The Reason for my Passion of Education

 If anyone has spent a good deal of time around me, then you know that I am passionate about education for children. Not many can say that they are living their dreams as a young child. Mine was to become a wife, mom and a teacher. In 2013 I stepped out of the classroom shortly after starting my career, to become a stay at home mother to my daughter. Since then life has changed a lot and I find myself a stay at home mom to three children, soon-to-be four. I am still as equally passionate about education as ever. (Possibly more-so since having my own children!)

Aside from playing teacher as a little girl, my experiences in school and out of school have fueled this passion of mine. The passion is to see children embracing their life from a place of feeling safe, important and loved. When children lack the feeling of being safe, important and loved - when they pick-up on undertones of being a nuisance, behind in their learning schedule, lacking understanding, having their teacher belittle them -- then you will not see a child flourish but regress. Children need a support system at home and at school. 

When I was in second grade I had a teacher who made me feel less than par. My parents received phone calls about me not academically doing well in school. My reading level went down to a kindergarten level. My questions about what we were doing in class would be met with eye rolls, sighs, huffs or being ignored. It crushed me. Other children began picking on me too. Then I was put into a special ed class for a bit. It was kind of fun, kind of not. You felt outed in front of all these kids. However, there were a few of us that were pulled from our classes to focus on lessons we needed to get better at. Truly not a bad thing. There was an afternoon when our teacher was really late for class. Us kids just sat in the hall along the wall waiting for her. In this tiny little hall there was a messy bookshelf. I had this bright idea to pick it up and I got a few of the kids involved. Because of that, we got in major trouble and we went home with a "pink slip." What a TERRIBLE feeling! There was this bully type kid that usually caused trouble and did crazy things, therefore getting "pink slips." It was like bragging rights for him about how many he could get. Mind you, we are all 2nd graders! After that confusing pink slip incident, my parents got way more involved. (I was a very happy child from a super healthy environment. Things were not adding up for my parents.)

My dad is not someone you want to mess with. Not because he's mean but because he is a just man. He defends the powerless well. 

One morning my Dad told me he was taking me to school. When the teacher can't find a time to meet with a concerned parent with a supposedly failing student, then you make time to meet her. Hand in hand we passed all the kids waiting to enter school. We walked down the hall to my classroom and went in. I got nervous and terribly embarrassed and therefore walked to my little cubby in the hall where I hung my bag and jacket. My teacher refused to speak with my dad about me. She walked out on him. So, my dad walked out with me to never return back there again. 

When I got home, I was surprised and excited I did not have to go back to school again! What a delightful thought, to play all day! Cutting the rest of that story short, I was homeschooled for two weeks, toured several schools and ended my school year at another local elementary school. I stayed at that school for the next school year as well. My grades sky rocketed! When fourth grade came around the corner my parents decided to homeschool all four of us kids. Even then my grades sky-rocketed and I tested so advanced that I got to skip 6th grade! 

When tenth grade came around the corner I was working hard to graduate at 15 years old. However, we went back into public school and to my comfort was still well ahead of kids around me. (It's always a tiny fear that you're not where other kids are at academically.) It was in public school again, 11th grade, that there was another incident with a teacher. It was a chemistry class. I found that I loved chemistry. My grades were excellent the first semester. My peers struggled to keep up with our lessons and asked me to help them understand our lessons. I was asked for help with homework or straight up begged to have my work copied. When the second semester rolled around the corner, we all began struggling like never before. The work was getting to a point where I couldn't teach myself from the text books anymore and couldn't make sense of things for my peers. My questions weren't answered by the teacher. I had mixed feelings about it. While I was frustrated about my struggle, I was concerned about the teacher. It seemed something was not right. I couldn't put my finger on it but I wondered about her health being the reason we couldn't understand her. She became very difficult and harsh with us. I went from an A+ to begging for a C on tests and sometimes not even getting that! 

My Dad got involved once again. How does an A+ student drop grades like that, (not having changed lifestyle habits), and then go to a C- student the next semester? I was not the only one either. It was all of her classes. Needless to say the teacher was eventually fired and a little piece of me has always wondered what came of her. 

Some of my take aways from my experiences are:

• To see change you will have to speak up to the giants in the school systems. 
• Government schools do not own the children. Be active participants in their education as parents. Know what is going on. 
• Pull your children out of school if they are not in a safe environment. There ARE other options! 
• Public schools are failing the children in many ways.
• Confrontation is not a bad thing. Solutions can be discovered and problems can be solved.

