American Education Week will be celebrated November 13th-17th, 2017, and the focus this year is #PublicSchoolsForAll! The National Education Association has a long history of supporting American Education week, starting in 1919 when the Association paired with American Legion in 1919 to generate public support for education because 25% of WWI draftees were illiterate. In 1921, the NEA Representative Assembly in Des Moines, Iowa, called for one week each year to spotlight education. The resolution stated: “An education week . . . observed in all communities annually for the purpose of information (sic) the public of the accomplishments and needs of the public schools and to secure the cooperation and support of the public in meeting those needs.”
My, how true these words ring today. We need our parents, our community, our philanthropic entities, our support staff and our teachers. Yes, it takes a village to raise a child and it takes hard work and commitment from so many in that village to educate our children, to support them, to help them succeed and achieve their dreams.
It makes me so proud, as a citizen, as a parent, as a teacher and as a McPherson Education Association member, to see these people and benevolent benefactors honored throughout the year by our Board of Education. But this week is special because all over our nation Americans are celebrating the many individuals who are making a difference in ensuring every child receives a quality education. Not “just” teachers, administration and board members, but custodians, bus drivers, lunch staff, nurses, secretaries, librarians, library clerks, tech support staff, para-educators, aides and volunteers. With #PublicSchoolsForAll, we emphasize public schools are the cornerstone of our communities; that we welcome students of all backgrounds, abilities and incomes; that each of us plays a role in ensuring our schools are open to all.
All students deserve the support, tools and time to learn. McPherson Education Association in conjunction with the National Education Association have great pride in our public schools.
All of us, each of us, together, are what makes our public schools some of the best in the world.
Donna Viola
McPherson Education Association President