The A+ Activist

I read something disturbing this morning. Normally this wouldn’t bother me too much because I beleive in getting the best education possible for my children. That’s why I became a blogger for today.com. I want to help parents navigate and learn that they can be excellent activists for their children.

A mom was frustrated over an incident at school and instead of getting feedback from one mom, the woman suggested she simply pull her child from the school and begin homeschooling. Simple enough comment right? Well… not really, to me anyway.

It wasn’t that simple of a statement in my opinion. As an activist to create better schools, I don’t feel that pulling your child out of school and beginning a whole different way of learning is the answer. Before I end up with hate mail, let me just say that I am not against homeschooling. I think that it can work very well if approached correctly. However, I think that parents need to weigh the reasons for homeschooling along with the pros and cons.

The ideal school setting would have children learning and growing in an environment that is supportive of their needs - but sometimes, even the well placed systems fail the children. That is why parents need to be the activists.

It is a personal belief of mine that YOU have the ability to change the way schools work. You have the ability to change policies and yes, sometimes we need to make a stink and be a pain to the administrations and districts but that is how they learn there is a problem. If everyone sat idly by and did nothing then school districts and the administrators would never know parents are concerned. We have the power to hold them accountable for operating a school that meets the needs of every student.

Now in the case of the mom who was frustrated, it was a playground issue. My advice to her would have been if the principal or teachers are uncooperative then yes, it is time to go above their heads (which I will be talking about more in the next few weeks). There are more solutions than taking your child out of school. I’m not saying that sometimes that isn’t necessary but if there is a chance that you can work it out, I say do it!

I’m so glad you’ve stopped over to the A+ Activist! Before we get involved in the politics and policies of campaigning for quality education for your kids, let me tell you a bit about myself.

My name is Nikki and I am a product of the public school system. I am married to a Mr. B who is the product of the same public school system and together we have four children, three of which attend a rural public school. We live in a relatively small town (think Mayberry: One stop light, one bank and three churches). We moved to Small Town five years ago this summer when it was apparent that the city we lived in couldn’t give us what we wanted. It was a bad neighborhood, failing elementary school (no seriously, it received and “F” from the district)… yet somehow we managed to get a gifted son (the only one attending school at the time) out of the school district. When we had outgrown the house and the love for crime… we traded urban living for a rural atmosphere, a big adjustment for this City Girl, and it still is some days!

When my oldest, Bug began school I started moderating a message board for moms with kids in Elementary School. You can still find me there today as the group owner of Cafemom’s Elementary Mommies group, as well as two others. From that board I have developed an interest in helping parents become the best advocates for their child’s education.

I am also a professional writer and blogger. I’ve written for print and Internet publications. If you’d read more from me, you can stop by Chaos in the Country , The Guilty Parent or Mommy Know How .

Welcome to the new blog and I hope we can begin advocating for our children in every way possible!