Do I Even Have a Choice?

“Do I even have a choice?” This is the question I’m being asked most often now when it comes to what our children are being offered in school. The perception is that things are being done to parents, not with us or for us. What adds to the stress and anxiety is not being able to see around the corner at what’s next.

Families are working to maneuver through these times, some grieving what life was like less than a year ago. We are trying to navigate our own careers and hoping we are making positive choices for our own children. This is especially important when we focus on their education. During this uncertainty, we have to be the voice for our children, relentlessly advocating for their education. Fearing the unknown is reasonable, however, sitting back and just hoping it all works out is not acceptable.

We need to stop accepting that schools are doing the best they can right now and get creative in figuring out how to move forward with public education. Our students are suffering because we have waited to see what the school is going to do. We have accepted the status quo for so long as a society that when a devastating event like this pandemic occurs, our students lose.

It is time for districts to think outside the box and find ways to engage our students and continue their learning. Districts need to reassemble the re-opening committees which they created during the summer and assess how the school year is going. What is the data telling us?

We do have a choice, fight for our children or sit back hoping for the best. We need to act now and hold our districts accountable for the betterment of our children.

#standreadytosupport