We are products of public education-me, my husband, our three children, and our daughter-in-law. Each of us graduated from college. Several hold graduate degrees.

Our combined work in public education equals over fifty years. Our varied experiences include band, elementary music, special education, geometry, computers, and administration. Collectively, we worked in many classrooms with different age groups from varying perspectives across several states.

I am grateful for my public education experiences as a student, parent, and employee. Each provided caring teachers, opportunities for creativity and learning, and lifelong friendships. These are things that continue to happen in today’s classrooms.

Were they perfect? No. Are they perfect now? There is no such thing. But they were and are filled with hardworking staff and teachers who love their students. Individuals dedicated to the pursuit of lifelong learning. People who hold dear the responsibility for our future.

They need and deserve our support, as do our children.

What can we do?

We can choose not to perpetuate inflammatory rhetoric concerning teachers and classrooms.

We can choose not to apply broad generalities. History has shown us how detrimental those can be.

We can accept that there is always work to do. And remember the work is made lighter when we join hands.

“I have the right to do anything,” you say-but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything,” you say-but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. I Corinthians 10:23-24

Do everything in love. I Corinthians 16:14