Dear Anonymous

I contemplated whether or not to dignify your drunken rant with a response, but here goes.

I join other public school parents fighting for lost causes such as recess, excessive and unnecessary homework, age appropriate pedagogy, and less testing because it's the right thing to do. When things don't change, I do the best I can for the ones I love the most.

My child sat out of six days of district-mandated testing since the beginning of May. We spent that time together while her classmates muddled through round after round of multiple choice standardized test questions that will sort them out and tell their parents how they rank on a bar graph. I wish I could stop the nonsense for all kids. In the meantime, I do what is best for my child.

I, as well as many other contributors, are very proud of this blog and the awareness we have raised in our community. This is evident by the number of subscribers and visitors we have on a daily basis. If you don't like what is written here, then stop coming by every day.

Posting administration and teacher salaries is nothing new. They are posted on many websites as well as in various newspapers each year. Taxpayers have a right to know how and where their tax dollars are being spent.

The "one person" that made a mistake in spelling was not just anybody, it was the PRINCIPAL of the middle school. This is a position that people look up to. Why is the bar set high for our children, but not for those making the decisions in regard to their education? Should we expect less of those in charge of the school?

I am not perfect. I make mistakes but I do my best to learn from them and use this knowledge to guide future decisions.

You ask that I stop complaining about irrelevant things. Do you think that a child's education is irrelevant? Do you think keeping an eye on how tax dollars are spent is irrelevant?

You asked me to "model something that will make your child a great contributor to this nation." I am doing just that by taking my children to be a part of the welcome home ceremony this evening at Midway airport for veterans of World War II. We don't just read about veterans or sit in assemblies listening to speeches; we participate in celebrating their wonderful contributions to this great nation of ours. Can you think of a better way to teach a child about the sacrifices these brave men and women made so that we can be free? Would you care to join us at Midway tonight?



Another thing I do is ride bikes to and from school with my children as well as other kids in my neighborhood. We live about a mile from school and must ride along a busy street not to mention up and down the very crowded School Street. Bicycling teaches the children the benefits of staying healthy through exercise while also helping the environment by reducing our carbon footprint. I also wrote and won a $400,000 grant on behalf of the Village of Willow Springs to install sidewalks on the routes to school. Why don't you ask Superintendent Mark Fredisdorf, Willow Springs Mayor Alan Nowaczyk or the Pleasantdale School Board what they have done to see this project through so that children can be healthy and safe on their route to school?

My emotions are not guided by hate and anger, they are guided by courage, truth, honesty and doing the right thing for all. It is far easier to do what is popular than what is right.