I'm upbeat thanks to a public far more educated and aware of education's fiscal and public policy dynamics than ever before. Think about it, people may be anxious about the condition of public schools but most education funding levies still pass by healthy margins. Education is one of the few services voters agree to raise their taxes to pay for.
This New York Times story recounts a pullback by parents burned out on volunteering in schools. Yet, those portrayed, and the hundreds who took to the comments section to air their grievances about heavy volunteering loads, acknowledge parental importance to the basic functioning of schools. Zero parent involvement would be akin to shutting off the lights or getting rid of the teachers, learning would cease immediately.
I bet you're wondering if that's not an overstatement, considering the armies of teachers and specialists deployed to each school. No, I don't think it is. Class sizes are up (after tens of millions spent to lower them to something more manageable) at the same time a growing body of brain research tells us children learn in varying ways and ought to be taught in a way that reaches them.
My New Year's resolution (I know, I know: old habits are hard to break) is to be more present in my own life, which means being less present in other people's lives and that includes school. But it doesn't mean disappearing. I'll remain the art docent for my son's class. I'll pass on the grueling PTA meetings held smack in the dinner hour and opt for the PowerPoint read at my leisure. Easy to keep up with national education trends via the PTA's news website. How about you?
