Families in our Community

How effective are these education reformers at using local communities and online tools to advocate for their cause for children?
I can't remember her name, but it was an oriental lady in the movie Waiting for Superman that was hired to clean up the school system in Washington DC.  She did have any experience in the school system but was hired to clean up the schools and help them perform at higher levels.  She did some drastic things, even shutting down 8 schools.  This of course came with a lot of animosity from the community but by they end she was starting to see progress.  We need more people like her that are willing to get in the trenches and see what needs to be done.  They have to be willing to even do the unpopular things.  

How do you see this movement strengthening the family? Is it individual- or family- focused?
I see the movement of strengthening families, a family movement and not an individual one.  As parents we have to advocate for our children.  We need to be in our community advocating.  I guess the lesson this week is that there is  more that I  personally can do in my own community on behalf of my family.  I talked with Sharon Slater who is the founder of Family Watch International.  She is based her close to me.  It was interesting talking to her.  She said that a big concern for my city specifically is the movement of the Sex Education.  The LGBT movement is starting to creep into the sex education in our schools.  Luckily nothing has been implemented yet.  This however has had me thinking all week because we just went through this year with my daughter.  It was her first year to be involved in the "human development" class at school.  I felt like I was doing my homework by asking local families and neighbors what they thought of the program. They thought it was ok and that I should let her participate.  Now I wish that I would have gone myself and listened to the class to know exactly they were teaching. 

How did you see the various communities helping or hindering the children from reaching their potential?
I liked watching Waiting for Superman.  It wasn't what I was expecting.  What I found touching was the effort that some parents made to make sure that their child got the best education possible.  At the end of the show it showed many families in several communities that were entered into a lottery system trying to get into a better school.  It was sad to see the looks on the faces of those that didn't get accepted.  Even the children knew that this was sad.  I think we could reach out to children and make sure that they are getting the best education possible.  Our children are the leaders of the future.  I feel that education is being slashed everywhere, teachers are having to work hard to make sure everyone passes the standardized tests, and the teachers are being underpaid.  I thought it was an interesting idea to have a school without walls. In this setting the children are taught within the community and it is a more hands on learning.  They have a strong college success rate because they could spark the children's interest from a young age.   

How has the material this week been helpful to you as a family advocate?
This week it became personal, especially with the above story.  This is now talking about my kids and the things that they will be learning in the future.  It also comes on the tail spin of the Supreme Court ruling on Gay marriages now being legal in the United States.  This whole movement makes me sad and almost a little anxious as to know how we will see the ramifications of this ripple down into our lives.  It makes me want to make sure that my children really know the proclamation and understand its principles.