Dear President Obama

Mr. President,

I was truly inspired by your education speech the other day. I have been thinking about it since I read it. What I liked most was your awareness that schools should not be the only ones accountable, parents should be held accountable as well. I liked how you mentioned that children should not go home to war zones and that parents should be a child's first and most important teacher. I liked how you promised that you would be talking to educators about how to fix this problem.

The reality is this: we have some really good schools in this country. I work with staff members that spend countless hours planning great lessons for their students. I talk with parents who worry about their children's success. I see excited and motivated children in the classrooms.

On the flip side, I see a huge societal issue. Our society does not value hard work anymore. It is now the American way to take the easy way out. The truth is this: for a child to compete in this global world, it takes hard work. Parents must prioritize school over baseball. Parents must prioritize homework and make children take responsibility instead of arguing over discipline and/or making excuses for their children. Principals must be willing to and allowed to remove an ineffective teacher. It should not take thousands of dollars in legal fees and countless hours to remove an ineffective tenured teacher. When school officials call Children's Division because children are being abused and/or neglected, our society must do something about it!

We have a lot to fix, but many people are willing to help. It is time to make some hard decisions, but you have people willing to make those decisions. We need back up and support. It is time to do what is right for the children in our country.