Thursday, May 2, 2013

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: What the "best and wisest" parents want for their own kids...

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: What the "best and wisest" parents want for their own kids...:


What the "best and wisest" parents want for their own kids...

Karen and Arne Duncan (U.S. DOE photo)
Back in 2011, I was taken by this open letter from Arne Duncanand his wife Karen, to their two children, Claire and Ryan on the opening of the school year. The letter, cross-posted on the DOE's Homeroom blog and Parenting.com, showed the Duncan's as thoughtful and caring parents, deeply concerned about their own children's education, welfare, hopes and dreams for the future. 

The letter gave us some insight into what the former Chicago schools CEO and the nation's second-term Sec. of Education thought was best when it came to public schooling.
Our hope for you this year is that you will be challenged academically. You have some terrific teachers to support you. We want your love of literature to grow, and we’ll do our part by reading to you every night. We hope you will develop critical thinking skills in math, and we promise to help you when you’re struggling and celebrate when you’re succeeding. We would like to see you engaged in learning science, civics, and history, and we will continue to explore the natural