Public Schools - A+ Education!

This past week was American Education Week. Bet you didn't know that unless you are an educator! The celebration this year was on public school education.

Everyone has their own choice and right to choose the education setting for their child - public, private or home-schooled and I know that sometimes one choice is the only option for special reasons, but I get so tired of hearing how terrible our public schools are --- kids don't behave, teachers don't behave, test scores are low, students aren't getting enough, students are getting too much....I hear it all! I have met teachers who don't need to be in the classroom, but I have also met teachers whose classrooms are their lives! I believe we need more public school choice for our students (keep going, Jim Rex!), but I believe we need to quit knocking what we already have at the same time, while we are working on this improvement. No wonder teachers leave the career......they are expected to be an expert, a teacher, a parent, a counselor, a nurse, a verbal/mental punching bag and a million other things all rolled into one human being. Our teachers are often doing the best they can with what they have --- lack of parental support, limited funding, etc. Now that I have ranted, I want to show the good that can and DOES go on in our public schools (at our school!)

Our students, parents, faculty and friends:

• raised a total over $600 in donations and registrations for Walk for Life, a local cancer research event! About 10 people actually walked!
• raised $80 for Harvest Hope Food Bank to purchase Thanksgiving turkeys for the needy!
• brought in 631 (our school only has about 100 students!!!!) canned goods and non-perishable items for donation to Harvest Hope Food Bank!
• are volunteering over the next couple of weeks at Harvest Hope Food Bank!
• start a coat drive the week after Thanksgiving for Palmetto Place, a temporary sheleter for children!
• hosted 5 veterans to come in and talk with us for "Take a Vet" to school day and created a "Veteran Memorial Wall" to recognize our school family veterans!
• will participate in and sponsor a Flag Retirement Ceremony with a local scout troop after Thanksgiving. Several unservicable flags have been donated for retirement!
• have taken or will be taking shortly field experiences to plays, the Fire Department, the zoo (in conjunction with their education department), a pumpkin patch, Harvest Hope Food Bank (to volunteer!), and a Colonial-Era activities museum!
• created a BEAUTIFUL (see October posts for pictures) sculpture to display during HalloWonka at EdVenture Children's Museum!

Isn't that amazing???! And, we are barely half-way through the school year!

So, even though our schools need work, I hope that we'll quit focusing on the negative and start looking for the good.....the really good.....the GREAT! Every week my students and I end our week by reading a Cynthia Rylant book "The Wonderful Happens" and then we discuss the wonderful that DID happen in our class. It is my hope that we all read this book and find out what the wonderful is happening at our children's school or at our local school. I promise you will find WONDERFUL things going on!

Happy "AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK"!!