Teach Your Children Well

The City's Pulse Issue #10 May 10, 2007 by Mary Souza
Teach Your Children Well We were sitting around the dinner table the other night, chatting with our high school senior about landmark Supreme Court cases. Just a little casual family conversation? No, our son was telling us about the Advanced Placement (AP) US Government test he had taken that morning. This year-long Government class culminated in a three hour nationally standardized exam. I was once again impressed with the excitement learning can bring, along with a limitless vision of the future. When we moved to Coeur d'Alene 20 years ago, our neighbors in Spokane were worried for our children. The schools here did not have a great reputation, deserved or not, that was the public perception. We asked around, chose a school first then found a house in its district. We talked to teachers and started connecting into the parent network -- that informal chat line of Moms who know which teachers are the best for which styles of learning. I volunteered on school committees and watched as bold and seasoned parents asked for more challenging classes. We organized efforts to get gifted classes at the elementary level, greater flexibility and personal challenge at the middle school level. And at the high schools, we advocated for more Honors and, finally, AP classes. Now, all these years later, there's even the International Baccalaureate (IB) program just getting started in both our high schools. We've come a long way. Parents, teachers and administrators all worked to make these changes a reality. It wasn't always easy or pretty. There were many squabbles but the system worked and the system changed. Of course, ongoing involvement and upgrades will always be needed. So here we sit with our high school senior, the last of our four ... sigh. He will be off to a great college next Fall and the local chapter of our children's education will be complete. Our oldest is in medical school back in the Midwest. Our second is working in the US Senate, where he hopes to contribute to our country's public policy. Our daughter just graduated from college last weekend and already has a nursing job in line. All attended wonderful colleges. All received substantial academic scholarships. All are products of the Coeur d'Alene school system -- and two involved parents. The school district administration may need some increased public oversight, many further questions about financial transparency and better communication with the patrons, but the teachers are the front line of learning and they are to be commended. We would like to thank the many outstanding teachers who have made such positive impacts on our children. These educators are priceless and deserve much more than they are earning here. If there's one thing we've learned in the past 20 years, it's that a good education is a great investment that gives value throughout life. Please invest some of your time and energy in your schools. And please get out to vote on the Levy this Tuesday, May 15th.

Teach Your Children Well

We were sitting around the dinner table the other night, chatting with our high school senior about landmark Supreme Court cases. Just a little casual family conversation? No, our son was telling us about the Advanced Placement (AP) US Government test he had taken that morning. This year-long Government class culminated in a three hour nationally standardized exam. I was once again impressed with the excitement learning can bring, along with a limitless vision of the future.

When we moved to Coeur d'Alene 20 years ago, our neighbors in Spokane were worried for our children. The schools here did not have a great reputation, deserved or not, that was the public perception. We asked around, chose a school first then found a house in its district. We talked to teachers and started connecting into the parent network -- that informal chat line of Moms who know which teachers are the best for which styles of learning. I volunteered on school committees and watched as bold and seasoned parents asked for more challenging classes. We organized efforts to get gifted classes at the elementary level, greater flexibility and personal challenge at the middle school level. And at the high schools, we advocated for more Honors and, finally, AP classes. Now, all these years later, there's even the International Baccalaureate (IB) program just getting started in both our high schools. We've come a long way.

Parents, teachers and administrators all worked to make these changes a reality. It wasn't always easy or pretty. There were many squabbles but the system worked and the system changed. Of course, ongoing involvement and upgrades will always be needed.

So here we sit with our high school senior, the last of our four ... sigh. He will be off to a great college next Fall and the local chapter of our children's education will be complete. Our oldest is in medical school back in the Midwest. Our second is working in the US Senate, where he hopes to contribute to our country's public policy. Our daughter just graduated from college last weekend and already has a nursing job in line. All attended wonderful colleges. All received substantial academic scholarships. All are products of the Coeur d'Alene school system -- and two involved parents.

The school district administration may need some increased public oversight, many further questions about financial transparency and better communication with the patrons, but the teachers are the front line of learning and they are to be commended. We would like to thank the many outstanding teachers who have made such positive impacts on our children. These educators are priceless and deserve much more than they are earning here. If there's one thing we've learned in the past 20 years, it's that a good education is a great investment that gives value throughout life. Please invest some of your time and energy in your schools. And please get out to vote on the Levy this Tuesday, May 15th.