Agape Voice
Dearest Price
I was elected to be on the Parent of Advisory Commisson (PAC) for the State of North Carolina under Superintendent Truitt. We had our first meeting on the penthouse suite of the Board of Education Building in Raleigh, a diverse group of parents ready to tell our stories. I was one of 48, chosen from a pool of 3000 applicants. I was honored to be there, utilized in my most important role, Mommy. I have taught for many years, voiceless to the disparities that I saw each year but today I was heard. I mattered. I wasn't begging a teacher to look at son's IEP or complaining to the principal about no graded work ever being sent home but instead I was sitting in an actual boardroom with District Superintendents, the State Superintendent and parents like me. I was the only parent representing Charlotte, so I have something to say.
We spoke of bullying, violence, misconceptions of achievement, exceptional learners . . . we looked at the data. Oh the data . . . Only 14% of our black babies are proficient, 86% nonproficent. Most parents believe their children are on grade level. Most parents don't know how bad it truly is. We talked about the respect we have for educators. What can we do to relieve some of the pressures? We explored this partnership of parents and teachers.
We are our children's first line of defense, not those employed in education or politicians and PAC is giving us a voice. All I can say is this is a start.