"Just" a mom!

I started this journey helping fight for Owasso schools, students, and teachers back on Oct. 14th, 2013. It's ONLY been 90 days, but it feels like it has been YEARS!! I have gained weight, cried, got mad - ACTUALLY got ANGRY, been slandered, lost LOTS of sleep, neglected my own two kids, talked ALOT, cried more - actually bawled, lost friends, met amazing people, learned new things (like how to blog, how to design t-shirts, create brochures and even resolution for yard signs). I have neglected cleaning my house and doing the laundry, been on the news, spent a lot of money on copies and CC aligned textbooks, overcame my nerves of public speaking, practiced over and over and over feeling stupid in front of my bathroom mirror, researched and researched, made zillions of phone calls, attended political meetings for the first time ever, approached legislators, asked TONS of questions, but most important I have PRAYED fervently more than ever before in my entire 35 years.

Most days I wake up and pray,  "God, I want to please go back to "just" being a mom!! This is NOT what I want to do with my time, this is NOT for me." I can't do this, this is draining, I am exhausted, why me, what did I start, why did I start, this is miserable, this is overwhelming, this is too much, too much, too much, TOO MUCH!!

And then I get that phone call, that email, that text message, that new "somebody" reaching out. Another "just a mom" thanking me for informing her, thanking me for speaking up, telling me her and her children's story, sharing their heart, digging for more information, asking me what is next, what they can do, but mostly encouraging me to keep going. And at that very moment it reminds me why I am tackling this David VS Goliath battle. I appreciate the complete strangers that have reached out and sent me encouraging words, bible verses, private notes, purchased my t-shirts, donated their time to teach me how to create blogs, designed my logos, attended my meetings, given me discounts at their businesses to make copies, offered me free space for advertising, donated their services, and the list goes on!! And they thank me and say keep fighting, you are right, thank you for being our voice, thank you for standing up, GO, GO, GO!

But that's not what drives me, those things shock me, surprise me, and I appreciate and am forever grateful for every single one. But the calls and emails that drive me to continue are the "just moms" who send me pictures of their children's homework, share their heartache and tears during homework time when your child is so frustrated, when the teacher shares with me that she spent 5 days of their Christmas break re-creating new CC aligned lessons and then stayed until 7PM every night their first week back because the standards are so demanding, and the fact that they are now sending home additonal homework packets for our kids to do in order to prepare for tests they are going to take in April. Yes, after being in school ALL day now they want them to do additional amounts of extra homework for test prep for the next 2 months!! Also, the mom's who share the fact that a 2 on your child's report card can represent an A,B, or C and gets into a heated debate as to how and why!? The middle and high school teachers that share how the constitution has been watered down and amendments have been diluted in their new CC aligned textbooks, the fact that my child will take "zillions" of tests that only grade their teacher but not their progress. The fact that a child is only 5 and in Kindergarten one time, and once its gone, its gone. The children being robbed daily of their "fun" and kindergarten childhood because of rigor. Testimony, after testimony, my desire grows, my passion builds, and I realize I am right where I am suppose to be. In fact, here are some other very powerful testimonies and examples of what I am talking about.

http://www.restoreokpubliceducation.com/node/789

These are the battles and scars that don't get celebrated on pinterest, usually don't win popularity votes but name calling, they are some of the most vulnerable moments where people run the other direction when you walk into the room, or avoid you completely in fear of losing their job due to association, or because they are too busy to worry about what issues you might bring up and they simply don't want to get involved.

But for me this is not "just being a mom," this is being a REAL life mom, an authentic my life has been turned upside down, I don't have a single clue what I am doing, the scared, tired, feeling overwhelmed and defeated before I ever started kind of mom. But being a mom is enough...God's word says DO NOT GROW WEARY, DO NOT WORRY, HAVE FAITH, BE STEADFAST, PRAY WITHOUT CEASING and DO NOT FEAR!!!!

I am proud to be "just a mom" the same one that fights. prays. gives. cries. loves. cares. sacrifices. fails. learns. grows. but NEVER gives up, even on days when I want to throw in the towel. Common core is just the issue that brought this out in me, and to each their own, but I hope you choose to discover and learn more about this particular issue, especially if you have children or grand-children attending schools. And for those of you that are thankful you are done raising your children and don't have to deal with this issue, I ask if you will please do it for mine?

There is an entire generation of children being taught "fuzzy" math and will be considered successful if they get close to the answer. Mainly because there is more concern about deeper more critical thinking and the process on how they got to answer not whether or not its actually correct due to rigorous academics.  These will be the same children taking care of you when you are in your rest home!

If they can't be proficient in exact math but only reasoning and getting close to the right answer but not necessarily the correct answer....how do you feel about them monitoring your medication dosages??? How do you feel about them engineering that plane you plan to ride in to go on your retirement vacations???