Wisdom for Today - Stop Using Kids as Collateral Damage and Re-open Schools

Deborah Owens, President of CAAP and Director of Wisdom for Today, speaks her heart about the issue of school closures. Politicians must reject the teacher's union and open schools for the sake of children and parents!

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TRANSCRIPT: This is Dr. Deborah Owens with another episode of Wisdom for Today. And today's message is simple. I believe our politicians need a time out when it comes to COVID and whether or not students are returning back to school, in-person learning, virtual learning, it's gotten out of hand and many parents are frustrated.
Parents want what's best for their child at the end of the day. Parents want their children to be educated and I know for me, I'm an educator at Hart Middle School for eleven years. And I taught at the college level and I hold a doctorate education degree. And for me, we were thrown into this whole COVID pandemic and all of a sudden everyone had to become teachers. We had to teach our children at home because we were on lockdown. I thank God I had the resources, I had the training, I had the knowledge so that I could help our children at home, but I know that there are many parents and didn't have those resources and didn't know what to do, I didn't know how to teach. And in fact, even my children with my experience and my knowledge would say, You're not my teacher, you're a mom and this is not school, this is home. And so they couldn't wait to get back to school and to their friends and to to their routine because obviously our routine changed at home as well. And so we need to take politics out of education and we need to return children to school.
There are many children who have special needs, and they have teachers who can address those needs at home. The children also need the social aspect of schooling. There's a lot that's involved in a school day that you can't get in a home setting.
And so we have some politicians now who flip flopping, who are standing or siding with the teachers union on teachers not wanting to return to work because of the COVID or the fear of getting COVID. And I I know because as I said, I am an educator.
The teachers union collect their dues from teachers, and so they support teachers. What we need are policy makers who are not going to be Democrat or Republican. They're not going to take sides. They're going to do what's right for children.
And our children should not be collateral damage. And so they are becoming collateral damage. Many children are now a year or two years behind in their education, and that may never be caught up. And so I'm saying politicians take a time out.
Parents continue to be your child's best advocate and push for them. So those school districts who are saying that students need to stay at home and continue with remote learning, continue to push back, continue to reach out to the school board and know that you are the child's this advocate.
And you know what's best for your child and being in school if that's what you want? Being in school, being in the school setting is what's best for your child and push for that and enough of making politics out of this situation, out of COVID, it's unfair to the children. It's unfair to families and we need to make our priorities what's best for children. And so I just wanted to share my point of view and just say enough is enough.

Take the time now, and let's do what's best for children. And that's my message, and I pray that you would share with me what your thoughts are. Tell me if you agree or you disagree. Our website is www.caapusa.org
You can email me at info@caapusa.org. So for now, this is Deborah with another episode of Wisdom for Today. Let's do what's best for children. God bless you.