When I was a young child attending the public school system in Savannah, Georgia, we had a program called the PTA (Parent – Teacher Association). For those who are NOT familiar, Parents and Teachers ACTUALLY WORKED TOGETHER. Novel concept right? Well, in many areas it was, and still is, a great success. Unfortunately, people are not consistent and their attention span gets shorter and shorter with each generation. Realizing this, the new Superintendent of schools for Savannah- Chatham County and the employees of the Savannah Chatham County Public School System came up with Operation Beacon. Nice name but it is the same concept of the PTA under a different name.
WHY DOES THE SCHOOL SYSTEM HAVE TO BEG THE PARENT TO COME SUPPORT THEIR CHILD? This is the million dollar questions. NO! The system is not suppose to raise your child. YOU ARE! Only with parental input and support can a child become successfully educated. It makes me sad, however, that parents have to be reminded of this. I commend Dr. Ann Levett for pushing this initiative. She is a native of Savannah who graduated, went away, established her career, and came back to fill a need that she saw. I only hope that people will rally around her and this program, but I am not really confident that we will have PARENT BUY IN! It is not an easy task educating children, and now, in many cases, even harder to educate the parents, of the importance of teaching as a team. The PTA, for whatever reason, has not been very successful in my city. I hope that Operation Beacon will be.
OPERATION BEACON. NICE NAME! SAME CONCEPT AS PTA! Hopefully, BETTER RESULTS!
~~~Lindabelle~~~
TheWRITEaddiction.com 
Operation Beacon is a volunteer program and PTA is an advocacy organization. Although true, PTA is hurting and sometimes inconsistent, it is a necessary organization. PTA gives ALL parents, families, schools to have a voice in regards to their child’s education. PTA influences policy changes on all levels and works to bring in programs, activities and resources to communities, schools and our children. Volunteer Beacon is a volunteer recruiting program.
If more people would engage in the work PTA is doing, PTA would work, but it takes a village!
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Parents are at different stages today. First, there is the factor of the single parent. This single parent has to work two jobs to provide some suitable standard of living for her and the child or children. How many PTA’s have flexibility within their structure to realize this? Here is a revelation if children don’t come with instructions when they enter this world, parenting does not come with instructions either. Imitating family life from a situation comedy show on television won’t cut it. Some , not all PTA’s are still geared toward two-parent families. One size does not fit all. It would behoove PTA’s to realize, recognize and find a 21st century method to relate to the parent/parents of today. I saw nothing in Dr. Levett’s video or the July 22nd at Johnson High School to equate Operation Beacon to PTA. PTA’s get linked with doing fund raisers at their prespective schools. No language like that was attached to Operation Beacon. As I conclude this reply, I would point out that the same parents being taken to task for not being involved in the “education at home” of their child or children were students themselves in the public school system. It does not take a rocket scientist to realize that the “system” failed these parents when they were students. Telling them to get over it or suck it up won’t cut the mustard either. Were it not for the children of these parents, the staff and teachers would not have jobs. Might seem insignificant to some but that factor is so often overlooked.
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