Clarifying: The Audience

The motivation for writing this has a lot to do with my potential audience. I am keeping three groups in mind as I tweak my focus.

First, I think of parents of middle and high school students. Many of us are embarking on secondary schools for the first time since we were there. For some, that school experience was not all that pleasant. For others, language or social barriers can make the school system feel unfamiliar and even, at times, intimidating. I would like to open the dialogue around this in order to make secondary schools more accessible.

Second, I think of the students, including my own children. Sometimes we have less influence in their lives than we could. There are things I could say to my kids but that they cannot always hear or understand. I hope this method of gathering my thoughts will become a resource for all youth working with adults -- teachers, parents, and so on.

Third, I think of other working moms who want the best of both worlds: the home and the career. I certainly have some success stories to share in this area, but more importantly I want to learn from others. Most of my close friends in school leadership do not have children, or they are already grown. It can be a lonely world, and I am hopeful that this will bring us closer to friendship and happiness.