I have a great group of students this year and several of them are sibilings of my former students- which is really fun! I teach at a school that serves a population of students in which 96% qualify for free/reduced lunch. Like every teacher, I have stories...some uplifting and some that are very tough to hear. Instead of telling one of my classroom stories, I want to highlight some national facts about our public education system for you to digest. Educational inequity is the reality that where a child is born determines the quality of his or her education and life prospects.
Educational inequity starts early and gets worse over time.
- By the time they reach fourth grade, children living in low-income communities are already two to three grades behind their higher-income peers.
- Just half of students in low-income communities will graduate high school by age 18. Those who do graduate will perform on average at an eighth-grade level.
- Overall, only 1 in 10 students growing up in poverty will graduate from college.
Educational inequity prevents children from fulfilling their potential.
It limits life choices, professional options, and incomes, and weakens families and communities. Because children in low-income communities are predominantly children of color, they also face the added burden of societal low expectations and discrimination.
Educational inequity undermines our nation's economic strength.
- A McKinsey & Company study indicates that educational inequity costs the country $500 billion each year, which is the equivalent of a permanent national recession.
some silly times... 
seeing if the bottle piggy bank has milk in it like a real bottle...
story time with Uncle David and Aunt Sara...
a new pool toy...
a shoulder ride on Grandpa Coburn...
story time with Grandma Coburn...
and meeting 12 day old Karis Tucker.
