I have to admit, I grew up pretty sheltered from the real world. Pastors daughter, private school, sheltered from the truth and reality of the world. When I turned 16 and started my first job at Friendly`s Restaurants, my eyes began to open to a lot of things. It wasn’t until I had children and owned a home in the city that I started to care about politics. And this issue is one of the reasons I started to care.

I have been screaming about this for years, and as much as some people don’t like Oprah, this woman has brought a lot of great issues to people who wouldn’t normally notice. Issues like poverty, human rights, crimes against children and now our failing school system. She did a show about this issue yesterday and I think it will open the eyes of alot of people who didnt know what was happening.

I couldn’t figure out when I had to enroll Maya into the local public school district, why the school was so awful. I couldn’t figure out why 8 miles south on Rt. 48 was Oakwood Schools where the teachers and students have the best available to them, yet the kids in Dayton have nothing. And when I say nothing I don’t just mean crappy sports teams and debilitated buildings, I am talking about fundamental education.

I was so fed up with it I had to find alternative education. We couldn’t afford private schools like the one I grew up in, so we went the Charter school route and it has turned out well.

No child in this country, regardless of race or class status deserves to have a sub standard education. Every child deserves to have the same opportunity afforded to them, no matter what their parent’s tax bracket. We live in the richest country in the world and our education system is ranked 22^nd. It is truly a disgrace.

In 20 years our economy will be in ruins if we have no work force to support it. This is the concern of Bill and Malinda Gates who are also trying to bring this issue to the fore front.

"Today, however, two-thirds of ninth graders will leave high school without the English and math skills to handle college or land a job that can support a family. This statistic has devastating consequences for our young people and for our country."

“The Shame of the Nation is that we are now operating a school system in America that is more segregated that at any time since the death of Martin Luther King.”

"Racial segregation has come back to public education with a vengeance. The average Black and Latino 12^th grader in America, right now, reads at the same level as the average white 7^th grader. I think it’s the NUMBER ONE moral shame that this nation faces today. I use the terms Apartheid and segregation because I feel there is a certain moment in history where we have the obligation to call things by their right names. And I know the word Apartheid upsets people, but I don’t care if it upsets them, this nation needs to be upset, badly. I believe we need a national amendment which will guarantee every child in America the promise, of not just an equal education, but a high quality education. And that’s something we ought to fight for”.

The most frustrating thing to me is when I talk to my friends that send their kids to private or suburb schools, they just have NO IDEA the crisis this is causing. (and I dont mean ALL people that live in the burbs, Im talking about a certain few that I know... and you know who you are!!) They feel its all exaggerated and brought on by the people who are living it, meaning they are the ones who are poor and they should do something about it. As if your class should have anything to do with the quality of your childs education. I have even been told that its some sort of left wing conspriacy because our dear president would never do the children of this county an injustice. I, however, live not only in the real world but amongst these injustices every day. I also know what our dear president did to the Texas educational system, WAKE UP PEOPLE! I mean come on, do you think the average Black and Latino 12^th grader reads at a average white 7^th grade level because they choose to? If you do, you need to wake the hell up. If someone is never given the opportunity, how are they supposed to seize it?

There are things we can do. Start to give a damn and stand up for our children. Stand up for their futures, elect officials who will do the same and demand better. You can STAND UP too.