Let me put in my 2 cents to a recent discussion…silence if silent cannot be golden. Some of us remember the days of a good AY panel discussion. But here we are…times change and so do forums.

I support wholeheartedly an effort to improve the school my boys attend. I wish I could do more in this regard and maybe in small ways many of us can.

The future demands we make the best choices for eternity, for the present, for the not so present, for the academic, social, spiritual and wholistic development of our children.

Each of the boys have had and continue to have good teachers. In no particular order I wish to make mention of a few: Ms G, provided a great start for Joshua overcoming classroom size challenges and other logistical issues; Mrs. Scott took her recess time to help Jalen with his reading; Ms. Holland (no longer at our school), gave a solid foundation to both boys and poured herself into extracurricular activities that enhanced an enriched school life; Ms Blanco (no longer at our school), Mrs Hong (hope she is doing better) and Mrs James have been rock stars in their own way; Ms Miller (no longer there) loved our boys dearly and would hold the school door open as long as she could to get the boys in ‘on time;’ Ms Ochieng, and more recently, to Jalen in 6th grade, Ms McKinnie, Dickerson and King have been patient and demonstrate excellence in their teaching using the resources they have. With out a doubt in many ways the school continues to make a difference.

Nevertheless, without getting into the weeds, there have been challenges. Challenges that need to be addressed. We have taken actionable steps to address these issues. To document and forward appropriately. Some issues probably need to be discussed behind closed doors. Others with doors wide open. Is there notice of a town hall? A response letter, an email or invitation for dialogue? Even more so, can we see actionable steps ahead to ensure that our school continues to move in the right direction?

The time for platitudes is never appropriate. We don’t have a second chance to make it right with the children—they only pass this way but once. Let’s make our next steps acceptable and definitive.