"The whole people must take upon themselves the education of the whole people and be willing to bear the expenses of it. There should not be a district of one mile square, without a school in it, not founded by a charitable individual, but maintained at the public expense of the people themselves." -- John Adams

"No money shall be drawn from the treasury, for the benefit of any religious or theological institution." -- Indiana Constitution Article 1, Section 6.

"...no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinion in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish enlarge, or affect their civil capacities." – Thomas Jefferson

Monday, January 8, 2018

Resolution #4: Do Something

The last in a series of resolutions for 2018...

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION #4
  • Speak out for public education.


FIND YOUR VOICE

Now that you've educated yourself about public education and have learned what the forces of DPE (Destroy Public Education) are doing to privatize schooling and end public education, what can you do about it?

You can speak out.

Find your voice. Become a vocal supporter of, and activist for, public education.

WHO GETS HEARD?

Example 1: Have you ever seen a news show on the topic of public education? Who are the "experts" frequently brought on to discuss "what's wrong with our schools?" They are...
  • Lawyers
  • Businessmen
  • Politicians and other policy makers
  • Pundits
Who is often missing from those discussions?
  • Teachers
  • Parents
Example 2: Take a quick look at the history of the office of the U.S. Secretary of Education. Betsy DeVos, the current Secretary, has never attended a public school. She never worked in a public school. Her children never attended a public school. Yet, she is responsible for policy affecting the 90% of American children who attend public schools.

And she's not the first unqualified person to have that position.


There have been eleven U.S. Secretaries of Education. Only three of the eleven had training and experience in K-12 education. A few were public school students as children, but for most of them, that's the extent of their public school experience.

Add your voice to the voices supporting public education. The voice of public education is rarely heard by non-educators and the general public. Public education needs voices to compete with billionaire privatizers like Betsy DeVos, Bill Gates, and Eli Broad. Public education needs voices to compete with political privatizers like (in Indiana) Bob Behning and Dennis Kruse.

Public education needs your voice. Speak out on behalf of your students/children and local public schools.

TELL YOUR STORY

Parents (and grandparents) and teachers (active and retired) are the most important voice in public education. We are the ones who know public education the best. We are the ones who are involved in the schools every day of the school year. We are the ones who see the drain that vouchers and charter schools have on our neighborhood schools. We are the ones who see the loss of programs, the increase in class sizes, and the negative impact that the overuse and misuse of testing has on children and adults.

Tell your story. Tell the stories of the children in your classroom. Tell the stories of your children at home. Let the public know what's happening to our schools.

MAKE SURE YOUR VOICE IS HEARD

You already know what to do...
  • Write to your legislators. Once you know the issues, tell your legislators how you feel about what they're doing.
  • Call and visit your legislators and tell them how you feel about that they're doing.
Indiana residents use the links below to find your legislators.

State Legislators

United States Representative

United States Senate
  • Educate your friends, family, and neighbors.
  • Promote public education and supporters of public education on Social Media.
  • Write letters to the editor of your local newspaper. Write to national newspapers. Start your own blog and write about public education.
  • Join with others in your city, county, or state who are working to support public education.
  • Let your local school board members know about your concerns for public education.
  • Testify at state legislative committee meetings and state school board meetings.
  • Work for candidates who promise to support public education. Once they're elected, hold them to their promises.
  • Run for public office.
Family and work responsibilities might restrict what you can do. Personal finances might restrict what you can do. Physical limitations might restrict what you can do. But, everyone can do something.

Once you have the knowledge, teach others.

Do Something.


YOU ARE THE VOICE FOR STUDENTS
  • Vote. Make sure you're registered.
Indiana voters, you can register (registration deadline, April 8, 2018) or check your registration online, here: Indiana Voter Portal
  • Vote for candidates who support public education.
  • Vote for candidates who support public education in every primary and regular election.
  • Vote for candidates who support public education in every primary and regular election, during off-year elections as well as every four years.
  • Vote.
You are the political voice for your students/children.

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION #1
  • Read aloud to your children/students every day.
NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION #2
  • Teach your students, not "The Test."
NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION #3
  • Educate yourself.
NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION #4
  • Speak out for public education

🎤📡🎤

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