Please Introduce Yourself What's your connection to St. Paul public schools? mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] _________________________________________ Greetings all,
I'm Mary Petrie and have two children at JJ Hill Elem. ( K and 2nd grade ) and a third in the wings (he's one). Growing up in rural MN, I'm not a graduate of the St Paul public school system, although I earned a doctorate at the U of MN, another great public institution. A big believer in public education, I volunteer about one hour a week in the classroom (dividing that time between two rooms); attend the occasional school meeting; and chaperone the periodic field trip. On a more complex level--despite and somewhat in contradiction to-- my commitment to public education, I made a decision early on NOT to get deeply involved as a public school volunteer and instead, to continue my focus on neighborhood/community issues (eg., district councils and environmental groups). My reasoning for this is largely and possibly unfortunately reactive/emotional: I see so many women in particular, devote thousands of unpaid and unsung hours to schools that seem to chew them up, spit them out and look for fresh blood every year. Ouch, I know. I feel the frequent parent volunteer labor is undervalued and minimally recognized (and to what end? there's always so much more need) and all too often (although not universally) gendered. I'm talking about the people who serve on committees, organize the book fairs, rouse the troops for the fundraisers, etc, as opposed to those who drop in for the twice a year field trip. Probably getting my just due, we're in the throes of school choice again: Capital Hill? Nova? Linwood? Stay at Hill? The indecision comes from the feeling that JJ Hill, without strong leadership is somewhat of a sinking ship. Who steps into save a school that's floundering? Parents? I think that educational structures mean parents actually don't have the authority/power necessary to make significant changes without one or two people (or a committee) ready to devote a large chunk of his/her life to make this happen. For what? Permanent change and results, or another band-aid solution? Whew. Soapbox moment from a luker. Mary Petrie Mounds Park _____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/ _____________________________________________ For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract
