the power of education and choice

Now, I know that I already stated that I can't really talk about work. I have no problem reflecting on my career.

There are key components of my being that have shoved me down my current career path: the desire to learn and the belief in choice.

Since I can remember, I have always learned. I'm self-motivated and often would write research papers at very young ages because I liked to do research. My parents sacrificed a lot to provide a set of encyclopedias for my enjoyment. I read them, the whole set of World Book Encyclopedia in fifth and sixth grade. My first official research paper was over 20 pages not including an extensive appendices and index (I'm a little bit of an over achiever... I was 12).There's no surprise that by the time I was in high school, I was dissatisfied with the mediocre offerings of my local school. There were no challenging academic elective courses nor were there any rigorous arts courses. In the school system I attended, there was a great disparity between the five high schools.

One of my other traits, and one that I am proud of is that I can take any rule, tear it to shreads and expose any loophole within... then take advantage of it. That's exactly what I did. In order to serve my own desire for improvement, I worked the system to attend a different high school. This school offered a nationally- recognized choral program  and an innovative theatre arts program. I immersed my self in both. This was in 1993-1994 before the advent of school choice in North Carolina, before the era of charter schools.

Charter schools have come a long way since their inception. It is no secret that the original legislation provided enough challenges to make one believe they were never meant to succeed. The folks who have come together to create schools of choice do so for many reasons, but what they all have in common is that they believe in a school that may never open its doors to children. Yet, they invest their time, their money, and their love to go through the gruelling process to bring the school to fruition.

I believe in the power of choice. I'm a capitalist. I believe that a competitive market for the one property right given to every person in this country is a powerful motivator to ignite innovation and rigor. Not every school can adequately serve the needs of every child. I look at my own education and see that is truth. And it's not that my assigned high school was bad. My parents and my siblings attended the school, and I eventually walked across the stage to graduate from that very school (as a junior, which is a whole other story of loopholes). But it did not serve my needs.

As a parent, I believe in my ability to choose the best education for my child. She is finishing up an amazing year of kindergarten at a fantastic arts-integrated charter school in western NC. I made the sacrifice of that education by taking on my new position here at the pink palace supporting charter schools. Her name was not pulled in any local charter lottery. However, we were afforded the opportunity to choose our local school through a new program in the traditional school system.

My work with charters has not always been grand. I worked with a school that closed down. The experience opened my eyes to the issues facing charters on a daily basis and how a few bad decisions can destroy years of work. I had a vendor employee threaten me to silence by stating that if I ever wanted to continue to work in charters in this state, I had better close my mouth (I was just a teacher and had uncovered and exposed illegal operations). Since that day, I've gone on to serve two other schools, both models of academic excellence and fiscal responsibility.

When I drive from my country road each morning as the sun rises on the the city, I remember the uninformed people I have encountered who promote the misinformation about charter schools and the gentleman (whose photograph I keep hanging over my desk) who threatened my work. I believe in what I do. I believe in the power of choice. I believe in education. And I dedicate my career to supporting all the folks in this state who believed in the impossible.