The Huffington Post – Bonnie Lathram
“Fortunately for this student, his dad was a big part of his life. His dad was at the school frequently. He emailed me, texted me, and set up meetings to check on his son’s progress. Not only was his dad an active part of his son’s life, he also mentored other students. The father owned his own construction company, a field that interested many of other students. This student’s father agreed to be a mentor and take on other high school interns for his construction business. This student’s father modeled that education is not just the responsibility of the parents and the teachers. Education is everyone’s business. (It’s also the title of a book by Dr. Dennis Littky, who co-founded Big Picture Learning where I worked as a school design coach). In my eight years as a high school teacher and counselor, I attended countless meetings where parents were involved. I had the phone numbers of all my students’ parents (and grandparents, step-parents, guardians, and siblings) in my phone.”(more)