We Must Be the Change

Labor Day Weekend… Cookouts, get-togethers with friends, and leisure time. But here I am at SERVE on this Friday before Labor Day, plotting out the next few days, knowing that I will be here on Monday to continue the urgent work. Thanks to the US Department of Education, many of us at SERVE are hacking away at responding to clarification questions on our lab proposal. I am so thankful we have questions to answer and a very good chance at winning the contract that will keep us going for another five year period and allow us to do GREAT work in the field of education.

So there are a number of us who lived through and thrived in the public education system in a small, redneck town in Oregon. In one generation, my family went from non-English speaking, immigrant, poor working class to solidly middle and, dare I say, upper middle class. How could that happen in a system that is reportedly so messed up? Was it because I entered elementary school in the 60’s and the 60’s were just better? Am I just a VERY scaled-down version of the Oprah success story and just another anecdotal outlier? At some level, it doesn’t matter to me, because the fact of the matter is that I learned to read and write well through the public school system. I learned to use my brain and though sometimes challenged and sometimes, not, I planned to be successful. I didn’t have the luxury of being bored with the whole situation and deciding to “opt out” because it wasn’t what I thought was most important to me…

I sometimes see newly immigrated families riding around with more kids in the car than is safe if applying today’s standards for automobile passenger safety. The kids are wearing hand-me-down clothes, smell like fried food, and have giant smiles on their faces. I see a reflection of myself in their eyes. I’m hoping those children and their parents will have access to what I was able to enjoy– a modicum of success in a country where it is still possible to start with nothing and end with more than you ever dreamed of. I still believe in the dream and I am ever hopeful.

Well, this is, as the title states, a blog beginning. I’ve never had a public blog, so this is a first. A place to voice my opinion, share thoughts, vent frustrations, and highlight miracles… Wow, why didn’t I do this sooner? A place for healthy exchange of ideas and discussions on important topics– I will do my best to keep it lively. For now, it’s Friday afternoon after a long work week, so don’t expect any pearls in this first post. Stay tuned and I promise to conjure up some interesting topics!