In fact , it was contentious and hard . Eventually , with a lot of advocacy , a lot of emails to legislators , and one fated phone call to the Office of Special Education Programs in Washington , D . C ., Clara got what she needed . ( Today , we still love our school and Clara is thriving with fantastic services and accommodations under an Individualized Education Plan ).
Through that process , I began to learn just how many students suffer from dyslexia and just how prevalent it is . I knew personally the shame of growing up undiagnosed . I began to spend most of my time advocating and connecting with parents to get the message out . Through an effort of many , the new Say Dyslexia law is passed and I am proud to keep working to fight for all kids to learn to read . The stakes simply could not be higher for our society .
My favorite part of advocacy is sitting and listening to stories . I love giving people hope one on one . I love connecting with other mothers who are in pain and telling them “ I have been there . I hear you . You are not invisible to me .” I love connecting with kids who are having a hard time and telling them “ I love you . I believe in you . I see you . You are not invisible to me .”
I guess , looking back on it , I learned all the tools I need to be an effective advocate from my daughters , living and dead . The greatest gift that my daughter Madeline taught me when she died is that by sharing your story , you can heal yourself and help others who are hurting too . We are often so alone in grief and fear , we cannot pull ourselves out . We feel invisible and powerless . I learned that there is a beauty and a power to sharing your pain and connecting on a human level with others . I learned that we simply cannot make the journey of life alone . At times , we need others to be our voice to help us . And , in our turn , we need to be the voice for others . We need to look deeply at those around us who are struggling and tell them : “ You are not invisible to me .”
My Clara taught me how to advocate under fire . Her medical situation was so precarious that I sat a bedside vigil for 3 horrific months . I was constantly on high alert . I was advocating for her 24 hours a day . If I had not been there - she would have been dead 100 times over . In those dark days and hours , I learned that advocating can , quite literally , save a life .
Today , it is my honor and my privilege to spend my days advocating . I don ’ t charge a dime . I do it because I can . I do it because I have one daughter who never had a voice . I do it because all those mothers are not invisible to me . I do it because I have been there . I have a voice and I have learned , through strife , how to use it to help others . I am proud to do so .
What Public Schools Are Doing Right
Our school are doing so much right . Our tireless teachers . Our dedicated principals . Our PTOs , parents and community members who are engaging for our children . I am awed at their charge and all that they are able to do every single day to serve our diverse children with so few resources . But if I had to pick the biggest thing our schools do right , I would use the words of my daughter ’ s middle school , West End Middle Prep : “ Better Together .” It sounds too simple , but I think that is the heart of what I believe schools do right . Our public schools bring us together .
In our daily lives , we are separate . We stay insulated with our own kind , in our comfort zone . Our thinking cannot help but become one-sided . Diverse public schools break us from that and open our eyes to the beauty , the power and the challenges of our society , all in one small microcosm .
We need to highlight the power of the diversity . We need to highlight the power of community . We need to highlight that our neighborhood schools - the one right down the street from all of us , is the place that WE ALL can invest and volunteer and engage in to make our neighborhoods better .
What Public Schools Can Do Better
For me , that is a simple answer . We need to invest in our schools and our children as if our future depends on it . Not just we , the parents . Not just we , the school district . I am talking about the big “ we .” Our society . Our leaders . Our whole culture .
How ? Investing in our public schools and our children . Let ’ s pay teachers a living wage . Let ’ s give principals workable budgets , staff and schedules to empower them to do all the things