Early in my teaching career, a colleague remarked that they would never fully trust a teacher who was not also a parent. Single at the time, I laughed and said, "Well, we do our best . . ." Before I was blessed to become a parent, I thought I understood this. I knew what it is like to watch a mother completely overcome in tears on the ground because she could not get the services for her special needs child from an unresponsive school district. I know what it is like to help wordsmith a valedictorian's speech and watch their eyes roll when I remind them that "Your graduation is for your parents, you got to say nice things about them . . ." I love meeting a parent at a conference, or better on the street, and be able to tell them, "Your child is wonderful...and it's all your fault..."
What I didn't appreciate until my wife and I were blessed with our two children, 4 and 2, is the overwhelming feeling of gravity, urgency, immediacy and priority that comes with being a parent. The epiphany that occurs you feel that enabling their dreams dwarfs anything you want for yourself and the selfish drive where you don't just want what is fair for you child you want it all and the fury when your child is the victim of bullying.
My oldest, who turned one just as the pandemic began, has a profound speech delay. Over the past two years, my wife and I had the frustrating experience of doing speech Early Intervention over Zoom and behind masks. But, we are the lucky ones because, I went into parenting knowing where most of the resources are in the system, what my child was entitled to and what documentation and evaluations he needed. In addition, my children had several incredible early intervention instructors. I know, unfortunately, too well that this is not the experience of many parents in the same position.
What does this have to do with the Board? First, you know what my motivation is it is my children, full stop.