I Believe in Choice

**Before you attack, I am not an advocate for private charters that are managed by companies with a bottom line of making money.  I serve and believe strongly in public charters that are not for profit, have a specific mission and vision by which they educate children from, and meet rigorous academic expectations. There are many public charters that exist in this country doing great work that all educators can learn from in the journey.

This post is my initial reflection after I attended the National Reform Conference in Nashville in December.  There were many people attending from all over this country with one goal in mind. The goal:  Improve the educational experiences of all children in this country.  This conference included speakers that ranged from Governor Jeb Bush to parents whose experience with charter schools saved their child.

The entire conference was informative, inspiring, and, honestly, gave me much to think about regarding the rights of students. Education is my passion and this experience solidified the importance of the work I need to be investing in to better serve the children in America.  I found myself reflecting on the systems and how my experiences have helped me understand the need for change.

I grew up in a rural town, attended a local school, earned my high school diploma and went on to college. My childhood wasn’t flashy, but I was disciplined. I married young and figured out quick that pumping gas at the local gas station was not going to suffice for the life I desired.  College was not something that I totally understood, but it was important to my parents that I attend. My dad and grandmother repeatedly reiterated to all three of us girls to get our education, no one could take that away.  I had enough grit to know that once I got into college, there was no way I was quitting.  I was on a mission to accomplish the goal of becoming an educator. I continue to be a learner each and every day and I desire the same for my child and all the children I serve.

I listened to numerous stories during the conference of how children in schools are treated and what they endured in their own efforts to achieve an education.  I realized this week that even as a poor white girl in rural America, I was more privileged than people with a different color skin.  It is hard for me to write this and own this, but it is true and it is still true.  I want to be a voice for educating others, even my own peers in the profession.  I am not smarter than anyone, and I do put my pants on one leg at a time like everyone else in this universe.  What I realized though is my experiences through life have built me and provided me with deeper understandings about the world around us and it is my responsibility to use my experiences, voice, and grit to serve others who need encouragement.  What I realized is that to not be an advocate is to be part of the problem.  I am burdened for our education systems and I have believed for a long time the traditional system of education needs to be revamped to meet the needs of all students. It is a hard task to educate the masses. It can personally hurt my insides to think about as I am part of the system and work very hard with many others doing the best I can.  The reality though is that I choose to sometimes be offended when instead I should choose to dig in and understand the deeper issues. Before working in a charter, I was offended by the discussion of charters as I did not know what they offered.  I only heard about the negative and unsuccessful stories.  The truth is that educators themselves can be our own worst enemy.  I started out on a journey to learn more about charters a few years ago and have continued to do so over the last several years as I believe charters are a feasible option to serve a diverse need in education.  In my own education I have learned much about myself and my own biases, intended or not.  It makes me sad sometimes that as an educator I have to battle those biases to really understand the complexity of the issues and find the root of why I am offended and address the true issue at hand.

I thought specifically during this conference about how my own life has played out to date. I reflected on the  people I attended college with and how we were all setting out to change the lives of children.  I thought how our different personalities impacted our trajectory.  I thought about how this impacts children in classrooms. I thought about how my experiences can help others see how discrimination still exists (racial and social) and why your zip code should not determine the level of education you receive.  The last three days I have been entrenched with learning around school choice and continue to be deeply convicted that all children should be able to attend a school that meets their needs.  If it is not a traditional public school, but a charter, what is the harm in that opportunity? I believe every mother should have the opportunity to place their child/children into schools that they believe will serve them best. I also believe our schools do the best they can, but we have to ask are schools really capable of meeting the needs of every single learner?  Why are most of us in traditional public schools offended when the charter conversation emerges?  If a charter can service the needs of a child better through their vision, why are we fighting that choice?  I have my suspicion that it has more to do with the loss of funding than the true love for the child and their opportunity to succeed (that is a whole separate post).  In every community the values are different and I am learning that plays a critical role in the implementation of charters across this country.

School choice is a hot topic and will be for a long time I suspect. I admire those who have been fighting for what is right, despite the attacks that are brought forth.  I listened to a mother speak about her experience of being arrested for sending her child to a school in a different zip code.  She used her parents address because she feared for the safety of her children in the school she was assigned.  She broke the rules to get her children into a better school.  My heart broke as this mother spoke from her heart.  She only wanted what was best for her own child.  Yes, she broke rules and she has paid an extreme consequence for that decision.  What resonated with me the most was this mother was willing to take this chance for her child to receive what she believed to be a better education and our system put her in jail.  This is America in 2017...what is happening?  

We must address our shortcomings in education and own what needs to be improved.  It is not an attack on anyone and should not be treated as such.  There has to be a better approach to honoring the desires of family and serving our children in an educational environment that meets the specific needs of our children and their families.  America is built on choice in everything, why not choice in the single most critical factor outside family support regarding a child’s future.  Education is critically important to the success of a child.  If a specific school in a specific zip code isn’t working for them, why is that criminal?  If you are not happy with your physician, you find another one.  Why would education be different?  Why would we force families and children to remain in a school that they do not feel is fit for them?  Why are we offended when we know as educators we don’t have the ability to serve everyone with a tremendous shortage of resources.  The lack of resources to serve everyone has forever been an issue.  What if we looked at charters as a way to provide specific opportunities and learning environments in our community that would enhance and add to our already existing programs in a positive way for potential and current residents and providing more school choice within the community.   I truly believe there is a better approach to the solution than fighting against potential successful opportunities that meet the needs of children and families. It is going to require educators to educate themselves and remove their own biases from the table to approach the work in a meaningful and productive manner for families of all backgrounds. I am going to keep learning and continue to advocate for learning environments to be made available for every child.  

In opening a brand new charter this year I have learned that every family attending came for an opportunity to be in an environment that would serve their child better than the school from which they came.  It was refreshing to feel the excitement of parents choosing to come based on our mission and vision. Is our school perfect? No.  Do we have an solid mission and vision? Yes.  Will we meet the needs of every child? No.  The goal is to certainly meet their needs. The reality is that while we strive to achieve a great environment for every child there may be situations beyond our control that prevent the fulfillment a parent is seeking.  In those cases where we are unable to meet the parental expectations...they have a choice to find an environment that will accomplish what they desire.  As a mother, I would do the same.  I appreciate that as an option.  As an educator I strive to continuously improve my work, but when we aren’t able to provide what the child needs or what the parent believes they need, having school choice provides fair options. I can say without a shadow of doubt there are some who will never be happy.  I understand that piece. I have learned to do my best with them and work to honor their desires, but I am also aware that at some point they also must do what is best for their own child. Public charters offer those opportunities just like traditional public schools.  I believe more flexibility when structured with appropriate performance expectations is a win for everyone involved. I am thankful for my journey and I know I have much more to learn and I am eager to continue educating myself on school choice and become a voice for the positive opportunities that can be presented through possibility.