education – A National Service Initiative

From “My Child” to “Our Children”

I grew up with very little service involvement as a youth. I was taught to be kind and give when opportunity presented itself, but that was pretty much it. When my second child, Charlotte, arrived later in life, I wanted her to have opportunity to “give back” and come to understand the larger community familyContinue reading “From “My Child” to “Our Children””

American Youth Are Unique – Let’s Play to Their Strengths

We need to establish our American identity in our system of education. Our youth are Americans who want to participate in meaningful ways. They want to explore the world and connect with others, they want voice. American youth want to create meaningful change, and know they are capable. As older Americans, we may seek theirContinue reading “American Youth Are Unique – Let’s Play to Their Strengths”

High School Dropout Can Fade Away

We need to start at the beginning – at the root – to grow strong, interactive engagement with our youth and rediscover the heartbeat of education that is alive with relevance. We need to give our youth voice and opportunity for engagement with us in the real world that can grow with them from kindergartenContinue reading “High School Dropout Can Fade Away”

Solution in Our Midst

My husband teaches language arts in our local middle school and he receives publications from NYSUT (New York State United Teachers). I was struck by the recent cover photo and the statistic: 1 in 4 children in New York live in poverty. When I think of poverty, the first thing that comes to mind isContinue reading “Solution in Our Midst”

We Can Start Now; We Don’t Need Permission

We can start now. We don’t need permission. There are no obstacles. We have everything we need: A unified service learning curriculum Schools nationwide Non-profits in every community Project originators Online communication Service learning is an established methodology for coordinating traditional academics with genuine, real life, current time, community needs. Bringing genuine community needs to theContinue reading “We Can Start Now; We Don’t Need Permission”

Obesity: A National Concern

There are numerous studies and reports on obesity as a modern day epidemic in our country. The solution seems simple: we need to move, to be active, to exercise, and we need to consume foods that are good for us, whole foods, balanced meals, reasonable quantities. None of this is new. The dilemma is howContinue reading “Obesity: A National Concern”

Education and National Security

Two perspectives on national security stand out to me. Readiness to defend – military preparedness to do battle Preventative measures to avoid conflict – building trust and cooperation globally. For those who address our national security from the perspective of readiness to defend, we are weak and vulnerable. Mission Readiness describes itself as a “nonpartisanContinue reading “Education and National Security”

Let’s Fix Food Insecurity

“An estimated 100 billion pounds of food, enough to totally eliminate hunger, is thrown away annually in the United States. It does not have to be this way.” AmpleHarvest.org It’s nothing short of amazing that we continue to allow this contrast to exist without correction. We have the supplies, tools, and intelligence to fix thisContinue reading “Let’s Fix Food Insecurity”

Youth Managing Community Needs

The K-12 national service initiative places our youth in the role of managing the overview of our community needs. Are youth capable of taking on this management role? Absolutely. Working with non-profit staff and teachers, youth can manage the overview of work and progress in specific areas. With a national projects checklist they can researchContinue reading “Youth Managing Community Needs”

An Antidote to Bullying

Bullying that escalates to violence doesn’t cross the path of all our children. Violence sits at the extreme end of a spectrum of shades of insensitivity to others. Violence is the end result of an infection in full bloom, requiring coordinated efforts to change its course. From a preventative perspective, we need to grow anContinue reading “An Antidote to Bullying”