Andie, Mother of 3, Norfolk, VA

Imagine your children are now in their 30s - out of school and starting into adult life. What do you ope for them about their life? What would make it a 'good' life?

I would hope that they love and accept others - all different kinds of people - and that they are loved and accepted as well.  I hope they have a desire to serve their community and make the world a better place.  A good life would mean that they feel fulfilled - in their relationships, in their vocations and in their careers.  I am lucky that I get to do what I love and I hope they can too because I know that not everyone gets the chance to do that.

What role do you think schooling should play in achieving that ideal life?

I think that school should help each child figure out what their potential is and what their gifts are.  In an ideal world each child would be nurtured to figure those things out.  I also think that a big part of school is learning to live respectfully and kindly with other people, who might be really different from you.  I put a pretty high value on teaching kids to live rightly with others.  Also helping each child live up to his or her potential is something that I would think would be a foundational goal for an educational system.

Do you think schools are currently playing the role that they should?

I think the school that my daughter attends does a wonderful job.  Every child there is celebrated, nurtured, encouraged and met where they are.  I think that there’s a great emphasis on community and living kindly with each other.  If every school could be like that it would be amazing.