilson. But, again, he made the right choices and is an example for all to follow. He has offered so much to many people after his glory years in music. His name is Robin Luke. I gathered the initial information that Robin Luke was a college professor at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. However, further investigation revealed he was at Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri, instead.
I sent Robin an email, to which he promptly replied. He told me that he retired from Missouri State on December 31, 2010, and had been an academic administrator for 34 of his 37 years in the university system; in the past 28 years at MSU, he had served as department head in the Marketing Department business school. Robin shared that he always told his family and students that choice was the most critical word in the English language. He stated, “In all my years of making records, I never abandoned my goal to further my education.”
From a nostalgic standpoint, was this the same young guitar-playing singer I enjoyed as a young teen? Could such a person transform from that world to academia – and a career in which he earned a Ph.D., contributing abundantly to education? That prompted me to consider what our world would be like if other entertainers, sports figures, and role models made Robin Luke’s choices. I conclude that we would have a much better world.
The two young “Teen Idols” led different lives with their choices. We must always be mindful of the options we choose. We must heed that someone may see us as their role model. If we make the wrong choices, it is never too late to change and make the right ones.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV) “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”
Keith Throckmorton, Fairfax County Police (Retired, Chaplain, Virginia State Police Alumni and NC Sheriff’s Association), Hertford, NC.
So You Are Successful But Are You Significant?
BY PAT THROCKMORTON
First, no two people are the same; thus, everyone’s definition of success differs. How do you define success in one’s life? Can it be described in one word or a dissertation? When people think about a successful life, they often think about money, social status, and power. Generally, women define success in terms of life balance and relationships, whereas men focus more on material success.
Proverbs 16:3 NIV tells us, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” Psalm 37:4-6 NIV says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”
To delight in the Lord is to know Him intimately. Knowledge of God’s great love for us will indeed give us delight. To commit ourselves to the Lord is to entrust Him with everything – our lives, jobs, families, and possessions. We must be willing to wait patiently for His plan to work in our lives.
“Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all.” Proverbs 22:2 NIV. It is profitable to remember this. Note that it doesn’t say Maker of both – it says Maker of them all. The assertion here is that God is the giver of all things to all people.
A simplified definition of success is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. Throughout our lifetime, our goals and objectives refashion. You look forward to your first day of school as a young child. When my granddaughter Carla turned ten, she said, “Oh, Mamou! I am now in the double-digits!” She wasn’t nearly as excited when she became a teenager. Then life moves on, and you are sixteen with a driver’s license in hand. Then twenty-one, thirty, forty, fifty; retirement for some, and on and on.
As you look back over your decades, you recognize the evolution of your years. In the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he gave strong encouragement. And these words are befitting to us today. “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV.
Wrong desires and temptations happen to everyone – don’t feel singled out. None of us are without trials. Others have resisted temptations giving proof that so can we. Search for like-minded Christians who can offer help in any time of need. Purposely turn from what is wrong. You will be successful!
How does one live a life of significance? All you have to do is share your resources. But what are they? They are referred to as your three T’s – time, talent, and treasure. You do not have to be a millionaire to share any of these.
Although it may sound contradictory, giving away your time will add meaning to your life. Creating memorable moments with your children, grandchildren, or other family members is a most precious gift. Providing a meal for someone incapacitated, having a conversation with a shut-in, or running errands for someone unable to do so are deeds that cannot be measured in dollars but are priceless to those on the receiving end.
Everyone has a talent specific to themselves. “For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive.” 1 Corinthians 4:7a. The implication is that our abilities and skills come from God. What is your talent? Patience, persuasion, organization, speaking, writing, singing, or something else? Whatever it may be, share your talent with others.
What may be an insignificant amount to you can be a fortune to someone in need. Most of us know or have known persons who have fallen on hard times – perhaps you have experienced such. Did you reach out to offer financial assistance?
Being significant infers that you matter and that your empowered choices can improve your life and those with whom you have contact. So, practice being generous with your three T’s. You will begin to recognize more joy in your life.
God measures success differently than the world does. Jesus said, “For he who is least among you all – he is the greatest.” It has absolutely nothing to do with wealth, influence, or skill. True success is when we have overcome the world, are saved, and know we will have an eternity in heaven.
A retired nurse and published author, Pat Throckmorton is a resident of Hertford, NC.
