Whoopsie.

I have a confession make. I think I made a big boo-boo last week. I knew it was happening the whole time, but I had no control over making it stop.

Sometimes I get a little opinionated. Okay - maybe more than just sometimes. And I usually try my best to keep these opinions to myself. Okay - that's a lie too. BUT I do usually try to keep my opinions away from Facebook. And that's the honest to God truth.

Nothing bugs me more than political Facebook rants. Well other than sport rival Facebook rants but that's for another post. Yet I still got sucked in.

North Carolina has recently passed some pretty big legislation concerning lots of different hot topic areas. And usually, I try to just ignore all the crossfire. I mean, I'm not a politician. I'll be the first to admit that I am nowhere near qualified to pass laws concerning state budgets. I feel barely qualified to even have a conversation about state budgets (numbers are so not my thing).

But these changes are pretty hard to ignore. Particularly the ones involving education.

{This would be the part where I insert some links for you to check out regarding the recent legislation. However, there are about ten billion and one floating around out there on the interwebs, usually all bias in one direction or the other, so I'll let you and Google handle that. Besides the point of this post is not to rehash the details of it all.}

Now, let me first say two things. One - I am a conservative in almost every way. Two - I usually can always see both sides to any situation. While I have my own personal beliefs and opinions about things I usually always can see where the other person is coming from and therefore have a hard time determining that someone is wrong. They're thinking is just different than mine.

I get why North Carolina has had to make major cuts in almost every area of our budget. I understand that we are in serious debt. I see first hand the problems with many of our government systems (welfare, unemployment, medicaid). I also see and live the many, many problems with public education. Serious changes need to be made in our state, I get it. 

But I can't help but feel like, while the changes that have been made are definitely BIG, they're not right. 

One of the greatest things about our country (in my opinion) is the right to free, GOOD public education. Are private schools an option? Sure. (Another great thing about our country is the freedom to CHOOSE.) However, should private schools be the only option for GOOD education? Absolutely not. 

Public schools need good teachers too. And while every good teacher will say (and truly mean) that they aren't in it for the money or the benefits, it's still a job. A job that requires a four year degree. A job that requires (at the very very very least) 40 hours a week. Every other profession with these requirements pays enough to support families, is respected by other professionals, and offers incentives for further professional development. And at the end of the day, public educators would like all of these things too. 

Good teachers are going to stay in the public classroom as long as they can, regardless of the ridiculous decisions made by local governments, because good teachers ultimately care about one thing: what's best for the kids. But even the best teachers are still human. And eventually enough is going to be enough. It terrifies me that these changes in our state are going to force good teachers out of public education, maybe even out of our state completely. 

I believe...that children are our future. And now more than ever they need good, influential people in their lives. Molding them and teaching them right from wrong. 

I believe...that NC legislatures don't have a clue about what one hour in a classroom is like and therefore are as unqualified making education decisions as I am making political ones.

I believe...that there are people who genuinely need help and I believe the great thing about our country is that we can provide that help to them. 

I believe...that there are people who are taking advantage of our country and state's willingness to help and that's where our changes should be made.

I believe...that when free handouts are easy to come by, people will always choose that over actually working for what they need. It's human nature.

I believe...learned helplessness is real and the cycle of oppression exists. Children who don't see their parents working hard and bettering themselves are never going to know that they can work hard and better themselves. 

I believe...this is where teachers come in. They can show children these things. The government should support programs that support teachers doing just that. Instead of 90% of the pointless programs they choose to support instead. 

For once, I would like to see a legislature believe in these things too and actually do something about it. 

P.S. Please come back tomorrow. I promise it will be more fun (it's #backthatazzup Friday after all)!

Hugs,