Don't Give Up!

Kristen pointed out some of the issues I think we all have been struggling with lately, I've heard many of us asking our teachers and each other, "but what can we do?" This feeling of powerlessness in the face of seemingly endless obstacles in the education system is definitely overwhelming and intimidating. However, I think it is important to recognize that in our program, and others like it across the U.S., there are people who recognize the important issues and also want to work toward improving education in our country. I think that we all have a responsibility to use what we are learning to change our own classrooms, our schools, and communities. We can start by leading by example, I have always advocated for children in staff meetings at the schools I've worked in and have seen what a difference a single person can make simply by questioning policies that are in place (and that was before I had the terms and specific knowledge to advocate my ideas) . While we can't expect to graduate and immediately reform our highly flawed educational system at a state or federal level, we can all make positive changes in the lives of our students, their families and our local communities. This idea encourages me to keep learning and pursuing my own educational philosophy that I can use to make these changes through teaching.