Monday, September 12, 2011

Dear Grant & Maddy....

This week, The Mom Congress has asked all of the delegates from 2011 and 2010 to write a letter to their children as part of their Mom Congress Back to School Blog-A-Thon.  My children started school before Labor Day like most of the school districts around here, so they are already back in the swing of things.

My daughter Maddy who is a third grader this year, attends Plain City Elementary here in a rural suburb northwest of Columbus, Ohio. This year, all of the PreK-4th graders are attending a brand new school.  It's filled with all the latest technology like smart boards, new computers, a brand new playground and best of all.....AIR CONDITIONING!  I've been involved in Plain City Elementary's PTO ever since my son attended kindergarten 7 years go.  I know that the teachers there are fantastic and go the extra mile for their students.  We have a fantastic PTO and the parents in our district are very involved in the school and community.

My son Grant, will be attending the newly renovated (and air conditioned!) Canaan Middle School this year as a 6th grader.  They too are lucky enough to receive new technology in the classroom.  Canaan's dedicated teaching staff have gotten the school recognized as an Ohio School to Watch several years in a row.

I guess the point I'm trying to make here, Grant and Maddy.... is that you are both extremely lucky.  You have every advantage in the world and there are many supportive people travelling with you on your journey to adulthood. We moved to this area knowing full well that this was a small school district which was (and still is) rated "excellent" by the Ohio Department of Education.  All children should have so lucky and the same opportunities and access to quality education in their public schools.  Unfortunately, that's not the case.


As a student in University of Florida's online Master of Art Education program, I've sort of made it my mission to be an art education advocate.  When I attended Parenting Magazine's Mom Congress as the Ohio Delegate last April, I was struck by the number of stories from other moms who had no art or music program in their schools.  I hear stories from my peers in my masters program about cuts in arts education their districts as well .  Unfortunately, these stories are becoming all too common as budgets are slashed and the arts are often deemed as "extras".  On the contrary, as a recent study titled Reinvesting in Arts Education: Winning America's Future by the President's Committee on the Arts & Humanities, they are essential to a well rounded curriculum along with STEM subjects.

In all the work I do as a volunteer, parent, art education advocate, I think it's important to think about the two of you, Grant & Maddy... and what kind of world I want for you and your generation.  I'm doing everything I can to ensure that you have quality education, and I've instilled in you the awareness that with the privilege of a quality education comes responsibility.  I'll continue to speak out about education inequities and the importance of quality public education which includes the arts in a well rounded curriculum for all children, because I know that making the world a better place is important to both of you too.

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