I want to offer what may be a rare congratulatory note to you and your team of educators in your school district on a job well done for the public school children of Texas. You are achieving extraordinary results with extraordinary people working in our schools in spite of misinformed critics, malcontents, and self-proclaimed "transformers" who continually attempt to derail your work.

Unfortunately, we are losing this war over public opinion, meaning people believe what they hear. Texans are led to believe that our schools are wasteful and ineffective. Critics are firmly in control, defaming educators and casting wide-spread accusations of failure to promote their hidden agendas. These incessant, mean-spirited attacks on public education are so destructive and pervasive that educators are left wondering if there is any real hope of restoring pride in the education profession and respect to the dialog about it.

We say there is great hope, just as Thomas Paine did in his political declaration Common Sense, which led the energies of the rebels and pointed the way to American independence from England. Paine enunciated the right of the people to challenge unjust laws and government, offering a solution for Americans disgusted and alarmed at the threat of tyranny. We believe there are many parallels between educators today, condemned by blinded reformists, and early Americans, condemned by a blinded Crown. It's time to mobilize our army of 600,000 plus educators, revolution-style, to challenge unjust criticism (peacefully of course). 

Right now you are probably thinking, "Okay... How do you propose we do that?" The solution is a simple one, really. To spark this revolution we need educators to think and act like ambassadors for our schools and to speak well of their profession, which is why we have created an Ambassador Training Academy and motivational speaking series designed to rally educators as ambassadors for their students, themselves, campuses, districts, and profession.    

Click here to read a very kind note written by our friend Graham Sweeney in Boles ISD. We recently had the opportunity to visit with his entire team for a couple of hours during a staff development day. We would welcome the opportunity to meet your team as well. 

Your Chief Ambassador,

Leslie Milder

Founder

Friends of Texas Public Schools

lmilder@fotps.org