My Mission Statement

No matter who we are or where we come from, education is a part of our daily lives. While it
may not come entirely from the conventional method of learning (i.e. school), in order to
successfully navigate through this world, we must all seek an education in some form or another.
Just think about it, we live in homes, work in buildings and operate vehicles driven on roads
built by the hands of man. All of these things came to be from the knowledge and education of
others. People who saw the need for change and set forth to learn how to bring about that
change.
I cannot imagine what our world would look like if we decided education does not matter.
Education helps us to learn about the world we live in. It helps us to think deeper about the
world we want to live in and how to bring those positive changes to fruition. Over the years, I
have often heard the statement, Knowledge is Power and I believe that to be true. However, I
believe knowledge put into action is power, is a much more accurate statement. Knowledge
helps us to make educated, well-informed decisions about who we are and the world we live in.
Receiving a good education is not an opinion I share by myself, our government also saw the
need for everyone to receive a solid education. So much so that in January 2002, President
George W. Bush, signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law (n.d., Understanding No
Child Left Behind). The No Child Left Behind mandate aimed to ensure every student,
regardless of their race or economic background, would have access to a good, well-rounded
education (n.d. Understanding No Child Left Behind).
Unfortunately, No Child Left Behind has been met with much controversy over the years.
While no one disagrees with the need for access to a good education. One of the controversies
has been money issues, which the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE)

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says would cost approximately 7 billion dollars to operate the program over a seven year period.
Creating much more of a burden for the program than an aid (n.d. Understanding No Child Left
Behind).
Non-governmental entities have also thrown their hat into the education arena. In an effort to
properly educate our children and fill in the gap, charter schools were created by educators,
parents and community leaders, who write the schools guiding principles and accountability
measures. Once a charter school receives approval and funding from the state. It is clear from
the beginning that although the school will have increased autonomy, the understanding between
the state and charter school is, there will be increased accountability in the educating of the
children being taught (Cooperation, 2004).
Governmental and non-governmental agencies certainly know the value of everyone
receiving a solid education. They know that an education can empower the learner to make well
informed decisions in their lives and make positive contributions to the world we live in. A solid
education also provides the learner with a sense of accomplishment. When we are able to
provide for ourselves as well as our families, we feel good about ourselves and believe that
anything is possible.
My passion for everyone to have access to a solid education stems from my own personal
experience. While I was an average student throughout my early school years, I really did not
take my education seriously and I coasted school. Sadly, when I got to college, I was not
prepared and I failed miserably. I decided to work and live my life. It was through my various
work experiences that I began to realize the importance of an education. By then, life had taken
over and completing my education seemed so far away that I could not see how I would ever get
back on track.

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I believe my journey has brought me to this very moment in my life. A moment where I want
to give back and help others to not make the same mistakes I made. I do not look back in
bitterness, because I can see Gods hands all over my situation. However, I want children to
realize the importance of an education early on and to not take it for granted.
Here is what I learned on my journey. Receiving a good education not only increases our
vocabulary, it helps us to become better communicator and to better understand one another.
Education broadens our minds and teaches us that there is more to life than the four (4) block
radius in our neighborhoods. Education causes us to think about ideas and create solutions to the
many different ills of this world. I want every child to know the importance of receiving a good
education and not to waste the opportunity to grow and create the lives they want to live and
shape the world they want to live in.
I believe there are well meaning men and women out there who want children to receive a
solid education. However, it still seems as if there is a disconnect with the various programs.
Too many children are still being lost during this disconnect.
I know this will sound clich, but children really are our future and if we do not find a way to
engage our children, equally educate our children, then we will lose our children. The picture I
captured in workshop one (1) shows what happens when a child is not educated. The burden to
taxpayers versus the contribution to society.
We do not have to wait solely on the government or non-governmental agencies to supply our
children with a good education. We can begin at home and in our communities. We may not
hold the title of teacher but we are all just that, teachers.

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I believe education is key and knowledge in action is power. My mission is help remove the
barriers many children experience, that are preventing them from achieving their full potential in
the classroom and ultimately in life.

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References
2004 Corporation for Educational Radio & Television. (n.d.). Retrieved November 5, 2014, from
http://www.pbs.org/closingtheachievementgap/faq.html
Understanding No Child Left Behind | PublicSchoolReview.com. (n.d.). Retrieved November 5,
2014, from http://www.publicschoolreview.com