Millions of out-of-state dollars and people are flooding our state eager for our children and their education tax dollars. Though they can't buy YOUR vote, they can influence our elected officials. That is why it is EXTREMELY-EXCEEDINGLY-EXTRAORDINARILY-HIGHLY-HUGELY-IMMENSELY-TERRIBLY-TOTALLY-SUPER-IMPORTANT for you to speak your voice to our elected officials. Yes, it is THAT important.
Why??? Not many elected officials have children in public schools, so they need to be told what we, as voting citizens and parents, want. Because they need our votes to stay in office, most elected officials DO listen to citizens.
Here's what you need to do:
1. Write a polite, brief email about why you don't like Common Core. Keep it short and sweet, but also speak your heart. It really helps to add details about how it is affecting you and your children. Some examples:
- your child is stressed by all the new testing,
- his/her recess time, music, art, library has been cut,
- class sizes have increased because money is spent on testing,
- you're worried about your child's private information being shared without your consent,
- your child isn't learning cursive, math facts, etc.
- you don't agree with the confusing ways of doing math
- your child's perception of school has changed
2. Go to http://www.capitol.tn.gov/legislators to find the email addresses and phone numbers of YOUR elected representatives in TN.
3. Send your elected officials your emails. (Bonus points: Call their offices in Nashville and tell them you are their constituent and you want them to get rid of Common Core.)
4. Pat yourself on the back for standing up for your children and their education!
Contact ALL of the elected officials in TN (their email addresses are conveniently listed at www.TNparents.org so you can easily cut and paste).
Maybe you'll make a difference like this parent did:
"A year ago, I was frustrated over the school situation here. I sat down and emailed some people who could fix the problem. I’d never emailed them before, and I figured I’d never hear anything back from it other than a “thank you for contacting this important person blah blah blah” kind of blanket reply. I was shocked to get real, personal responses back from some of them! One Representative from east TN replied and said that my email changed his vote! I couldn't believe that a little old Mom like myself could make a difference. Ever since then, I've been advocating for children in my school and state. My voice DOES make a difference!" ~ A parent from Shelby County, TN