The program "Nightline" had a special presentation on television, DC: A City Divided. The topic of the program was racism in the US Capitol and the focus was on education. William Bennett, the Secretary of Education at the time, spoke -along with others. I found the speakers uninspiring, but after the main program finished, the filmmakers started interviewing people in DC. I found myself moved by how trapped the children were because of the rejection they faced in the larger society of the city. They were also trapped by failing schools.
I knew a lot about the problem with K12 education by this time. School was a nasty experience for my younger daughter who is dyslexic. In addition I was making my living using an Apple II+ and the school down the street had MAC computers, but they had no idea what to do with them. I thought that computers could make it possible for teachers to share resources (this was the late 80s). I had some experience programming computers. I thought there might be a way I could help solve this problem if I could go back to school and learn how to get computers to communicate with each other.
Before making a decision, I went to the elders at my church for their counsel. One was concerned that I was going to be taking time away from my children if I went to school full time. (The children were 10 and 12 at the time.) My parents were living next door, so I knew the children wouldn't be alone. Still I knew that taking time away from them was a big decision and that I should ask the Lord.
I prayed for a week. The weekend was my birthday. I was used to the Lord getting me gifts on my birthday (see my earlier post on this). I wondered what I would get for this birthday.
On Saturday, my birthday, I went out to the mailbox to find a “Special Issue” of Newsweek. Newsweek usually arrived midweek and special issues are rare. The cover proclaimed “The Future of Education.” The entire issue was devoted to the types of things schools need in order for students to be successful. Some might think it was a giant coincidence that this issue arrived on that particular birthday. I took this as a sign that the Lord wanted me to pursue the knowledge I needed in order to help teachers get the resources and tools they need to do their job.
For thou [art] my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness. -2Sa 22:29 (KJV from the Blue Letter Bible)
