• Be active in educational organizations
• become a part of the school board
• or at least attend school board meetings
• write to your governor and legislators about the why and how your schools need to be improved.
• Get other people involved that truely care about the kids and their futures.

I honestly never considered joining the School Board; I have never really considered any kind of elected position (it is an elected thing here; I’m not sure if it is everywhere).

I actually have some hope for our schools and some of the public schools in the state seem very good (In fact, it is our intent to send both girls to the public high school). I listened to the Governor’s State of the State address the other night and he really seems to want Education to be a priority. It wouldn’t surprise me if that is how this program I am involved in came about.

I’ll have to look and find out when the school board meetings are held – I would imagine they are open to the public I just never really thought about them. I wonder if just anyone can talk at one? It seems doubtful else they would probably never get anything done.

I don’t think I’m going to change an entire education system by my efforts.. my hope is far more modest than that. I hope that I can convince a single kid to take their education more seriously than they do now. Of course, I’ll probably never know if I succeed but I can hope.

A lot needs to be done to modify the entire cultural view of education here. I am happy to try to help change that culture but I am not willing to risk my own kids educational opportunities while working for that change. By sending them to the school they go to I was able to immediately improve their situation (though, to be honest, it is very hard to pay for, and I obviously have other issues with parts of their education). I just figure financial strain and catholic influence are tolerate for a better chance at a decent education.

I think my approach is pretty fair really. I’m doing what I think is the best for my own children while trying to incrementally help any other kid/family that will receive it.

As for kids not wanting to learn, sure there are lots of kids that give into peer pressure and that is to be expected. There are also lots of kids that think a good basic education won’t do them any good because nobody cares (in their families) and they won’t ever go to college or anything like that. So when you are talking with the kids, don’t forget about the ones that are more concerned about what they are going to face when they go home than what they do in school.

love
mom

Main Entry: os·tra·cize
Pronunciation: \-ˌsīz\
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): os·tra·cized; os·tra·ciz·ing
Etymology: Greek ostrakizein to banish by voting with potsherds, from ostrakon shell, potsherd — more at oyster
Date: 1649
1 : to exile by ostracism
2 : to exclude from a group by common consent