A Letter to Parents from a Parent
by admin
This letter was written almost one year ago and we present it today as we begin to prepare for the 2012-2013 school year. There are many ways for parents to opt out of corporate education reform. What will you say to parents in your neighborhood? Send us your letters today at unitedoptoutnational@gmail.com. Together we will change the narrative.
Aug 21st, 2011
Dear Parents,
I write this letter as a parent myself, who also happens to be an educator for over twenty years (and counting…), which means I live by a double edged sword. Education, which has been an immensely political issue for me all these decades has also become a deeply personal one beginning six years ago with the birth of my son Conor, and two years after that with the birth of my daughter Molly. I also happen to be on vacation at the beach with my family at the moment I write this letter. I suppose while I focus on my family this week, the educator’s mind never turns off. So I begin this letter with a short story (a metaphor of sorts) about being at the beach, thinking about the school year which begins in less than 2 weeks, and the effects that high stakes testing has on me, my children, and our society.
This morning I lugged our wheeled cart full of assorted items needed to keep
