KNOCKING DOWN BARRIERS: Parents from Southwest Detroit gather to discuss the challenges facing English language learners in the schools.(courtesy photo/Detroit Parent Network)
Ask Sally Wiggins to describe her role in her daughters’ education, and she starts at the beginning.
“My pregnancies were intentional,” she said, embarked upon after her marriage had proven stable over a period of years. Her prenatal care was top-notch; Wiggins, a nurse by profession, took pains to make sure her nutrition, exercise, rest and medical care were all by the book.
News and Analysis from The Center for Michigan
And once Julia and Claire were in the world, Wiggins gave up full-time employment and made her daughters her job. They received close attention, starting with baby classes and structured play dates and continuing through supportive help at every level of their schooling. Claire and Julia’s mother not only attended conferences and supervised homework, but volunteered at extracu…………… continues on and help teachers help their children – MLive.com
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Quinn signs sex-abuse education mandate
News from Chicago Tribune:
Teachers across Illinois will begin teaching their students on how they can protect themselves against sexual abuse and assaults. (WGN – Chicago)
After watching Gov. Pat Quinn sign into law a new mandate for child sex-abuse education in Illinois schools, the woman behind that measure will be hitting the road to push the cause nationwide.
On Thursday, Quinn signed “Erin’s Law” at the Children’s Advocacy Center of North and Northwest Cook County in Hoffman Estates. That’s where, 14 years ago, a then-13-year-old Erin Merryn first spoke up about sexual abuse she had endured.
“You do not know how joyous this is for me, how hard I’ve worked for this,” Merryn said of the law, which extends state-mandated sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention efforts to elementary and middle schools. Previously, only high schools were required to teach it.
Although it’s an unfunded mandate, Merryn, 27, said the law lets school districts decide how to implement it. Districts can choose either to use and pay for existing research-based curriculum, or train teachers on how to educate their students.
“Schools don’t just need to hire someone to come in (from) outside the school,” Merryn said. “You’ve got the staff right there that you already pay that are capable of teaching this, with the proper training.”
Rep. Fred Crespo,…………… continues on Chicago Tribune
