Nervous tonight...

Tomorrow is election day.  Levies blanket the area ballots and nerves are in jumbled heaps.  

Get out there and VOTE YES!!! 

Tonight, as Mike and I made muffins for Ledgeview's Staff Appreciation week, I can't help but worry about what lies ahead for public education.  School funding in Ohio is broken, and now to make matters worse, Governor Kasich is sending the message that besides being broken, it simply is not important, as proven by his most recent state budget proposal (and debilitating cuts.).


How do I explain to my child that her future rests in the hands of her neighbors, her community, and the biases those individuals may carry with them?  How do I tell her that Mom and Dad will vote YES, but that we can't force others to do so.  She asks why others don't think her teachers are important and why others don't think she deserves a good school.  I have no answers.   


We preach patience and understanding in our home.  We remind our children constantly that others have opinions and they are allowed to believe as they wish.  We cannot squash the ideals of others, even if they go against all that we believe.   The world is made of a hodge-podge of diversity and most of the time, that magical mix works!


Yet, she is coming home with messages from school that those voting NO on the levy are doing a HUGE disservice.  I get it!  (I live it after all!)  However, what a shame that my 7 year old is forced to burden the weight of the political games and have ZERO power over being a member of this losing school funding team.  Ironic that the little bodies that are the most affected are the ones with no voice!  Disheartening that she holds so much potential in her hands, her heart, and her soul, yet if the community feels they are financially strapped, then she loses! 


How do I get stubborn adults to realize that they can forgo their morning lattes, their subscription to 500 television stations, their weekly dining expenses, their packs of cigarettes, or their top of the line vehicles and likely find the money in their household budgets to support the levy?  After all, in this day and age, when we are in a world of convenience and instant gratification, it is difficult for most to see that we need to put our money down for a long term investment - our children.   There is no instant win, no automatic payout when we fund our future!  Sorry.  Yet, I can promise that there is immeasurable joy in providing our youth with opportunities to succeed, and numerous chances to discover the potential each child holds inside, if only they are believed in!

Here is what I remind others of tonight: 

Change can be hard, painful, and typically unpopular.  Yet, change is contagious, empowering, and necessary to grow and learn! 

Stop shifting the blames and instead realize that change starts with one person.  

One person standing up for the GREATER cause!  

One person believing that our children are worth it!  

One person trusting that educators are doing a job well done, and deserve the resources and recognition to continue to excel in their craft!

One person taking the road less traveled and speaking with purposeful words - instead of words that cut like knives.

I am choosing to be that person!  These levies will pass tomorrow!  I believe that my children are worth it.  I believe that my fellow educators are worth it!  I will assure my sweet young child that the best we can do is remain positive and hold our heads high!  I cannot promise that this will be enough, but I can promise her that I will never give up on obtaining all that she deserves.  Life is not a smooth road, and often times we are unable to see the "whys" while we are behind the drivers seat.  In due time, the Master plan comes into focus - and until that day comes, we will press forward - one day at a time, all the while sleeping soundly because we have done all that we can do, to the best of our ability, with the best of intentions deep in our hearts!  Sleep well my innocent child!