PRENOTE: Most of this post was written before the forced evacuation of the Department of Education.  I knew no details.  At some point I will file a second, dated, postnote.

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Today began the ritual “killing” of the U.S. Department of Education, established as a separate department of the Government in 1980, and now 65 years old.   Of course, the department is not yet officially dead, but has about the same status as USAID did a few weeks ago.

There is a great deal more to be said.  Public Education has been central to my entire life.  For the moment I just want to keep this day as a place holder for public education and all of the students, parents and educators it represents, many, many millions.

As of March 12, 2025, a quick internet search indicated that total enrollment in public schools though grade 12 was 49.6 million children.  This data from National Center for Educational Statistics, an official website of the United States Government.  Look quickly while you still have a chance….  The current population of the United States is estimated as just over 340,000,000.  About one of 7 Americans are students in public schools, almost 100% of them too young to vote and thus unable to choose their representatives.  Millions more are pre-school age.  They are in every nook and cranny of the United States of America.  Public Education is a legacy of our forefathers and mothers.

I have often identified myself as a literal child of public education from tiny towns in North Dakota.  My Junior Year in high school was in a school with two seniors.

The school photo was taken in a single classroom and grade 9-12 was less than 30 students.  There were two teachers: one was my Dad.

In eighth grade, Mom was my teacher, and my then 5 year old brother spent his day in the grade 7-8 classroom with us.  At least half of my school years we lived in a house called a teacherage, near the school.  I suppose it was a ‘fringe benefit’ – at least it was a place to live.  I have often called myself the child of migrant workers since we moved often.  Teachers had minimal rights.  My parents were excellent teachers.  In the current day, all five of their children have at minimum bachelors degrees, as did they.

Three aunts and two uncles were public school teachers.  I taught and represented teachers for 36 years.  Two daughters are teachers, one a long-time middle school principal; the other junior high age special education.

On and on….

In no way would I be considered a mover and shaker in public education.  The best I could say for myself is that I showed up.  I am like the vast majority of persons in the world.  The ones who make a civilized world possible.

My closest brush to fame, I suppose, was in January, 1980, when I was with a group of teacher reps in the Cabinet Room of President Carter in Washington DC.  There were fewer than ten of us, and we were there to be briefed on issues.  I wish I would have kept the folder.  A few months later Congress established the Department of Education as a Cabinet Level Department.  Previously it had been part of Health and Human Services.

Today it is in transition, possibly elimination.  Here is the current website as of today (I cannot guarantee that this will be unchanged tomorrow, next week, next month.  Take a quick look.

POSTNOTE:

Life goes on, of course.  For me, kids, step kids, grandkids, on and on.

A couple of months ago I asked my siblings, all younger than I, to send photos of their first post high school (adult) endeavors.  For us, the time range I chose was from my high school graduation (1958) through my youngest siblings college graduation (1970).  In other words, we hit the ground running in the 1960s, all of us.

Without going into detail: I spent my first two post-college years in the U.S. Army, Cuban Missile Crisis on my watch in 1962.  Then I became a junior high school teacher; Mary became a Nurse, and the 1960s included public health nursing in Washington DC, and two tours on the Hospital Ship Hope.  Flo gave two years to the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic, thence a year of teaching, thence County Extension work (4-H and such).  Frank and John graduate college as Air Force officers, Southeast Asia on their plate.  They both retired as Air Force officers.

There you have it.  All of us were government employees in our younger days, a couple for long careers.  We were young, then.

It was the 1960s.  Is it time for a reprise?

POSTSCRIPT: I have noted earlier that there is an immense array of issues to be addressed, and the best I think any of us can do is to address a few and become cooperating activists with others on their issues.

Because of relevant background, Education is a big deal for me; so is Social Security and a few others.  These I can write about with more than small knowledge.  And I can share the thoughts with people like yourself.

Results come in small increments, often seemingly invisible, like the parable of grains of sand, or mustard seeds….  We’ll wait forever for the viral moments.  Best we use the time we have, productively.

POSTNOTE #2 added March 20, 2025:  This week  I sent a letter plus attachments to my local school board.  You can read it here: School Board from Dick 3 18 25  (The clip from the NEA Today newspaper is October, 1999)

An excellent, troubling, post from Joyce Vance on March 20, 2025, here.