Why I Walk

A HUGE thank you to Game On for Kansas Schools and all of the volunteers who supported the walkers. It was an amazing display of organization, passion, and commitment. I am in awe of those who walked all three days to Topeka. Their dedication to education knows no limits. Seriously, It's a lot of walking. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in even a small way. I met some great people! Thanks for being such a cool group to spend a day with.

Fred Rogers said, "We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It's easy to say, "It's not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.' Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes."

This quote directly speaks to why I chose to walk. I walk because I believe it is all of our responsibility to ensure that every child matters. Public education may be the greatest achievement of modern society. EVERY child, regardless where they live, should have access to quality public education. Our schools need skilled and innovative teachers to meet the diverse needs of our classrooms. These teachers should experience the full weight of our confidence and support in the work they do every day with our children. They should be teaching class sizes that make sense and in which our children can have their needs met. Our classrooms need the curriculum and resources necessary for students to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Our students should be able to compete with any students, anywhere, and they should be prepared to meet the demands of our ever changing world.

That is why I walk. I walk to remind our leadership that our values have become misplaced. I walk because our children are our most valuable investment. I walk because every child matters.

For you who are wondering how Dan and Danny did while I was walking, I can't really say. They had a "super secret boy stuff" day. From what I gather, it did involve watching ducks at Antioch Park and playing with Nana and Poppa. You know, boy stuff.