I hear a lot about what’s wrong with our public education system in NYS from teachers, board members, and people in our state and local government. It’s usually delivered as a messy tangle of invective, finger pointing and name calling and it gets us nowhere. I’m always amazed by how infrequently I hear the voices of the students, many of whom are dealing with peer pressure, lack of resources, no parental support and teachers who have given up on them. If we would all stop and listen to the kids I think we’d find a very clear message of what their challenges are and how they affect school performance.
Below is a link to something our District is doing to give the kids a voice. Take a minute to listen then propose it to your District.
http://news.wbfo.org/post/focus-education-student-voices-part-i
atomiclunches.com 
What really struck me while listening to the radio broadcast was the one boy who said that one of his barriers for getting to school was no breakfast, and the adult leader interpreting that as “lack of food.” I’m afraid to ask how many kids face this same obstacle. I know it’s a large number. This is why bringing attention to what our kids eat at school and the Wellness Committee are important. Schools may be the only place many children have a meal they can count on. I realize I’m focusing on one aspect of the broadcast, but I can also see that food insecurity doesn’t go away as you get older. It follows some kids their entire school lives. Which is why I feel that if the one meal a day these children count on comes from school, it should be the most nutritious meal we can give them. Continue the good work of bringing this to the public’s attention.
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It’s nice to hear from kids what they need from parents and schools! very inspiring.
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