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    An Educational Crisis in America: One Parent's Perspective
    An Educational Crisis in America: One Parent's Perspective
    An Educational Crisis in America: One Parent's Perspective
    Ebook53 pages49 minutes

    An Educational Crisis in America: One Parent's Perspective

    By Jennifer Dirks

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    About this ebook

    There are problems with our educational system. If you sit down and listen to the right circle of people, they are talking about it but not doing anything about. I wanted to do more than talk. I wanted to do something about it. I wanted to bring the conversation to the people. I want to foster a dialog. You may not agree with my opinions but this is about people starting the dialog towards change.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJennifer Dirks
    Release dateJul 8, 2013
    ISBN9781301612260
    An Educational Crisis in America: One Parent's Perspective

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      Book preview

      An Educational Crisis in America - Jennifer Dirks

      An Educational Crisis in America:

      One Parent’s Perspective

      By Jennifer Dirks

      Copyright 2013 Jennifer Dirks

      Smashwords Edition

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      An Educational Crisis in America:

      One Parent’s Perspective

      CHAPTER 1: THE PLAYERS

      Who Am I and Why Write this Book?

      I am Jenn. I live in the Midwest and am married with two children. I’ve been involved with the school environment with at risk kids since I was in high school. I’ve participated in peer mentoring programs and peer tutoring. My brother had special considerations that I had helped my mom through the process with after I graduated from school as she was battling cancer and needed a proxy to step up and help her. Now, I have children in both high school and middle school. One is your typical teen high school boy and the other is not your average situation. She has a diagnosis of ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder).

      At first I thought I was being super critical of our system, until I started talking to parents in similar situations. I belong to several discussion and support groups for special kids and have heard horror stories and heartfelt stories alike. That’s when I realized, we are having this discussion amongst ourselves. Looking for that support that was so desperately craved in a place where we can only change so much. This is a dialog that needs to be had and heard by everyone. From the politicians who set policies and funding, to the administrators who often set further policies on a more local level, to teachers and parents who deal with the kids day in and day out, to the taxpayers who unless they have kids may not know how our schools really are, to our friends and families who long to see a bigger picture. It’s crucial dialog that has been swept under a rug for years. We now have a lump of dirt under that rug we’re tripping over thinking the next person will clean it up.

      I may become the most controversial person for awhile but if it gets the dialog started and people to look at how we can turn our educational situations around, then it’s worth it. Don’t get me wrong. Before you even get into this book, it’s an opinionated book about critical things I have heard and seen. I’m not advocating slapping a gold star and A on every child. I’m not advocating coddling them. What I am advocating is learning to navigate and problem solve. We need to be giving them real life tools in critical thinking, problem solving, taking responsibility, OWNING their education and empowering them. With all that, many will gain work skills and integrity. I’m advocating that kids with special considerations get the resources and tools they need to learn those skills too. If we empower our children and allow them to learn to love learning instead of hating it, they’ll learn more. They’ll become proud in their work and be able to set goals, and work towards them. It starts with a dialog that moves towards actions.

      We can’t fix what we don’t see or understand. So let’s work together to start this dialog.

      What Kind of Kids are In Our Schools?

      There are so many ways to answer this question. What kinds of kids ARE in our schools? We can talk about their learning styles. How some kids learn best hands on, some learn best visually, some learn best verbally and then there are those that learn best in a combination style. If we are expecting our children to learn at the highest quality of education, doesn’t it go without saying that we should ensure

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