Want to write for us? We want you to write for us. Share your education story here!
When my son entered kindergarten four years ago, I was studying writing and hoping to pen a funny memoir about my family. But the issues and problems that came up during my son's first year of public school alarmed me, and changed my direction. I began to wonder if our education system was really working for us - and, if it wasn't, who was going to change it? And how? While a memoir would have been great fun, I felt I had to write the story of what was going on in our public school - it was the only way for me to connect with other parents and find out if they felt the same way.
Four years later, I know that you do feel the same way. I get hundreds of emails regarding the issues I bring up regarding our schools and the parents' role in them - from kindergarten redshirting to the parent trigger to new ways of learning, I have been able to connect and learn from so many parents' points of view, and certainly not just those parents in Texas.
Now I think it's time you shared your education stories with the world.
That's why I've created a new column, "Parents Out Loud," in which parents (yes! that's YOU) - not just from Texas but from any state or country - can voice their concerns about public schools. Has your school been affected by drastic budget cuts? We want to hear about it. Have you had any trouble finding the right school for your child? Is there an inspiring teacher or program that needs deserved praise? Does your child need special attention and programs? Got an eye -and opinion - on education reform? How does the new rollback of NCLB make you feel? Tell us everything - we parents want to hear your stories of how public school is shaping up from your point of view. Write down your most profound opinions or moving stories and send them in.
To submit your essay:
Get your best education-related words together (700 or less), paste it directly into an email, and send it to this email address. Unfortunately, we cannot pay for submissions at this time, but if your piece fits we will run it and you will be (sort of) famous! And, most important, you will be contributing to the greater conversation of improving public schools, and that's the least we can do for our kids.
All right, bring it on: share your stories with the parents of Texas and the world!
Thank you for reading and for sharing,
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