Getting All "Mother Bear"

Offspring learn by watching their parents. I hate it when my kids do that. But what other choice do they have, really?

I do have a natural Mother Bear instinct. It is fully engaged when someone threatens my kids. But I also see it rise up when my young women across the stake are disrespected, or when a local PTA is disparaged. Why can't people just get along?!

Last night I felt the bristly Mother Bear instinct kicking in while I was waiting for a School Board meeting to begin. The place was packed. I was there to honor four award winners that came from my PTA council--two volunteers, a teacher and a principal. The rest of the crowd was there to speak their mind to the school board.

http://heraldextra.com/news/local/education/precollegiate/article_c91cb886-2cbb-5ad0-9bdc-73f71bfbcd56.html

Sometimes I wonder why people look so hard to find any thing disagreeable. There are other options--homeschooling, private school, charter schools--for parents that don't agree with what is going on in public school. But even if you do have children in public school, you'd better get involved as a responsible parent. Yes, it is a parent's responsibility to oversee their children's education. But public school is not the terrible conspiracy of socialism so many think.

Far more likely, public school is doing the best it can to educate all children--regardless of their parent's involvement. AS a proponent for public education, I feel the need to participate--I'm a PTA leader, a volunteer, a School Community Council member. I know my kids' teachers, administrators, and appreciate the constraints they are constantly under and the pinch they feel when the legislature repeatedly chooses to not put the money where their mouth is.

I didn't stay at the school board meeting last night. I had kids home alone--and I feel my place is with them. But also, I didn't want to stay because I get so fed up with people demanding change when they themselves are not willing to be the change they want to see. The loudest whiners are the ones who most likely refuse to help.

I think I blogged once about "If you're not part of the solution, you are part of the problem." The same sentiment settled over me last night, so I left before the Mother Bear in me got loose.