Tonight’s Education/Equity/Reading Chronicles…
You never know who’s watching. Kris Cox, Executive Director of ReadWS, has been paying attention to me for a little while. We’ve had lunch where she’s encouraged me to blog or write a book (as she did again tonight). She invited me to her event scheduled for tonight. I told her I had to work, but I could sense she really wanted me there. I rearranged my work schedule to attend and she was gracious enough to offer me reserved seating where I had the honor to sit close to our school board chair. Michai whispered, “How do you know these people? What did you do to get a special seat? Can I just sit in the back? I hope I won’t have to talk like the last time.” I smiled thinking that me “knowing people” would make him do his homework quicker. I later learned he sat back there drinking Arnold Palmer’s and eating all the people’s Lindor chocolates.
If I may be transparent, I didn’t understand much of what the speaker was talking about; primarily because I’m not an educator. The people who do the work got it and that’s all that matters. I did understand the information provided in the Data Walk and the stats provided on the info sheets found on our seats. Bottom line, “48% of 3rd graders in WSFCS are not reading proficiently.” 74% of the poor reading 3rd graders remain as such in the 9th grade and poverty and inequity are glued to all of it.
Find a way, YOUR OWN WAY, to help these kids y’all. Money, time, advocacy…JUST DO SOMETHING.
Read my other Chronicle to find out about someone who IS doing something…
