We Can Learn From Everyone's Comments

I would like to respond to some comments on The Patch to my earlier posts.

I agree many of the comments fail to address the issue of street safety around our schools. There are a number of comments with personal attacks and “hurtful” remarks but I would argue against “closing” the discussion. I think it is good the Patch has provided a platform for people to express their opinions. I choose to be civil and avoid personal attacks when I am presenting my positions because if I don’t, I know I lose credibility and my goal to increase parent involvement and improve the educational environment for our kids will be harder to achieve.

I believe it is important to air our differences and disappointment about our local elected officials. I agree with Mr. Ferrell that if we have officials who are not performing the job we elected them to do we can defeat them at the next election. The comments I’ve read have educated me about some of the concerns and opinions about local issues of which I had no knowledge. This will help me to make a more informed decision when the next election comes around. It is important for me to hear differing opinions and I am able to discount an author’s opinion based on how they present their position. I think we can learn something from everyone’s comments, even the mean and nasty ones. I think we also learn a lot about our elected officials by how they respond to their critics.

I’ve learned the school district isn’t the only institution in our community we need to follow closely. I have followed the school district for more than four years and I think I can blog from an informed position. I will continue to follow and write about what’s happening in our schools but I am not as informed about the city council. I plan to become more involved and informed with city politics. I am hoping readers will continue to comment on my posts but I hope others will establish blogs focused on city government politics. I think it is obvious there are many in our community who need the platform the Patch offers to voice their opinions.