“Sometimes, in a moral struggle, we discover the right thing to do – just as, on some cold day long ago, we discovered mittens pinned to our coat sleeve. ” Robert Brault
So today my parent role vs trustee role has been tested. I am aware of the cautious note we always hear about stepping back as a parent because now we are ‘trustees’. When a parent tells me today that her child has told her a staff member is ‘picking on’ my child I am uncertain how to deal with it. What breaks my heart is that my 12 year old has indicated this for the last 2 months. I discounted what he said and told him he must be ‘misunderstanding’ the staff member’s intentions. When I decided to take him aside and talk today I knew the right thing to do. My boy needed me. Had I lost sight of this as I talked ‘Transformation of Education’ and ‘Inspiring Education’? Well when I saw my boy in tears today I knew what my primary job is. I am definately passionate about advocating for the best public education for all equally and remembering that I represent my ‘board’ in all my dealings. That will not change. But I will be more cautious to not lose sight of the fact that two of those students I am talking about are my own children and I have to advocate for them too. However, they don’t call me an advocate when I stand up for them. They call me their Mom.
Nancy's Notes 