Being the Parent in the Covid Era 

This past week I took my son in for his preschool assessment. My husband and I have a concern and after talking with our doctor, we were recommended for this assessment as a first step. When the covid scare occured it paused our world as we knew it and these appointments were not available for a while. Now that we are a week from starting school, they are getting children in for their assessments. We talked about this coming day as a special date with Mom. My son was going to see "his own teacher" and from my assumption, he would be needing to see a speech therapist for a bit after this. So, trying to be sensitive to my sons emotions, we made this out to be a special time instead of something to feel bad about. (Needing help with speech)

Hand in hand and a bit of excitement in our steps, we walked into the Department of Early Childhood Education Center. There was a lady, masked of course because it's still a state mandate, standing near the entrance with her clipboard. Instead of greeting us, there was an awkward pause. I introduced myself and told her we were here for my son's appointment. She looked at us both before asking me to put a face covering on. It was my first time for that question, because I am exempt I don't wear one. It's never been a problem before. I was a bit surprised, but not offended. I felt my response was gentle as I told her about being exempt. I guess I was not expecting to be met with a negative attitude, eye rolls, a big huff and more quietness as she stared at her clipboard. It's at that point when you start to wonder what you've done wrong. She began asking the usual covid questionnaire. "Has he had a fever?" I responded with what I felt was a sincere, "no." She looked up and questioned me. "Did you check it?" A bit stunned, I responded with, "Well...no. I guess it had not crossed my mind because he has not been showing any signs of being sick." Quiet for a moment, she then looked at her clipboard displeased with me. "I am going to have to ask you to sit here, "she pointed to a long bench in the main room rather that the waiting area where another mom waited with her infant. "He can come with me." Her voice clearly not happy. Not willing to let my three year old go with someone I don't know to another room, to do something I'm not familiar with, was not okay with me. "Oh no thank you. I will go with him." At this point she did not hide her displeasure with me. And honestly, it's a bit hard to take because I pride myself in trying to be as approachable and gentle as possible. Annoyed with me she informed, "We are going to a very small room. You have to wear a face covering." To which I thanked her and told her we would would then leave. She was not bothered one bit and gave a short "okay." We turned around and walked out. 

I sat stunned in my truck with my disappointed son. "We are not walking plagues" was a resounding thought in my mind. There is no need to disclose my health reason for my exemption on masks. Why would I send my three year old with someone I do not know, into a small enclosed room no less? This day and age I have become way more intentional about knowing who my children are with. There are countless stories coming forward of child abuse. It flared up the emotions I felt as a child in 2nd grade with a terrible teacher. The calm I had felt in the childhood center was giving way to trembling that lasted about an hour. 

A couple hours later my husband and I called the center to resolve this incident. My husband and I not being impressed whatsoever with the school district. We waited a couple hours to cool down and speak with a level head. My husband's voicemail was calm and yet communicated our disappointment with how the appointment started. He included the thought that the woman who I spoke with at the door did not reflect the attitude one would find in child focused center. Therefore further reinforcing my decision not to leave my child alone with said person. The voicemail was Friday around 3. He ended his voicemail by including the fact that if we could not resolve this between us, then we would be filing a formal complaint with the Minnesota Department of Education.

Around noon on Monday she called my husband back. 

According to my husband, the woman I had spoke with was indeed the woman who I had been communicating with via email and voicemail. I was mostly sure on that but not 100% until he confirmed it. Her attitude had not changed. If anything she had become that much more rude. She told him about how it is mandatory to wear face coverings. Despite my husband mentioning my exemption, she held firm to me needing to put one on. My husband asked, "in this day and age would you not think it's odd to send your three year old with someone you don't know into a small enclosed room?" Instead of directly answering his question, she told him that parents do it all the time, dropping their kids off and wait in their cars. He then told her that we would find someone else to do the assessment. She was unfazed. Saying, "okay." No apologies. I can't recall what my husband said next but it was along the lines of understanding schools are under a lot of pressure and yet the way this has been handled was not okay.  She ended the call with, "whatever bye." -- If anything, this reinforced us how thankful we are that we chose to homeschool. I have heard plenty of parents have nothing but poor things to say about our local public schools, but I figured at this age and for assessments? It would not be an issue! I could not have been more wrong. And to think, parents just drop off their children and go with status quo these days. Makes me want to yell from the roof tops for parents to be actively involved in their child's schooling process.