When I hear the word “choice,” what comes to mind is “a decision to make.” The word “option” comes to mind as well. We are so blessed and fortunate to not only be Americans (naturally born or immigrated), but to have choice. We can choose to join the military, choose to go to college, choose to be a law-abiding citizen, or choose to break the law. As I have repeatedly told my daughter, “Decisions (choices) have consequences.” With that being said, “consequences,” can result in something good or bad.
So let us talk about one particular kind of choice: school choice. Every parent in North Carolina, as well as across our great nation, has the right to choose which school their child/children go to. Every child/student has the right to the best education that can be offered, no matter where they obtain it from, whether public, charter, or private school.
I chose for my daughter to go to a private Christian school for K-12. I had to make financial sacrifices for her to attend this school due to living on a law enforcement officer’s salary. But in the end, it paid off. It was her decision to attend a private Christian university because, as she said, “I want to continue my Christian education post high school.” This was her choice. I never had to worry about any sort of “indoctrination” or “socialist agenda” pushed upon her during her K-12 years, and especially where she is attending an institution of higher learning.
Sure, I was practically paying twice — with money going towards my daughter’s private school and in taxes going to the public school system. I was okay with that, and I still am to this day. But not everybody has the ability to make those financial sacrifices, even if they want to make that choice.
So now, we have an opportunity for the money to follow the child, not simply go to the local school, whether or not it’s the school of choice. There are opportunity scholarships that are available for parents that want to send their child/children to a private school (Christian or not). Every child has the right to attend a school of their choice to have a better education. And yes, I am referring to either public, charter, or private! Every parent has the right to send their child/children to a school of their choice.
Gov. Cooper’s weak so-called “State of Emergency” was nothing more than “The Little Boy Who Cried Wolf.” Or in this case, “The Little Governor Who Cried Wolf.” When you have people like Gov. Cooper and Randi Weingarten (head of the American Federation of Teacher’s union), carry on about their way is the best way to educate YOUR child/children, it has a negative effect. You really need to sit down and think, “Who really does have the best interest for North Carolina’s children at heart? The government? The teachers’ union?” No, it is every parent that has school-aged children!
Parents, you do have a choice. You also have a voice. You should afford yourself the opportunity to utilize both. To choose the best school for your child/children and to choose the best representation on Jones Street and in D.C. You have the right; use it, but use it to your child’s advantage. Remember, they are our future. We, as parents, know what is best for our child/children. The government and the teachers’ union do not.
Former President Ronald Reagan once said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”
We, as parents, have the right to choose which school is best for our children. If we don’t, and allow others to make the choice for us, then our freedoms will become extinct.