The Risk

In the course of this week of first time blogging, I have realized something. It is not going to be easy to write about the subjects that I truly want to write about. Although I have  enjoyed writing my posts, something is lacking.  It finally dawned on me that the something missing is the risk one takes by writing from the heart. A risk of passion.  As a self-proclaimed educational advocate, I will need to take a risk to say what I really want to say and say what really needs to be said.

The system is broken folks. This is not coming from an inactive bystander, or an incensed parent, or frustrated teacher, or politician, for that matter. The words definitely do not come from a teacher-basher, that I am most definitely not. The sentiment comes from a place of caring, years of work already done to improve, enrich, and advocate for all of our students to receive an excellent education. ALL of our students, not just the ones with learning disabilities that struggle daily, not just the students in poverty, not just the students with mental disease, not just the students who lack motivation, and not just the students who just do not care. It includes working to advocate for those students who try hard and never have it seem to pay off, the gifted student who has lost drive because no one notices he needs something else, the students who are left uninspired by their teachers who trudge to work daily like it is a death sentence, the student whose technical skills are not measured by any classroom or standardized test, and the students that have abilities that are just not stretched to the fullest extent of their capacity.  These are the students I wish to write about.

It is risky, however.  Already noted is retribution if a student tells a parent and a parent discusses a problem with an administrator. Already noted is the lack of desire to provide courses that will push our brightest students to stretch their capacity. Already denied were the middle school honors classes we tried to implement over five years ago. Old news. Already discussed. The jury is back and it seems we are so busy and intent on shoring up the bottom that none, NONE, of the other student needs are addressed. It seems that to want an excellent educational system for all students is a record that has been played and it is broken.

So, I have been trying to solve how to write with passion regarding those students and topics I care about most without it being so risky. Today, I think I determined that I will start with those subjects that are public knowledge, publicly debatable, and do not focus on a single student or group of students. Thank you goes to those who supported the idea of my blog but have been waiting to read something more substantial on the page. The words are in me, as you know, all to well. It is time to start using them.