Last Day of School Honors

 

It’s the last day of school and I forgot to turn the sound on for my alarm. My husband pointed out, wryly, that tomorrow is the day to turn off all the alarms.

One thing that’s on my mind this morning is the size of the Howard County School System. It’s pretty darn big, you know. I looked at the size of the two public school systems I came from (Cleveland Heights-University Heights in Ohio, and Stamford, Connecticut) and they are tiny by comparison. HCPSS is made up of 78 schools, spread out over an entire county. Many school districts are based around towns, with multiple systems within a county.

This is why we sometimes have those conversations about how winter weather events affect some parts of the county more than others, necessitating closure throughout the entire system. We’re not all the same, and yet our school system must make decisions for everyone. There’s a lot of ground to cover.

Why is this on my mind today? Well, I’m thinking about parents. I do write a lot about teachers here, and with good reason. But this year on the last day of school I’m thinking about how important parents are for the continued existence of public education. 

Education for all requires a commitment to one’s child being in learning environments with people who may not be like them. They will be exposed to new, sometimes uncomfortable ideas. They make pick a library book that would never have occurred to you. (My older daughter kept bringing home Eyewitness Books about Arms and Armour. Go figure.) Education for all means understanding that there is a big picture while at the same time you are advocating as a parent for the needs of your own children.

It can be a struggle. There are ways that some folks try to get around it. They may choose to live in affluent areas that create pockets of economic and social sameness. Or they may protest loudly that it is their parental right to make their values the guiding force for all decisions and all learners. 

We’re seeing a lot of that these days.

Public education can only continue so long as parents believe that the education of other people’s children is every bit as important as that of their own. They have to support the democratic ideal that students will learn with people who are different and be exposed to new and challenging concepts all along the way. That’s not some unavoidable bug in the system, it’s the whole point. Democracy requires it.

You have to believe in something bigger than yourself.

It’s the last day of school for the year. Imagine it were the last day of school ever. Public education has been under attack for some time now and a quick internet search will find groups who disagree with the entire premise and who are seeking to defund it. Without public education the future of each child that is born will be dependent entirely on the financial status of the parent and the area where they live.

Yes, even now the honor rolls and prize winners and SAT high scorers reflect areas of economic privilege. But public education still offers opportunities that no other model embraces. 

Teachers, I love you and you will always be first in my heart. But today I want to thank the parents. Day in and day out you support your children as they learn and grow. You teach by your example that new kinds of people and challenging ideas are not to be feared but can be occasions of growth. Your children become confident in your support for them and learn what it means that their parents support their school, their teachers, their classmates. 

There are bad days when the alarm doesn’t go off or there’s nothing in the house to turn into a decent school lunch. Some kid is being mean to your kid on the playground. The math assignment makes no sense, the permission slip is lost somewhere in your house, and you find out at seven am that you are supposed to send cupcakes for a bake sale. 

Parents, you deserve a break. And maybe an award. You have wrestled with parenting and learning and social emotional challenges for another school year and you are still standing. (Well, maybe you’re leaning a little.) Your child has grown. You have witnessed their successes and you have seen sparks of what is to come. 

As much as administrators, teachers, support staff, educational specialists, cooks, janitors, bus drivers - - and more I am not remembering at the moment - - you make education for all possible. You may challenge it to be better and some days you may say bad words about it. But your commitment to be a part of it is a huge part of assuring that it will continue for the good of everyone.

A-plus, parents. You do good work.