Graduation Day
Last night, I went to the LHS graduation ceremony and watched my child receive his high school diploma. After 13 years of being an involved parent in the Lowell Public School system, I felt that I too was graduating. Tonight I spoke to parents of incoming Kindergarten students at an orientation meeting arranged by the Parent Information Center. I was there to tell them about the Citywide Parent Council and to urge them to get involved with their child’s education, whether it be with the CPC or the more localized school groups such as the PTO or the School Site Council.
What I wished I had told them was that being involved with the schools is not just about helping the schools be better – the payoff comes from the increased awareness of the whole school system, not just one’s individual school. A bonus is meeting other involved parents, networking and benefiting from others’ experiences with the system. Could I add personal growth to that list? Before I joined the CPC Executive Board, I would not have imagined myself speaking before groups, planning and running meetings, helping someone get elected to school committee, creating a powerpoint presentation, writing letters to the editor, talking to the Superintendent of Schools on a regular basis or making speeches at City Hall. Yet, these are just some of the experiences that I have had because of my involvement with the CPC. I’ve given a lot of time and energy to the group, but I think, in the end, that I have gained the most from this experience.