Room for Change

At the start of last school year, I was anxious to get the year over and done with. My discontent over my son's school had grown over the years that I couldn't wait for the day he graduates and finally leaves. I envisioned the day that I can breathe a big sigh of relief and say, "It's over!!!". And I also wished that we, parents of this graduating class of 2013, would have an "exit interview", as one would have when leaving an employer. At this interview, we would have an opportunity to provide school officials with some constructive feedback on what worked and what didn't, and provide possible solutions.

As graduation drew near, my anxiety grew even more. I was itching to tell it all and say whatever it was I had been holding back all these time. But I had to be a little more patient. I have gone this far and waited this long, and I didn't want to jeopardize and cause undue reaction from anyone, if you know what I mean. But as soon as that ceremony ends, no one can stop me from talking.

Nine years ago, we were all gungho about this school. It was something new to most of us, and that new experience was always exciting. Through the years, I would endorse this school to anyone I knew. As a matter of fact, school administrators have publicly acknowledged that I was their #1 spokesman because a good number of parent applicants they've interviewed said that I recommended the school to them. But as the years went by, things changed.

In the span of 9 years, alot of things have happened. In fairness, they're mostly good. But the not-so-nice ones were the most irritating. Often, I'd scratch my head in disbelief. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for how things were. But you just moved on. But these bad habits just grew each year, and the magnitude had become worse. The irritation just became more frequent. There were times I would even question myself whether or not I was unreasonable, or if there was something I missed. But if you have others who feel the same, then I guess I'm not losing it.

For those who know me or have followed my posts, I am all about fairness, equality, and justice. I get really annoyed and PO'd if any of these are violated. And there have been numerous violations in this school. Am I unreasonable?

Now that my son has graduated, I did have a big sigh of relief. But, somehow, I lost that desire to even talk about this school. I am just glad that it's over, and I will leave it at that. I figured that whatever I say will be an exercise in futility. I will leave everything in the same state, and let those left behind deal with it. Maybe it works for them. Who knows.

With all fairness, my son's stay had been great. If I had another child, I will still probably send him/her to this school. I think it's still the better school compared to the other parochial Catholic schools in the area.

The largest stumbling block of this school is change, or lack of it. For the years we've been there, very little has changed, if at all. With the old guards leaving and new blood coming in, there is hope.

I have a godchild who's an incoming first grader, and she has a younger brother, my other godchild, who will probably go to this school as well. My desire for change is for them. I want them to experience equality, fairness, and justice, and just have a grand learning experience. Am I asking too much?

Author would like to acknowledge Calibre Business Integration for the use of the photograph in this post.