Get to a work

Whether mentioned it here or not, I was seriously considering pulling my kids out of Nashville public schools and homeschooling starting in January. Are so many problems I have with the school that I can't quite put my finger on. And I had just had enough. I was also excited about the developments that would come in our family if we made the changes necessary to have her children home with us all day. Physical changes. Emotional changes. Changes in goals, attitudes, and dispositions. It seems like a challenge worth taking on.

But then two things happen. First I got sick. I got sick in November and I was sick for weeks and weeks. I was in a lot of pain. I had a major Candida outbreak. The thought of juggling that sickness with work and with the children was just too much. But when I got better, another thing happen then change my mind about homeschooling at this time. Through my work with the Unitarian Universalists in Nashville, I have learned a lot about the cycle of poverty and seen deep seed issues with race, education, and class segregation in Nashville. Started to realize that a lot of the problems I have with the school are reflections of these issues. They are reflections of my own prejudices and the prejudices of those around me. For example I think the leaders at the school set sound unintelligent when they speak. They sound this way because they talk to the parents like the parents or children. They talk to them this way because they think they're intelligent and poor. In some cases, this might be true, but it still reeks of prejudice and judgment and it holds the whole school system back.

Any who -- the kids are learning to read and are bringing home some interesting observations about life. So for now -- we are going to stay and grow and watch -- and see if we can be the change.

And on that note -- I was reading a summary of civil activist forum that I was not able to attend. The person who wrote this is a hero of mine who is good at sticking to her guns and protesting local problems.

"While The People presented their platform to the mayoral candidates, I had the privilege of seeing everyone's expressions. Everyone looked truly shocked twice when the whole assembly could hear gasps of surprise. The first time was when the Criminal Justice Platform reported the statistic that more than 700 Nashville Public School children in kindergarten last year were suspended from school – most of them black boys - most of them for non-violent offenses. They then showed how this was the beginning of a school to prison "pipeline." The second time was when the Economic Equity and Jobs Platform quoted several national studies that named Nashville as one of the nation's most corrupt cities, citing the lack of transparency in tax and financial incentives as one of the primary reasons."

Anyway, Nashville needs help, and the schools need help. So, here we are, and on we go.