We Can Make the Difference When We Collaborate
I just heard that, for the first time in the history of our country, this current generation of children will be less literate than the previous generation. And, as we all know, for the last several decades, we have not stacked up too well against other industrialized nations, ranking 25th in math and 21st in science out of 30. US kids all falling behind in every category except confidence, where they rate a stellar #1.
Where I heard this information was on the preview of a fantastic new movie coming out called Waiting for Superman. Watch the preview right now, even if you are super busy. It made me cry, It made me want to storm the streets and ask, “Why and how did we let the education system get so bad for so many kids?
Granted, some of us are really lucky. We have some excellent schools here in Oregon with stellar teachers. My kids are proof of that. We can and must create more of those highly functioning schools across our state and nation. Another fact I picked up from Waiting for Superman was that a kid who doesn’t graduate from high school is eight times more likely to go to prison! So is the best strategy really to build more prisons?
What can we do?
- Go see Waiting for Superman with a group and be inspired. Go with your friends.
- Get involved in your school to make it the best it can be. Raise funds with your PTA so at least there will be more programs for the kids in your school, right now.
- Let your kid’s teachers know how much you appreciate the work they do every day and help them out every way you can.
- Start a Parent Discussion Group using Raising Our Daughters/Sons Parenting Guides focusing on how you, as a group, can contribute to make the school better. There are hundreds of ideas in these parenting guides. You’ll know which ones are best for your family and your school.
- Advocate now and forever for school funding. It is incredibly valuable to change laws so school funding has a more stable base. No one advocates for childrens’ issues more effectively than Stand for Children
- Join Stand for Children and donate your money and your time. They have six state chapters in Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Washington. You can help from wherever you live. Check out their Web site for their incredible success over and over again at mobilizing people who care about kids to pass legislation that benefits our kids.
Maybe now is the time. Maybe this movie, Waiting for Superman, will be the tipping point we need to wake up this nation to support our kids to succeed, so we can all thrive. Do we have the courage to collaborate and back up our talk that we care about kids with some action so this can happen?
In admiration for all you do,
Dr Kathy
Let me know what is going on in your school, your city, your state, to make schools better for our kids. We will share it!
Hi! I’m Dr. Kathy. Welcome to my website! Although Family Empowerment Network is formally closed, we want to keep these resources available to you. Our belief is that parents are the most wise and intuitive about what is best for their children. However, parents sometimes need the support of effective, timeless, compassionate parenting information and strategies. On this website you will find our three parenting books on boys, girls, and kids’ social lives and ten years of monthly newsletter articles. In addition, a powerful, under-recognized resource is the support of other parents. Here you will find how to use our books as discussion guides for monthly self-led parenting groups. One last resource: I am still available to give talks and workshops.
